What makes a good corporate video? The answer to that question often depends on your business’s goals, values and the message you need to communicate. Today, many businesses use more creative corporate video ideas to tell stories that successfully engage the people who watch their films.
If you're responsible for figuring out how to make a corporate video presentation, there are a few factors to consider that will get you started in the right direction.
Corporate videos are a great way to remind people why they do what they do. If your company has a distinct mission, vision or philanthropic goal, it’s likely a big part of the reason your customers work with you – and your employees work for you.
Reminding your employees why they originally chose to join your team – whether it’s because of a fundraising initiative, competitive advantage or making a difference in the community - is an excellent way to re-energize them and refocus them on the business’s goals. It also helps to focus any new initiatives around a shared set of values.
Additionally, more and more customers and investors are choosing businesses whose values align with their own. Reinforcing your mission, values and vision helps reinforce customer loyalty, and remind them why they should stay with you – apart, of course, from your excellent products and services.
Testimonials are also an effective way to share success stories with your audience. You can use customer testimonials to show how your products or services helped individual clients solve a problem or satisfy a need. Customer testimonials can also demonstrate the value your product or service has over a competitor’s offering, which can help consumers make better purchasing decisions.
If you’re trying to attract new staff members, employee testimonials can be a valuable recruiting tool. Corporate videos that include employee testimonials are effective because they portray actual employees as advocates for your brand and place of business.
If you’ve already decided how you’re going to relay your message, you’re probably interested in finding some corporate video tips you can use to make your video a must-see and one that will retain the attention of its audience until the very end. One tip is obvious: avoid making a boring corporate video!
One common mistake in corporate video production is producing videos that are too similar to one another. Even if you’ve found a video format you’re comfortable with and it’s been successful in the past, it’s critical that you make each new video distinct as you move forward. Making corporate videos that are truly unique is the only way each one will be memorable.
Once you’ve identified the message you want to share, you’ll need to break it down so it can be delivered quickly and efficiently. While you don’t want to rush the delivery of your message, you also don’t want to make your video any longer than it needs to be. People are busy, after all, and you don’t want to waste their time unnecessarily.
Viewers aren't just busy — they also have a lot of things competing for their attention, which can limit the amount of time they're willing to spend watching your video. According to Wistia, videos shorter than one minute retain approximately 80 percent of their viewers through the 30-second mark, whereas the retention rate drops to just 60 percent for videos that run between two and three minutes. Videos that are between five and 10 minutes long suffer a viewer attrition rate of more than 50 percent at the halfway point.
One of the best corporate video tips you’ll ever get is to have a clear purpose for your video and make sure it includes actionable next steps. Whether you want viewers to click for more information, request a sample, submit a resume, share your video or something else, be sure your corporate film tells viewers what you want them to do.
Having a call to action in your video proves there was a point to your audience watching your clip. It will also enable you to measure your film’s true engagement rate instead of just its retained viewership rate.
While you may like to make humorous videos or you might prefer corporate videos that are a bit more dramatic, your preferences shouldn’t dictate the style of the videos you produce. Any respected corporate video production company will tell you that your audience should determine the style of the videos you make.
Think about the people you want to watch your video. Are you making it for internal or external viewers? Are you making a film for new employees, veterans, stakeholders, investors or middle management? Clearly, the videos you make will be quite different depending on your audience.
Although movies like the original “Blair Witch Project” were successful partially because they look like they were filmed by an amateur with a handheld camera, it’s highly unlikely a similar approach to making a corporate video will be successful.
If your video is going to be shown in a professional environment, your film needs to be refined and have strong production values. When you increase a video’s perceived quality, you emphasize that your video is important and should be viewed until the very end.
You can often increase the perceived quality of a corporate video by using a professional actor rather than an internal team member. In addition to improving the perceived quality of your video, using professional talent can help keep your production costs low because the actor will already be familiar with the filming process and be able to deliver a film-worthy performance with fewer takes.
Don’t forget to use visuals and graphics to brighten up your corporate videos. A nice backdrop or even filming at an informal location, such as a local café, can enliven your video and help deliver your message more effectively.
Your work isn’t done when you complete filming your corporate video. Once your clip is finished, it’s time for you to share it - as long as it doesn’t include confidential information. YouTube is the internet's most popular video hosting website and it's a great place for you to host your corporate video.
After you’ve found where you want to host your video, you need to promote your corporate film. You can promote your video on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You should also use your company’s website and blog to direct people to your video. You can send links to your corporate film to everyone on your email list, as well.
Remember to also send a press release to any publications and news outlets that might have an interest in your video.
If you want a corporate video that resonates with viewers and you don't want to take any chances with your messaging, contact NextThought Studios. We've made more than 3,500 videos for our clients and our team of professionals has the experience to execute meaningful videos for businesses in any industry.
At NextThought Studios, we deliver your message to your ideal audience in seamless, engaging videos of the highest quality. Contact NextThought Studios for a free quote on your next corporate video now.