It is a difficult task envisioning us hiring a man we regularly see and hear soliciting business. He may be committed to his craft, but as a walking billboard for his business, he continuously makes a mistake: He often doesn’t tuck in his shirt, an approach we believe most people in his field would disagree with. That consistent image blocks any consideration by us of using or recommending his services. In other words, his image prevents us from wanting to learn more about whatever content he offers.
By comparison, consider the business owner craving to save money and paying someone just a few hundred bucks to build a website. The site can’t handle certain browsers and looks horrible on mobile devices. This influences potential customers and reduces the chances of them checking out his or her content.
These are the scenarios we return to when bloggers suggest businesses simply grab a smartphone and shoot video because content, as opposed to appearance and perception, matters most.
When Keith studied broadcast journalism at Northwestern University, he focused on both his reporting and shooting video skills. An underlying reason his stories stood out was that the stories looked good. His classmates may have reported on equally interesting issues, but the message sometimes got lost because viewers couldn’t get past video that looked as if someone’s mom shot it at a birthday party.
So if a website, an office or the way employees dress are a representation of your business, why wouldn’t the quality of video have a similar impact? Sure, it’s hard to care about quality if your video happens to catch a normally docile sheep angrily protecting her young by chasing off a hungry wolf. But this is not often an option or relevant for businesses. Video can be an effective selling device, but it can also waste everyone’s time if it looks like it got final approval from a high school production class. Yes, content is important, but people won’t automatically watch or open a door to new business if you look like an amateur. If looks don’t matter, try untucking your shirt for a week.