Corporate video can be a great way to engage with an audience.  But before breaking out the camera or hiring a pro, it’s important to first look at what you want the video to accomplish and how.

Here are 4 tips to help you make your corporate video hits the mark:

Know Your Audience

Who will be watching? What’s important to them?  What moves them?  Identifying your target audience and what motivates them to action will be an important guide for concept, scripting and tone.  Always be relevant.

Know Your Message

Identify the main message goal of your video. Boil it down to one sentence during prep. An example: “This video will encourage qualified candidates to apply for our open engineer position.”

Then, take time to add a few supporting bullet points. Each moment of your video should support one of these bullets.  Writing all of this ahead of time will help ensure that the message delivery is logical and flowing. It will also keep you from veering off topic or getting too convoluted.

Know Your Context

Consider how your audience will be watching the video.  Will it be during a meeting, on the company website, posted on YouTube, sent around the company’s intranet or shown at an event?  There are different things to consider for each situation. For example, a quiet, conversational video might play well online… but in a tradeshow booth? You might be better off with a more flashy, simple piece.  Keep in mind, a great piece of corporate video works in concert with its environment or context.

Also take into account when the video will be played. I’m talking about the “viewer journey.” A video played as an introduction to an investor meeting will be completely different than a video played as an event wrap up. An orientation video might have a completely different tone than a recruiting video.

Just keep the viewer journey in mind—how they came upon the video.

Know Your Story

We connect with well-told stories.  Regardless if it’s friends or prospective clients, we all want story. And just like a tear-jerker moves you from happy to sad, a compelling corporate video can lead a viewer to a “yes.”  How will your corporate video lead them to the objective?  Start by laying out a pain point. Finish with the client solving the problem, with the help of your product or service. BUT, don’t try to make your brand the hero.