Microsoft famously made the comparison that a human’s attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish – nine seconds compared to eight, ouch! This means that you have just about the blink of an eye to grab an investor’s attention or they’ve already moved on to the next hot startup.
So what’s the best way to reel investors in? Video is quickly becoming essential.
The video explosion is undeniable, especially when you consider that video will account for 82 percent of all Internet traffic by 2022, according to Cisco. And when it comes to luring audiences in, studies show that even just mentioning “video” in your subject line can boost open rates by 19 percent. Even more, marketers that use video are said to grow revenue a whopping 49 percent faster.
But not just any old video will do when targeting investors. Here are five tips for getting your company noticed so you can increase your chances of landing more dollars, faster.
1. Get your story straight from the start. Since you only have one shot to get an investor to care about your company, your messaging needs to be crisp, clear and to the point. Ideally, you want your video to have maximum impact in two to three minutes. Conduct a messaging workshop before you create your video (or any other materials for that matter) so you can work out the kinks before you start filming. Clearly define the company’s history; the scale of the market problem you’re solving; the company’s vision and approach; and why your company is best positioned for growth.
2. Be data-driven in your pitch, but don’t go overboard. Investors want to know there’s going to be a hefty return on investment at the end of the road, so satisfy their thirst for data with hard statistics about your company, competitive differentiators and the market opportunity. Graphs and pop-out stats can visually help underline your key points, but just make sure your video doesn’t sound like a book report or a long financial readout. Validate your points but always strive for balanced storytelling to keep your audience engaged.
3. Humanize your company and use cases. Investors aren’t just investing in technology, they’re investing in people. Showcase the depth of your company’s leadership expertise and the personality of your team. If you have a combined 100 years of expertise in the field or you’ve built five other successful companies from the ground up, make sure investors know the company has experienced hands at the helm. Likewise, they want to know what the benefits of your solution are for customers, so bring them into your storytelling mix. Video customer case studies can be a compelling way to demonstrate your unique approach to solving real-world problems.
4. Engage more with interactive and immersive storytelling. When it comes to explaining your product, it’s always the old “show me, don’t tell me.” An animated explainer or an immersive 3D VR video can be ideal for bringing an idea to life, particularly if your product is still in the development phase. Bring this video with you to office visits, tradeshows and on the road and it’s sure to be a conversation starter.
5. Put your video to work. Video can be a great way to land that first meeting, but it can be just as valuable in your follow-up. Make sure your efforts are part of an integrated engagement and investor relations approach that helps nurture your relationship with investors so you remain top of mind. Also, maximize your investment in the video by using it other ways across your marketing and PR. You can break the video into gifs, utilize the stats you pulled for an infographic, share shortened clips on social, include the video in follow up emails and more.
An investor-focused video can pay off big time when it comes to landing funding. Watch how we helped healthcare startup CarrTech tell their story and read on for more tech startup marketing and PR tips and tricks.
