Using video well
The web was built on words.
And words, of course, are available to anyone who can type. They're cheap, easy to edit and incredibly powerful when used well.
Today's internet, though, is built on video. Much more difficult to create well, far more impactful when it works.
My friends at Graydin, for example, needed only 140 seconds to make their case about their practice.
Because video costs more, is more difficult to edit and takes a different sort of talent to create, we often avoid it. Or worse, we cut corners and fail to do ourselves justice by posting something mediocre.
When copy exploded across the web, the professional copywriter felt threatened. Anyone could write, and anyone did.
When photography was added to the mix, the professional photographer felt threatened. Everyone had a camera, after all.
And now, the same thing is happening to video.
In each case, the professional has something to add, something significant, but she has to change her posture from scarce bottleneck to extraordinary contributor.
Great video doesn't change the rules. A great video on your site isn't enough. You still need permission, still need to seek remarkability, still need to create something that matters. What video represents is the chance—if you invest in it—to tell your story in a way that sticks.