John CarterJohn Carter

The film trailer business is the anchor component of the Hollywood food chain. Try to think of a movie you’ve watched without first seeing the trailer.

Trailers have their own producers who hire specialized editors, sound designers, graphic designers, copywriters, etc. It’s quite an industry and the studios pay big bucks.

I’ve experienced the process first-hand with the movies I’ve produced and we took weeks to get our trailers in top form.

The studios do this for good reason. They want to immerse you in the experience of their story. They want you laughing, crying and buying.

So, what’s your trailer?

Within the first few seconds on your home page, professional looping video engages light years beyond images and text, especially in the mobile environment. A number I see often is 40% more engagement within your market.

We had a recent client that was having trouble translating their service experience. Our suggestion was… show them! Right there the second they land on your site, let them see what they will get. Seems simple but you have to include the following in your production.

1. Everything they see matters. The location, the sex and age of the talent on screen. What they wear, the colors. Remember you are not relying on sound at this stage, what they see is everything.

2. Design the page for this immersive experience for desktop and mobile. Having the video can affect your menu options and where they are placed.

3. The looping video needs to be edited for a loop. Think about the length of the loop and the pace of the editing. Avoid titles and text; remember you have menu options on your home page.

4. Think about where you will place your fully produced video as well. How does it integrate with the page?

5. Re-think the flow of the user experience. With more engagement, what will they go to first, second, third, etc.?

6. Get excited and be proud of what you are showing, make every frame or image count, it will translate to page views.

If you don’t expect to watch a movie without first seeing the trailer, why expect your customers to make buying decisions without experiencing your trailer?

Take a play from Hollywood’s book; it will set you apart!