Corporate video can be a very powerful tool for businesses to harness. Videos are interesting and engaging; people like video. After all, YouTube is the third most frequently used search engine in the world. Video works. But, if you are considering expanding your company’s branding and message by producing a corporate video, there are some things you may want to consider.
Types of Corporate Videos
First, corporate video is a wide open field that could mean different things to different people.
General marketing videos might promote a business while a product marketing video might promote a particular product, product line or service.
Recruiting videos can be used by human resources to promote a corporate culture or offer employee testimonials. Human resources can also use videos in training and on-boarding. Some companies might also use PR videos for big announcements or events.
Define Your Target and Your Goals
Before jumping right into looking for a video production company, discuss who the target of the video is. What do you want this person to get out of your video? What affects their decision making? Keeping the target (or viewer) in mind during the brainstorming session will help serve as an idea compass, ensuring video concepts stay on target.
Setting clear goals for your video ahead of production will help guide the process, as well. Be as specific as possible. If the goal is introduce a new product, the focus will be very different than if the goal were to try to attract top-flight software designers. Put numbers to goals whenever possible. If the goal is to promote a new product, set a goal for a 20% increase in lead conversion, for example. If the goal is to improve website performance, maybe set your sights on “time spent” on a specific page, for example.
Somewhere between audience and goal lies context. Will the video be used online or as part of tradeshow booth presentation? How much time does the viewer have to spend watching your video? Where and how viewers will discover your video(viewer’s journey)? These factors will need to be reflected in the concept.
Write a focus statement that articulates the purpose of the video. This is the Who, When, Where and What. The focus statement should be one-sentence and should guide the idea generation process.
Finding the Right Production Company for the Perfect Idea
Finding the right production house for your corporate video could fill a whole other blog post, and in fact it has. For more on finding the right video company to partner with, read: “6 Things to Ask Video Production Companies .” Be sure to do your research and find a company that understands your strategic vision and can deliver the service you need.
Some video companies have a creative process in place that can help at the idea generation stage. If the concepts just aren’t coming together, the right creative team can steer you to an on-point message for your corporate video.
Strategic Vision and Integration
Before scripts are written, before cameras begin to roll, plan how to integrate the video into the existing corporate content or marketing program. Lay out the delivery channel well in advance so that the finished corporate video can go into use immediately when it’s completed. If website pages need to be built, involve the webmaster. If the video will be used as part of a stockholders meeting or proposal presentation; write the white papers and the speeches as part of the planning phase. Taking these steps early in the video planning process will create a seamless flow to the material because each item of content is designed around the others. Printed material, if needed, also requires advance planning. It would be a loss to have the video sitting on a thumb drive for a month while web pages are designed or brochures are at the printer.
The Project Isn’t Done Yet
After release of a corporate video, don’t move on to the next idea quite yet. Measure the video’s performance against the specific goal your video was intended to meet. Quantify these results to understand the benefits weighed against the project’s cost- ROI. Question whether delivery channels were effective and how the video was perceived by the videos target. (Bonus: did it reach any unintended targets that might hint at future opportunities?)
Measuring the results of a video campaign can help you with valuable data for the next video project, a lesson learned. But more than that, an under-performing campaign can sometimes be tweaked to improve results.
A corporate video can be a lucrative investment for many small and medium businesses. Use these tips to make this a successful venture for your company. Check out our new eBook, The Ultimate Video Marketing Checklist, for more information: