There are a lot of people who make the best out of the career they thought they were going to enjoy. A lot of people hate their job but have to go everyday because they have no choice. Then there are the select few who are doing exactly what they want, happy as can be without complaint. They are what we call “imaginary.”
But we need to change our situation to get employment where we are happy. I’ve done that recently by getting myself hired at Ydraw. (Are the bosses reading? Okay, good.)
But changing your job around can be an incredible hassle. Let’s go through the list.
CHANGING YOUR INSURANCE. This was the big one between my wife and I. At my old job I had incredible insurance that was set up for me and I didn’t really need to think about it. With my new job change, I’ve got to find and change my insurance myself. Not a huge challenge, just a huge hassle.
Now I need to vet about 200 health care companies for the best coverage at the best rate. Or trust my health to the government and get covered by the Affordable Care Act.
Good news though, I think I saw my favorite celebrity with “#getcovered” on a white piece of paper, so I’m pretty sure I won’t die.
FALLOUT FROM YOUR FORMER EMPLOYER. My former employer was also my father-in-law. I don’t recommend doing that. There’s no separating your private life with your personal life.
For example, when I gave my two-week notice my wife got chewed out like she was 15 again, for an hour. I actually didn’t make the two weeks; I made it four days, from Tuesday to Friday.
I then was invited to start early if possible. It was possible and I jumped at the chance. I always wanted to write and Ydraw made that happen, why wouldn’t I go for it?
(“How do I computer?”)
PRESSURE TO KEEP THE NEW JOB. Now that the fallout is as deep as the craters on Edward James Olmos’ face, you have the added pressure to keep the job you just got because you cannot go back to that old job.
That bridge is a smoldered wreck of brittle matchsticks, so you need to perform. There’s nothing worse than trying to perform with that sort of pressure to impress your new bosses while catching up with your company’s procedures.
Sure there’s a learning curve, but how obtuse is that curve? It’ll make your palms sweat.
UNDERSTAND YOUR NEW COMPANY’S CULTURE. Every company has a different way of doing things. In my old job if the boss caught you taking a break when he walked up to the job site you would see his face melt as his eyes borrowed deep into your soul as his high piercing screeches destroyed your eardrums.
It’s not like that at Ydraw, it’s not like that at all. I haven’t been here long enough to know where everything stands just yet, but I’m sure there is some snags here and there I’ll learn, but for now, I’ll just lay low.
(pictured: how my life works now)
THE CAR SITUATION. I had a company car and even though I couldn’t do much with it besides my work, it did get me around when I needed it. Now I’m down to one car. One 2010 Toyota Corolla (that’s right, ladies) with a wrecked backseat from two kids reenacting ‘Lord of the Flies’ during road trips. So my morning routine is as follows.
6:30am: Get up, get myself and kids ready for the day.
7:45am: leave with kids and wife.
8:05am: drop off kids at school.
8:25am: get dropped off by wife at work as she goes to school. Stay at work all day, stranded.
4:30pm: get picked up by wife with kids.
4:50pm: get home and stay home to let wife take car to school at night.
(Repeat)
So until I get another mode of transportation I’m just basically a toddler who’s gets dropped off at daycare everyday.
(update: I got a motorcycle and it’s super rad.)
(pictured: me not looking super rad)
As much as it is a hassle, I’m glad I’ve made the change. Writing has always been my passion and I’m here fulfilling that dream. There’s nothing that feels as nice.
(Pictured: not me.)
I guess changing your job isn’t that bad after all.
Writing whiteboard video scripts using Ethos, Pathos and Logos
When you sit down to begin writing the script for your online marketing video, you want to keep three little words in your mind: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. These are the modes of persuasion. When trying to persuade somebody to do something – say, buy your product – you need to make sure we sound credible, appeal to the emotions, and prove certain truths about our company and product. If you’re a good marketer, you’ve obviously lived by the E.P.L mantra, but with whiteboard animation things can be a little different. Here’s some information on how using ethos, pathos and logos in a whiteboard video can work for you:
Ethos is the integrity of the presenter. It is how qualified the presenter appears to be to the audience. When writing a script for a marketing video such as a whiteboard animation video, you have to rely more heavily on everything other than body language or presence to get your message across. If you’re trying to sell something, have an image of the CEO telling viewers all about the company. Write a part with some testimonials. Whoever your main character is, make sure they look the part, and that the audience can tell they are a notable figure and have vested interest in the company or product.
Pathos is triggering emotions. In your whiteboard video, throw in a metaphor or simile, or deliver your message powerfully and passionately. Make the audience feel something, whether it is sadness for the characters who don’t have your product, joy for the characters who do, or excitement at the prospect of purchasing your product themselves. Pathos may also be used to provoke fear in order to sway viewers – but it is always better for whiteboard videos to focus on the fun, positive aspects. Try to play on viewers’ hopes and dreams by describing how their life could be when they follow the call to action.
Logos is the logical appeal used when describing facts and figures that support your cause. Logos and ethos are sort of related – in the sense that using logos can strengthen your ethos by making you look even more knowledgeable on the subject. However, be tasteful in your use of logos when making a whiteboard video – you want your audience to retain information with ease. If you use charts and figures, make sure to incorporate it into the theme of the video, and don’t throw so many statistics at them that they can’t remember why they clicked play.
These are what you need to keep in mind when writing. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Thanks Aristotle.
Video Script Writingis nothing more than a power form of selling. Lets not forget what we create videos for! We want to win audiences over to our way of thinking. When you have a product or service that the world needs, it is your job to convince them to buy your product or service. It’s up to you–nobody else will do it for you.
That’s it folks. Ask yourself this question: “Are you getting the results you want from your marketing videos?”
Today while reading a couple articles about politics I began to think about the candidates. None of them are performing very well and it is my opinion that the reason is because they aren’t persuading the American people they are the right ones for the job. There is just no vision, no dream and definitely no real convincing power. They are so worried about bashing each other that they have forgotten how to persuade. Are you getting this? You can avoid making the same mistakes.
This last week I had the chance to go down to the 7 Speaking Empire Event in Florida. It was great and I really enjoyed the presentations. Everyone who got up on that stage had a way of expressing their hopes and dreams. They inspired the audience to take action. Not only did they inspire people to action, they did it in a positive, optimistic way. One particular presentation was given by Ted Thomas on Trial Closes. Here is a great quote by Ted:
“Most people are like automobiles. They can be pushed or pulled along or they can be moved to take action by starting their own motion from within. In either case, you must provide the fuel. And the only fuel that will start this sort of action from within you or anyone is “DESIRE!” Arousing desire in your listeners is known as the gentle art of exercising persuasion.”
Lest we forget that our job as video producers is to persuade, convince, and motivate people into action. We do that by implanting a desire. So how do we do this quickly and effectively? By planting seeds all through our conversation and presentation. This can really make a difference in your life!
I love to read and hike, so when I saw a magazine article about a local hiking trail, I was intrigued. The article opened with a beautiful introduction, but after the first couple paragraphs, I was lost in sea of unexplained tangents. The author wrote about the scenery, the history, and her daughter and husband—unintentionally taking the article in a new direction with each topic. When I finished reading, I was left with more questions than answers. The promising article was quickly thwarted by the author’s inability to identify and connect with her audience.
Effective scripts require many successful components: an engaging hook, important facts about the product or service, but one aspect of a script writing stands above the rest—the audience. Proper knowledge of the audience, or target market, is the foundation to a successful script. You might have a product that will revolutionize humanity, but if you can’t convince your audience they need it, then the product will fail.
Avoiding Failure
While I sincerely believe we can learn a lot from our mistakes, I don’t want you to fail, so the first step to writing an effective script is a clear understanding of who will want or need your product or service. This is not an aspect of script writing where you can give a blanket answer, like stay-at-home mothers, or business professionals. Dig deep to uncover the nitty-gritty demographics of your consumers.
When I write, I like to create a fictional person to whom I can refer throughout the creative process. This might seem easy, but the character needs to resemble the target audience all the way down to the type of coffee they drink (or perhaps, don’t drink). Start by asking these questions:
1) Who is the target audience?
2) Are they male or female?
3) How old are they?
4) Are they single, married, widowed, or divorced?
5) What is their education level?
6) Where do they live?
7) How much money do they make?
8) Where do they work?
9) Where do they go when they’re not at work?
10) What is their tone? Casual? Professional?
I’m sure you get the idea, and maybe you will need to add more questions to really get into your audience’s psyche. Ask away! These questions help you identify with your audience and create a script that targets the important aspects of their lives: what makes them happy, sad, calm, and more importantly, what causes them pain. Not necessarily a physical pain but an annoyance that your product can solve.
Easing the Pain
This brings us to the next step: identifying and solving your target market’s pain and predicament as it relates to your product or service. Your product or service solves a problem for your audience. Because you’ve already created the product or service, you are aware of the problem. For the purposes of script writing, you not only need to be aware of the problem but you also need to strip the problem down to its very core. An effective time range for a video scribing video is anywhere from 60 to 90 seconds, so every word needs to count. To efficiently convey the problem and solution in a script, you should be able to explain the problem and solution in one or two sentences.
For example, every month my client’s network suffers attacks by a different virus, so my software eliminates their suffering by protecting their network against all virus attacks at a better rate than my competitors.
With a condensed version of your problem and solution, you will never lose site of the true target of your script. Condensing the problem and solution might be difficult, but it can be done. I have written scripts for corporations with very technical products, and I can always condense the problem and solution so it relates to the audience. It might take a couple tries, but you can do it.
No Dumping Zone
Your product or service is amazing; you will be tempted to make the product the focus of the script— resist. The last thing you want to do is use 60 to 90 seconds to dump a whole bunch of information about the product on your audience. The audience will not be able to decipher the information that pertains to them. As the expert, it is your job to identify the information that is important and show your audience only what they need to know. This can easily be accomplished by writing out a draft of the script, and then, as you read through it, ask: will my audience need to know the product or service does this? Does this entice my audience to purchase my product or services? If the answer is no, rework it or delete it. Try not to be depressed that you can’t fit all the information in. The most successful scripts are succinct and propelled by information that appeals to the specific audience.
The magazine article I read could have easily appealed to outdoor enthusiasts searching for a trail with historical value, but without direction and clear knowledge of a specific audience the message of the article was lost. You do not need to fall victim to a directionless script. Simply create a fictional character to represent your audience, identify a condensed version of the problem and solution as it pertains to your audience, and include only the information the audience needs to know about the product. By following these steps you will write a successful script for a video that will not fail.
7 Steps to Selling: The Power of Influence and Persuasion
Influence:
in·flu·ence /inflo͝oəns/ Verb: To have an influence on. Noun: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself: “the influence of television violence”
Persuasion:
Per·sua·sion /pərˈswāZHən/ 1. The action or fact of persuading someone or of being persuaded to do or believe something. 2. A means of persuading someone to do or believe something; an argument or inducement.
These two powerful words sum up why most humans do what they do. From the moment a person is born, they are constantly trying to draw attention to themselves. Not only do we try to get attention by nature, but we also try to persuade or influence people to act or take action in a desired direction. Most of us have been using the power of persuasion from birth, but very few people actually study techniques on influencing others.
The power of influence and persuasion is an art, and can be mastered with careful practice. Keep in mind that people are driven by instinct, emotions, needs, wants, desires, and beliefs.
This short article will go through the Influential Process, first looking at the Product, then looking at the Reasons Consumer’s Purchase. These tools and ideas are taken from experts and authorities on influence and have been used by most of the top salesmen in the world. They work like magic, and can increase your sales 10 fold if applied.
“To understand why people buy, we should know people and have a keen sense of human nature. We should know how people think… how people live, and be acquainted with the standards and customs affecting their everyday lives. We should fully know their needs and their wants and be able to distinguish between the two. An understanding of why people buy is gained by a willingness to acquire proved and tested principles of commercial psychology to selling.”
(1) THE CONTRAST PRINCIPLE
Minds Change Depending on our Proceeding Events.
How does your product stand out?
What do you have that others do not?
How can you look better?
How can you make your product/service better?
This might sound a little confusing, so let me explain. All of us are influenced by former events. For example, lets assume you meet a very attractive female at a party. She is stunning and gives you her number. Afterwards you meet another girl who is also pretty, but does not quite match up to your former catch. The second girl will strike us as less attractive than she actually is. If you had not met the first girl, the second girl could have been more attractive to you. This is known as the Contrast Principle, and it applies to all fields of living. Lets take a look on how we can use this to our advantage.
“Be assured that the nice little weapon of influence provided by the contrast principle does not go unexploited. The great advantage of this principle is not only that it works but also that it is virtually undetectable. Those who employ it can cash in on its influence without any appearance of having structured the situation in their favor. “ Robert B. Cialdini
Assume company “A” and company “B” are competing at the latest Expo Event. Company “A” does a plain presentation and has plain brochures and a booth that they have had for the last 10 years. Company “B” creates a unique video and uses the Power of Video Scribing to portray their message. Instead of talking about their product and claiming how they are the “best at what they do”, they simply tell a story that goes along with their product. The story defines the problem, and delivers a solution. It is engaging and captures the attention of the audience. Immediately after watching the video, the audience heads over to see what Company “B” is all about. What are they going to think about Company “A”? Obviously the Contrast Principle kicks in.
(2) THE POWER OF RECIPROCATION
The practice of giving things away.
What is the rule of reciprocity?
What are you giving away for FREE?
What more can you give away?
Never underestimate the POWER OF RECIPROCATION. It works wonders, and should be used by all companies at all levels. It is the practice of giving things away. This rule requires that one person try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided. Give your clients and prospects something for free and they will feel indebted to you. When your audience accepts something for free, they are now more vulnerable to your influence. They feel a strong desire to be loyal to you and your product.
(3) GET IN THEIR HEADS
Join the conversation going on in your Client’s Head.
What are your clients Pains, problems or predicaments.
How can you solve them?
What action do you tell them to take?
This can get a bit complicated, but you can ask yourself a couple of simple questions:
What is your prospect’s pain, problem, or predicament?
How can you solve their predicament?
Once you have these questions answered, you can then begin to create your pitch. More often than not, people tend to scan through products looking to solve their problems. Only about 15% of people on the web actually read every word written in articles. With a powerful pitch you can increase that statistic drastically. Your script or pitch has to hit their hot buttons quickly before they move onto something else. Once you get their attention and show you can solve their problems, you need to tell them to take action.
“First step in selling things to people is to figure out exactly who we are talking to and what it is they may be thinking about a large portion of the their day…or in other words, what conversation do they have going on over and over and over again inside their heads.” http://scottlouie.com/2011/06/methods-persuading-people/
(4) STORYTELLING
Why should we tell/use stories?
What is your story?
Is your story/message clear?
Is it authentic? Engaging?
Does it have drama or tension?
Audiences crave entertainment and they have for thousands of years. Stories have a way of connecting with people’s emotions and keeping them engaged. When people listen to stories, they actually simulate the story within their own minds, which allows them to connect on an intimate level to what is being said. This connection can influence their behavior in numerous ways.
The real power and influence comes when someone can tell stories in such a way that they create events in reader’s minds that influence them to make directed decisions. STORYTELLING is one of the most powerful tools for presenting your product, brand, benefits and services. Instead of telling people how your company provides a service, tell them a story about a customer who had a life-altering experience because of their recent purchase of your service.
Why are stories so powerful?
We are drowning in dull information, good stories can cut through the noise. Personal stories feel ‘real’ vs abstract concepts, statistics, or logical arguments. Stories capture people on an emotional level, creating a deeper, intimate bond. Stories are memorable. People forget facts but remember stories.
(5)THE PRINCIPLE OF SOCIAL PROOF
People will act and do as others are doing.
What is the social proof of your product?
Do you have proof?
You need the power of the crowd. THE PRINCIPLE OF SOCIAL PROOF states that people will act and do as others are doing. When people see that others are buying one product or service, their uncertainty washes away. They relax knowing that they are not alone. Testimonials are extremely important and should be used in all our marketing material.
(6)THE POWER OF AUTHORITY
Follow the Expert
What kind of authority do you present with your product?
Are you an expert? Why are you an expert?
If you are not the expert, how can you become one?
It is so often one hears that someone does something “just because the expert said so.” People are all inclined to follow experts, even if it does come to harm them in the end. Human nature loves to comply, listen, and follow authority. If there is a Doctor, Lawyer, MBA, or PhD next to someone’s name, people immediately believe whatever they might say. There are countless examples on the POWER OF AUTHORITY, just believe me, I am an expert in this field.
Here is a link to a great video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fwI5jCASW8 Dave Yaho uses an exciting story to get his point across, but pay attention to how bad this car salesman is. He did not apply one principle. What could the salesman have done differently? What did his little mistake cost him?
(7)THE PRINCIPLE OF SCARCITY
People assign more value to less availability
How have you created more value and less availability to your product or service?
THE PRINCIPLE OF SCARCITY states that people will assign more value to opportunities when they are less available. People cannot stand missing out on a good thing, or that a deal might be lost forever. When scarcity of products or services are created, their value and demand will increase immediately. This is a well known Economic Theory. There is something within humans that just cannot stand missing out. Scarcity moves product from a logical, to an emotional buying decision, giving the market the control. Think of diamonds: diamonds are not scarce. The diamond industry creates a scarce environment by vaulting the majority of diamonds. They hold back supply so that people think they are scarce. The reality is, there are millions upon millions of diamonds sitting in bank vaults. DeBeers, who maintains 47% of the diamond industry is very concerned with the scarcity principle. Their cartel depends upon it.
THE CONTRAST PRINCIPLE: Minds Change Depending on our Proceeding Events.
THE POWER OF RECIPROCATION: The practice of giving things away.
GET IN THEIR HEADS: Join the conversation going on in your Client’s Head.
STORYTELLING: Why should we tell/use stories?
THE PRINCIPLE OF SOCIAL PROOF: People will act and do as others are doing.
THE POWER OF AUTHORITY: Follow the Expert.
THE PRINCIPLE OF SCARCITY: People assign more value to less availability.
So get out there and start influencing others.
Ydraw focus on delivering message that the audience will actually watch, listen, and take action. Look around because we can help you in your business.
Here is the latest and greatest whiteboard animation video by Ydraw. We tried a something a little bit different with this video. As you can see, instead of having a lot of different video scribing scenes we decided to try one big overall scene. I think it worked out great–take a look.
Video scribing is not the easiest thing to do. It requires great artwork and scripting. When it comes to videos it is all about the script. Here are a few steps to help you write a better whiteboard animation script
1. Intro. You have to impress the the audience and establish credibility from the beginning. Having experts or celebrities endorse you and/or your product is one way to do this.
2. Story. We have discussed many times why stories are so important. Though I won’t go into it more here, its worth mentioning again.
3. Close with a call to action. I attended a webinar summit this last weekend where the importance of closing with a clear call to action was reinforced.
There you have it! So the next time you are producing a video or giving a presentation remember to start with a great introduction followed by a story and end with a close.
Parent Link Video Scribing Video
This video was actually done from a totally different angle. It ended up being a great success. We took a movie theme called Drag Net and created a video for Parentlink. They will be using this video for a conference. If you would like to watch more video go here to Ydraw Video Samples.
The next time you are looking to improve you video scribing video, get Ydraw
Thank for reading The Newest Video Scribing Video 3 ways to improve the script
