The president and the comedian: Tips on effective video content

On the surface, the premise appears a bit ridiculous: The president of the United States sitting down to discuss the health care law with a comedian best known for “The Hangover” movies.

But Zach Galifianakis’ “Between Two Ferns” sitdown with Barack Obama got everyone

www.funnyordie.com

www.funnyordie.com

talking about the Affordable Care Act this week. Website traffic to HealthCare.gov, the federally sponsored insurance exchange, jumped 40 percent after some 13 million people watched the “Funny or Die” online segment.

Content marketing professionals can learn something from this. Whether it is video, text or images, good and relevant content will draw in those interested in your message. They’re even willing to be sold on the brand, product or message if the content is compelling enough.

The “Between Two Ferns” segment was not focused exclusively on the Affordable Care Act. There’s plenty of humorous and satirical banter between Galifianakis and Obama. But the White House saw an opening to pitch the Affordable Care Act to a target audience segment of young adults receptive to the message, and the administration took advantage of it.

Companies looking to reel in a target audience with video content may want to consider these tips:

  • Be unique in your content. Make it something that has not been seen before.
  • Be professional. The more polished, well edited and complete the video is, the more receptive the audience will be.
  • Be promotional. Get the video out to the right people who will put it before the target audience.