Perfection or Clutter?

Gary Vee is an inspiring speaker. His irreverent, no-punches-pulled, presentation style may not be for everyone, but his wisdom is impressive and his communicative skills, exceptional. He can be inspiring, motivational and is certainly influential when it comes to digital marketing and social media.

 One argument that he consistently puts forward is that “perfection is the disguise for insecurity”. He advocates that we need to stop striving for ‘perfect’ when we post content online. He tells his audience to avoid letting the ‘excuse’ of perfection hold them back. “Just get it out there”, he says.

With all due respect for Gary’s brilliance and success, this is where he and I part ways.

 Unlike Gary, I am not OK with posting any old crap online; even if following his strategy helps me work through my demons. Social media may be a welcome and valid therapist couch for many, but if you want to overcome the fear of posting content, there are plenty of better options than adding more clutter to the online pile. 

Today there is too much crap online that overshadows relevancy and good content. It is becoming more onerous by the millisecond to push aside the weak stuff to find the great stuff that inspires, teaches and points us to better things.

In my world of filmmaking, television and video production, perfection has always been highly regarded. It can bring awards, notoriety and in many cases, big ROI for clients and stakeholders.  

People love watching TV commercials that have been touched by perfection.

Every year, audiences everywhere tune into the US feed of the Superbowl, not just for the game, but also for the commercials. Why? Because, in the world of creative excellence, most Super Bowl spots are at the top of the TV advertising food chain. From concept to final cut, the most exceptional are textbook perfect!

Of course, these are massively expensive productions that have budgets to pay for the best lighting, sound and more. The parallel between the content that you can produce and these award-winning commercials resides in the word, perfection. This is what makes Super Bowl spots stand out from the clutter, bumps them into the viral stratosphere and burns them into our memory clusters for years.

To be clear, striving for perfection in your content is not about setting the ‘perfection’ bar beyond your range. This is not about postponing content uploads because you can’t write like Hemmingway or make videos like Spielberg. This is about doing the very best you can with the skills and tools that you have.

Here are three simple suggestions that will help raise the ‘perfection’ bar in your content:

1)   Always involve someone to proof your work before you post. This provides a number of clear benefits. Having someone review your work can help dislodge any fear of posting you may have and give you that needed boost to ‘get it out there’. Put a clock on perfection and schedule this person before you start writing so that you commit to a firm delivery deadline. This will help stop procrastination and push you to complete your work within a reasonable timeframe.

2)   Use ‘Three Point Lighting’ in all your videos. This lighting is the basic setup in all film production and it is really simple to do. Only three light sources are required: Key light, Fill light and Hair light. I say ‘sources’ because you can sometimes use available light from a window or an overhead ceiling fixture. Regardless of what sources you use, Three Point Lighting will bring a level of perfection to your video that will definitely help you stand out.

3)   Stop sounding like you’re in an echo chamber! If you don’t have a Bluetooth earpiece or a directional microphone plugged into the device you’re recording onto, consider these simple tips that we use on location.

• Record in a room with soft surfaces. Hard surfaces with tiles, hardwood, and concrete, bounce sound and cause echo. Soft surfaces with carpet, upholstered furniture, and drapes, absorb sound and get rid of echo.  If you can’t move to a ‘softer’ environment, hang or place soft materials (blankets, duvets, pillows, towels, etc.) on the hard surfaces. Just make sure that they are out of frame.
• Create a mini sound stage with a medium sized cardboard box. Place the box on its side with the open top facing you. Position the flaps away from the box at 45 degrees to create a funnel for your voice and put your phone in the box, facing you. Make sure the image you are filming does not include the cardboard surround. By talking into the box, your voice will have fewer echoes. You can also add towels or washcloths to extend the soft surface.
• Include interesting, themed images with your post or article to catch attention. There are plenty of stock images that, with a bit of research, can ramp up the look of your post. If you’re like me, have a handle on Photoshop and a bit of an understanding of graphic art, create your own images. I created the image for this article on my kitchen counter with a pencil and pad of paper. A few camera shots on my iPhone, followed by a quick import into Photoshop to crop the image to LinkedIn’s aspect ratio (744 x 400 pixels) and I was done.      

All of these simple ideas will enable you to make your content more perfect without impeding your intention to post or upload.    

Happy Communicating.