Video Content: You’re Doing It Wrong

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

If you’re not making some kind of video content right now, you’re losing. Period.

Video is top of the dog pile when it comes to media. And it’s no secret that I believe every company needs to become a media company. This is the way the world is going and I am 100% confident that you need to become great at it and a big player in your space.

BUT. My biggest problem with video these days?

Nobody understands me.

A few months back, Omnicom advised businesses to move 25% of ad budgets to online video, ultimately slashing TV budgets. That statement scared the crap out of me. Why? Because when people think of online video, they think of spending only five to ten percent of the overall budget on the video production. The quality. The very stuff itself. Then they leave ninety percent for the distribution. Of that ninety percent, they pound most of it in hardcore right hook forms that nobody likes any more. Because to most people, online video means this: pre-rolls on YouTube. A video that pops up and takes up thirty seconds of my time (which pisses me off).

People find all these things intrusive and annoying. So what I’m most worried about when I hear people are allocating their budgets to online video is that their spending it on that crap. I actually like television commercials more than I like banner ads. And I like it way more than videos that block users from doing what they actually want.

So this isn’t about traditional or digital. This is: are you bringing value? I hear take away from TV and move into online video, but what I know that what happens in the actual practitioner sense is money goes to these annoying methods of advertising.

Where should the money be going?

Easy.

Creating great videos.

If you’re not making a good video, who is going to watch it? Who cares if you get in front of a million people. If it sucks, it sucks. You know what I’m going to say to do. I’m doing it right now with the #AskGaryVee Show. It’s all about that value I mentioned earlier. Make interesting and engaging content that speaks to the people you are trying to sell to. I write about it all the time. Read my website.

And don’t worry, I didn’t forget about distribution. There are a number of native ways to distribute that tremendous content you’ve created. Figure it out. This is what the marketing challenge is all about. Social has huge opportunities for you. Explore them. (That being said, Facebook dark posts are especially attractive to me right now. I talked about it here.)

In theory, it’s great that we’re shifting budgets away from television, but I need to know that you’re playing digital RIGHT. Show me that you got this down, Vayner Nation. Execute.