Why does your business’ video need to be authentic?

We all know that videos are great for marketing your business. However, in a digital landscape with an endless supply of content, just putting out any old video won’t guarantee success. Customers can get distracted easily, and they may well ignore your content if they don’t connect to it right away. So what’s the secret to connecting with your customers in a sea of content? Authenticity.Authenticity (noun): the quality of being authentic. In other words, being honest, accurate, and reliable.A good commercial or marketing video leaves viewers with the sense that your company genuinely understands their needs. Your product or service could be perfect for a customer, but that customer won’t give you the time of day if they get a disingenuous vibe from your marketing. Customers can tell when a video is contrived. For example, many commercials are too assertive. When a video gets too salesy, it is hard to trust the content. Pushing customers too hard, without showing them why they actually need your product,  makes it seem like profit is your only incentive.  Human beings are excellent at detecting when someone is being dishonest, and never is this more true than in marketing.Another pitfall of many commercials is that they fail to portray cultural authenticity. If you want to market to audiences with different cultures or identities than your own, it’s very important to take the time to learn about these audiences, and how your product or service fits into their lives. Even if a  commercial looks good, you’ll lose potential customers instantly if they feel misrepresented in your content.

So how do we ensure that your video is authentic?

There are a couple of things you can do to make your video feel more authentic and truthful.For example, if you are not using professional actors for your video, a documentary-style video may be the best way to go. Documentary-style videos give a sense of realism. Showcasing real examples of customers using your product or service can help customers picture how they could use it in their daily lives.  Likewise, interviewing your company’s founders, designers, or engineers about your company’s purpose can show customers that you care about more than making a profit. If you are filming scripted scenes for your marketing video, you should hire professional actors and a director who knows how to work with them. Also, make sure that any staged "use cases" feel natural, and reflect real ways in which people use your product.

Your options for production

Remember, the quality of the content is more important than the quality of the image. You should never lose your authenticity, even if you decide to make videos on your phone with no budget.However, if you want to establish your company as a high-end product or service, you still need to have great quality imagery. That’s where a production company comes in.If you decide to hire a production company, it is our job to make sure that your commercial retains both authenticity and high-quality imagery/sound.

Authenticity at Prodigium

When you are truly authentic, you can reach the hearts and minds of your customers. At Prodigium, we always strive to work with a diverse cast and crew, and see it as a fundamental part of being a social impact entertainment company. We have a diverse directors’ roster so we can make responsible hiring choices for every project, which allows us to bring a sense of authenticity to a variety of audiences.On top of that, we work with our clients every step of the production process to ensure that we fully understand the nature of their business, who their audience is, and how to authentically connect with that audience. We also offer a Cause Marketing Strategy service, so feel free to inquire about possible collaboration.Customers can sense when you’re not being yourself, so make sure that your next marketing video authentically reflects your company, and feels genuine to your customers.