In an age where information is just a Google search away, the art of storytelling has taken on a new form. Rather than sitting in a dark theatre, people are now entertained by stories unfolding before their eyes on their computer or phone screens.
This technological advance has given birth to “placeholder videos” – short videos used to keep audiences engaged until the main attraction is ready to be shown.
Though some may overlook them, placeholder videos can be extremely clever and entertaining in their own right. In this post, we’ll look at placeholder videos and everything about them.
What Are Placeholder Videos Used For?
Placeholder videos are short videos (usually no more than a minute). They are commonly used as a web marketing tool; they can be shown to audiences while the main attraction is prepared – usually on another computer or video screen. But placeholder videos can also be used as actual entertainment.
These types of videos may show up on a webpage, but they can also live on their own as viral videos.
As far back as the early Internet days, marketers used placeholder videos to keep users around until better content was ready to be shown. In recent years, more and more existing businesses are starting to use these videos as well – holding off longer productions in favor of a clever, well-made placeholder video.
Benefits Of Using Them
There are many benefits to using placeholder videos.
Keeps Audiences Around For Longer
One of the primary benefits of a placeholder video is keeping audiences around for longer. A well-made placeholder video can be more entertaining than the average website or advertisement when used correctly.
Some consider them “viral” in their own right, as they can often be passed around from one person to the next.
A well-made placeholder video runs smoothly and will be more interesting than the average website or advertisement in most cases.
Saves Money On Production Costs
Another benefit of using placeholder videos is saving businesses money on production costs. Businesses can save time and money by delaying longer productions in favor of a clever, well-made placeholder video.
When a video production company produces a video for you at full service, many costs must be considered – such as actors and props.
By choosing a placeholder video over a longer production, businesses can cut those costs by half, making it more affordable to create their videos for a post event in the future.
Allows Time For Perfection
One of the most significant benefits of using placeholder videos before live event video production is the time they perfect other projects.
This is one of the biggest reasons why placeholder videos are so commonly used by businesses, as they can cut down on time spent creating full-length productions.
By using a placeholder video to hold audiences over, businesses allow themselves more time to work on their other videos, whether for education or entertainment.
Enhances Customer Experience
Placeholder videos can enhance the customer experience. This is especially true if an audience sees a cleverly-made video while content is being loaded onto the main screen.
What makes placeholder videos so enjoyable isn’t just their simplicity or brevity. Instead, it’s how they combine entertainment with convenience in order.
Cost-Effective
Another great benefit of placeholder videos is that they’re cost-effective for product video production. By creating a short using high quality event video production services, entertaining video instead of a longer production, businesses can save time and money on their overall video budget.
Not only is this more affordable in the short term, but it also allows businesses to produce more videos down the road.
Clever And Entertaining
Placeholder videos are clever and entertaining in their own right since they use amazing motion graphics. They’re not meant to be full-length productions, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyable to watch before event videos.
By using humor, entertainment, and convenience, a video production team can create videos to keep audiences around for longer before the main event like a trade show.
Allow For More Creativity In Production
In many ways, placeholder videos allow for more creativity and are a wow factor in production. Businesses can cut down on time spent when they create a video of full-length by delaying longer productions in favor of a clever, well-made placeholder video.
This increased creative freedom during post production can lead to more exciting and engaging videos in the future.
Great Alternative To Live Streaming
Also, placeholder videos can be a great alternative to live streaming a conference video or a future event. This is especially true for businesses that are only looking to produce one video – or can’t afford multiple productions.
While not all audiences want to watch a placeholder video before getting the information they need, some are more than happy to sit through 10 seconds of an entertaining clip.
By combining an innovative, entertaining placeholder video with a quick loading time, businesses likelihood audiences will stick around.
Easily Promote Products And Services
Placeholder videos are a great way to promote products and services on social media and other platforms. By including a short commercial in their placeholder video, businesses can introduce their viewers to new products or services in an entertaining way.
This is a great way to get audiences interested in what a business has to offer without producing a full-length commercial.
Disadvantages Of Using Them
As with any marketing strategy, placeholder videos do have a few disadvantages. The most notable of these are explained below.
Hard To Create An Informative Placeholder
One of the most significant disadvantages of using placeholder videos is that it can be hard to create an informative placeholder for your corporate event unless you use professional video production services. Most placeholders are short, funny, and entertaining clips.
While this can work well for some businesses, others may find it challenging to produce an informative and exciting video to watch. This can be a significant issue if the goal is to keep audiences around until the main video is loaded.
May Cause Frustration
Another potential issue with placeholder videos is that they may cause frustration. This is especially true if an audience has been waiting for a long time for the main video to load and they see a placeholder instead.
In some cases, the frustration may be so incredible that audiences leave the page they’re viewing.
May Be Blocked By Ad Blockers
Ad blockers may block placeholder videos used for event video production. This means that some audiences may never see them, regardless of how well they’re made.
While this isn’t a significant issue for most businesses, it’s something to consider when designing a placeholder video strategy.
Still, it’s important to remember that a small percentage of Internet users only use adblockers, and many do not block YouTube videos or other types of videos.
Don’t Give Viewers A Sense Of Your Brand’s Personality
While most placeholders are entertaining, they don’t give viewers a sense of your business’s brand personality. This is another reason it can be hard to use them for certain businesses.
Some audiences expect placeholder videos to show more than just an advertisement or a quick commercial before getting the information they need.
If you want to use placeholder videos in your marketing strategy, be sure to make them exciting and engaging enough that viewers will want to watch them.
Can’t Edit After Publishing
One other disadvantage of using placeholder videos is that they can’t be edited after publishing. This means that if a business realizes they made a mistake or want to make changes, they’ll have to create a new video.
While this isn’t a huge issue, it can be frustrating for businesses without the time or resources to produce multiple videos.
Aren’t Personalized To The Viewer
Placeholder videos also aren’t personalized to the viewer. This means that they won’t know anything about the person watching them.
This can be a disadvantage in some cases because it may be difficult for businesses to target their advertising efforts.
If you’re using placeholder videos as part of your marketing strategy, be sure to consider how you can personalize them to target your audience better.
How To Incorporate Them In Your Marketing Strategy
You can incorporate placeholders in your marketing strategy, as explained below.
Marketing Your Product And Services
You can use placeholder videos to promote your product or service. You can either use a longer placeholder video as your advertisement or send it out to your customers.
By entertainingly promoting new products and services, you increase the likelihood of having them stick around for more information later on. They can also help you to build a relationship with the customer.
Creating A Brand Personality
You can also use placeholder videos to create a personality for your brand. This can be done by using humor or showing the convenience of your product or service.
Doing this makes it easier for customers to remember your brand and associate it with some of their favorite qualities.
Customer Retention
You can also use placeholder videos to increase customer retention. This can be done in a few ways. You can either create a longer placeholder video that is more engaging, or you can use shorter and funnier placeholder videos to keep people’s attention.
You can also add a commercial to your placeholder video to introduce new products or services.
Improving Website Loading Time
You can also use placeholder videos to improve your website loading time. This is done by using a quick and entertaining placeholder video that will keep people’s attention without making them wait too long for the information they need.
This way, people interested in your product or service will be more likely to stick around and not leave before loading is complete.
Introducing Yourself
Placeholder videos are also a great way to introduce your company to new users. By immediately showing people what your business is all about, you can catch their attention and educate them on the information they need to make a purchase or use your service.
You can also use humor to introduce yourself, making you more memorable.
Used as a Teaser for the Main Video
You can also use placeholder videos to promote your main video. This is done by including a few seconds of your main video at the beginning of the placeholder video before showing what the product or service does.
You can include words in your placeholder video that link to your main video to encourage people to click on it for more information. Such words can be “watch” or “find out more”.
All in all, placeholder videos are an exciting option for businesses looking to promote their products and services.
By producing shorter, more creative productions, businesses can save time and money while still getting their message out to many people. In some cases, the use of placeholder videos may even increase customer loyalty and engagement with a business’s products or services.
