Video Medium Can Make Large Impact (Marcus Carruthers Commentary)

Video is one the most powerful and effective tools for communication. It enables businesses and organizations to engage and connect to their staff, consumers and audiences. From a corporate standpoint, it provides the ability to communicate a message and get results.

It’s been shown that presentations incorporating video focus attention, convey information, increase retention and compel action better than static web pages or PowerPoint slides. Best of all, you can instantly share video presentations on your Web site, in e-mail, VHS, DVD, CD, PowerPoint and more.

What does this mean to your business or organization and how can we be ready to use the video communications to inform, sell, teach, demonstrate or motivate?

As a technology professional, I’m not as concerned about the technology as I am with how we will use it. My interest is how we as technology and business professionals will embrace the medium and use it to communicate affectively.

To accomplish that, I’ve created five keys that I believe we need to understand if we want to make an impact in the age of video technology. These are important principles that will help you create a more effective message, and help you cut through the clutter and advertising hype that surrounds video communications:

• Understand the power of telling a story. Most business and organizations want to begin with equipment and technology, but I prefer focusing on the message and purpose you are trying to communicate. This is your opportunity to build and create brand recognition, retention and loyalty.

Products that have used video communications well include Pampers, Coke, Post-it Notes; each of which have been ingrained in our minds through effective video communication and intentional branding.

The equipment is important, but ultimately your desire is to communicate your message.

• Understand the current culture. You must be very aggressive and intentional on understanding the needs, and wants of today’s culture. In order for you to prepare for the future, it has to start today. Through the use of video communication, you have an opportunity to engage and connect to people like never before. You create better retention and loyalty when you allow people to hear, see and engage your content. Information is really powerful when used to determine precise ways to communicate to your audiences.

• Always be open to change because it’s inevitable. In today’s economy, “the big does not always eat the small, the fast eat the slow.” Be prepared to adapt.

• Don’t forget creativity. An advertising executive once said “Creativity is like shaving — if you don’t do it every day, you’re a bum!”

When an audience has the option to view literally millions of “products and services” in the age of convergence, creativity will be a strong element in bringing them to you.

• Don’t underestimate the importance of quality. Today, audiences are more technologically sophisticated than ever, and some refuse to engage in video communications that are not up to current standards of quality. Remember first impressions are lasting ones.

Quality not only involves equipment, it involves people as well. If you gave the finest computer in the world to the average person in your office, he or she still wouldn’t be able to write a best-selling novel. You need to bring the best media professionals to help your business or organization succeed in communicating to your audiences.

Let these points be a guide for your business or organization as you continue to improve your video communications, along with a couple of technical tips:

• Performance is everything when editing video on your computer. In XP, go to the system control panel, click on the Advanced tab, and then go to Performance Settings. Uncheck any of the visual effects you don’t need.

• Visual Communicator is a video editing program developed to help users create, edit and deploy video with ease. Use www.seriousmagic.com to create internet video and DVD video.

(Marcus Carruthers, the minister of technology of First Baptist Church of Springdale, is a former programming analyst for Tyson Foods Inc. and an online development manager for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Sam’s Club. He may be reached via e-mail at [email protected].)