Clickbait Corporate Videos: How Far Would You Go?

The internet is swirling with all types of sources for information. Established news companies are finding it harder to keep track of social media trends alone, much less keep up with new media such as Buzzfeed or Upworthy.

New media companies commonly use “clickbait” material – highly sensationalized headlines – to bring mass traffic onto their sites. Headlines are misleading enough to suck you in, but relational enough to keep you from being completely let down. Many times, they reflect pop culture and recycle ideas from traffic aggregators like Reddit. They also insist the headline will affect your personal life in some capacity. Their main goal? To generate ad revenue.

These two Irish guys hit the nail on the head:

It’s no secret that clickbait is one of the reasons for online journalism’s decline. It’s borderline lazy to create provocative headlines with no real substance. It also removes the need for independent or critical thought, with some sites just stealing content from others.

So how does this relate to your company’s videos?

In the corporate world, many companies make it their goal to go viral. They will spend a lot of money and time researching popular trends to appeal to their audiences. And who can blame them? Once something goes viral, it’s usually there to stay.

Exposure is great, yes, but at what cost?  Clickbait material is often vague, which is the opposite of what you should be aiming for. Instead, companies should be looking to educate their clients with facts on their industry and answering questions on the details of their services. Leading viewers on to videos that are irrelevant to your brand hurts more than it helps.

Fluffy, clickbait videos also do not answer the basic questions other businesses might want to know when they first come into contact with your company. Who are you? What exactly do you do? It’s easy to list several things your competitor does wrong, but how does your company differ? What is the best way to illustrate that to a viewer in need?

There are ways to get around it. Luring viewers in with an interesting concept may get their attention, but your solid content is what will keep them on the page. Well, at least that’s the goal.

Ultimately, the first 30 seconds of your video should be solid enough to grab your viewer’s attention, but relevant enough for them to stay.

Here at Key West Video, our goal is to make corporate videos that are not only great, but also make sense.

What do you think about clickbait corporate videos? Comment or share below!

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