Let’s start off with a thought experiment. One group is told to remember the name Summer. Another group is tasked with remembering the season is Summer. If we were to circle back in a few hours and ask those groups to recall what we told them, which do you think would perform better?
It turns out a journalist tested this concept and the individuals were substantially more likely to remember the season. Why? It’s because when it comes to memory and retention, we are substantially more likely to retain information when we have context.
In the first situation you just have a name, in isolation. With the season your mind immediately jumps to how the weather would feel, memories from your summers as a kid and on and on. The season has context.
With a video you see a person’s facial expressions, you hear their tone, you see how they smile.
In a recent study from Doxee, “The average user retains 95% of the messages in a video; when it comes to text, this percentage drops to 10%”. This is a dramatic difference that comes as a product of video being able to deliver all the thousands of subtle visual and auditory cues that allow our brains to make more developed connections.
This is the first pillar behind why video is so resonant: We remember what we see, hear and experience.
When it comes to retaining information, there is another reason why personal video is on the rise. How many emails do you get each day in your promotion folder? If you are like most individuals, it's dozens. But how many of those do you engage with? Again, unless you are looking for a particular deal or coupon the answer is likely not many.
In today’s digital age, it’s easy for businesses messages to get lost in the noise. But if a business was to send you a personal thank-you after a purchase or reach out via video after you called or wrote in with a question, chances are that would be unique and that would stand out. We are substantially more likely to remember things that break from conformity.
In an article from Blinkist they note, “In his book, Purple Cow, Seth Godin explains that in order to get your product or service to stand out in the market and be immediately noticeable, you need to make it a purple cow, or wholly different and eye-catching”. Personal video is still a massive minority to text email and as such has that “purple cow” effect in standing out.
This is the second pillar behind why personal video is so resonant: You become the Purple Cow
There is also another key element of why video has the impact that it has, and that is around trust.
Have you ever received an email or text message and wondered how a certain phrase was intended? Maybe you even misinterpreted someone (or got misinterpreted) and it led to a conflict? That is because text has no tone or voice inflection. Text has no body language or mannerisms.
Research shows we quickly make assessments about trustworthiness and individuals who are honest, authentic and connect with people on a human level, tend to gain this trust more readily.
Personal video provides context, and that increases trust and retention in interactions with customers.
According to a study on building trust from the Harvard Business Review , “A powerful way to establish trust is to employ one of the mind’s most basic mechanisms for determining loyalty: the perception of similarity. If you can make someone feel a link with you, his empathy for and willingness to cooperate with you will increase.” Similarity. It’s why an individual who loves a certain sports team automatically feels a positive association with another person if they see that person repping team gear.
When it comes to a personal video, versus even just video in general, each video is personally recorded for one person. That allows the recorder to really custom tailor that message to the prospect and build that trust and similarity simply by being helpful and authentic.
Personal video, and trust, isn’t about perfect lighting, a perfect script and just the right position of your hands. That doesn’t breed familiarity. That seems staged. Instead, a personal video is about emulating how a friend would recommend something to you. Down to earth, referencing actual experiences that are relevant to you and potentially pausing to toss a wave to a passing co-worker.
This is the third pillar behind why personal video is so resonant: Trust is key to buying decisions
If you have heard about personal video and are curious about why this new channel is working, hopefully this gives some insight to the psychology. If you are looking for a platform that can help with personal video, get a FREE 14 day trial of Bonjoro, and give it a go for yourself.
