Movies are big business generating worldwide box office revenue in excess of US$38 billon. However, for every blockbuster success there are a dozen that will struggle to break even or lose money. One of the things that can drive success at the box office is a high quality trailer that grips and excites an audience to see the film.
I was fortunate to attend a recent speakers’ conference in Singapore to gain some key insights into what makes a successful trailer from a world expert in the field, Nabil Doss. He has scripted, voiced, directed, and produced hundreds of Hollywood blockbuster promotional trailers.
As he spoke, it became obvious that many of the key ingredients of a successful trailer are directly relevant to business success so I thought I would share those with you.
Here’s are my top 8 takeaways from his talk…
1. There are 500 million tweets a day so you need a strong and impactful message if you want to be heard above the noise.
2. From a young age we are hard-wired to learn through stories, metaphors and analogies. Use these to make your point.
3. Attention spans are shorter than ever, so be punchy and succinct.
4. A movie trailer is only 1% of the movie itself, so you need to know the essence of your message before you start to communicate with others.
5. A business ‘elevator pitch’ is similar to a one minute movie trailer. Get to the substance of your message and practice until perfect.
6. Beware of ‘Expert’s Syndrome’. Too much information can be a communication handicap and result in your message being lost.
7. Allow people the space to think and interpret what you are saying. Don’t just machine gun information.
8. People today are overloaded with information so make it easy and explaining the benefits of what you can do for them.
I hope those tips are of use to you.
What next? As an executive business coach it is my job to help my clients meet their goals.
Recent client testimonial:
“In the year following a series of coaching sessions with Trevor, my profits grew by 30%. I estimate that about half of this growth can be attributed to the improved strategy which Trevor enabled me to develop. Therefore the net result was that the cost of the coaching with Trev paid for itself five times over – so it was definitely more than worth doing.” – Adventurer, Author, Motivational Speaker
To find out more about how I can help you make an impact with your boss, colleagues and clients, please email me at [email protected].
In the meantime, I will leave you with the inspiring words of the motivational speaker Les Brown:
“In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.”