With the fast-growing popularity and several advantages of online marketing through social media and other sites, many companies are moving towards video production in order to effectively market their product or service. Whether you are teaming up with a video production company or plan to produce the video yourself, knowing what to do before and after filming begins can help ensure that the finished video properly showcases your business and appeals to potential customers. Here we highlight five of the most important do’s and don’ts for successful corporate video production.
DO:
Do Carefully Develop the Script
Although video has many advantages over plain text, an uninteresting script can lose your audience’s attention very quickly. If you choose to write the script yourself, when writing for your corporate video, consider your target market and remember to include the most important points that you would like your audience to learn. What does your company do? What is the mission statement? What product or service are you selling? What is the company culture like? These are just a few of the questions your audience may have as they are looking to learn more about your company. A good place to look when writing the script would be the company’s website. The information provided in the corporate video production should correlate with the information found on the website. It is also a good idea to make sure the language used in the script flows nicely and sounds as natural as possible.
DON’T:
Don’t Pack in Too Much Information
While it is important to provide those watching your corporate video with the material they are looking for, it is also important to make sure that the video does not contain too much information. This goes back to making sure the most important points make it into your video. A lengthy video that bombards its audience with more information than necessary will prove to be unsuccessful as very few customers are willing to watch and pay attention to a 20 minute long company description. To be safe, you will want to stay within the 2 – 5 minute zone to effectively hold the attention of the audience; so plan to have your information fit within this time limit.
DO:
Do Engage the Audience
Get creative. If done correctly, engaging the audience in your corporate video can be simple. There are several different methods to ensure you hold your audience’s attention until the video has ended. Your corporate video production should reflect the personality of the company and give the audience an idea of what to expect from your business. Whoever is on camera should be enthusiastic about the company; nothing loses attention faster than a monotone voice. Although enthusiasm is important, you also want to avoid the video coming across as overly excited; you still want to maintain a somewhat professional tone. Another great way to engage your audience would be to give them something to watch instead of just something to listen to. Standing in front of the camera and talking to the audience can only work for so long, but if you show them what you are talking about, they will most likely stay interested longer.
DON’T:
Don’t Rush Production/Shooting
One of the most important steps to creating a corporate video is the actual production/shooting process itself, so you will want to take your time planning out how production will be completed. The script should be well rehearsed and the necessary equipment should be set up before the production process begins. Because the end product is a corporate video, it is a good idea to have your talent dressed in professional attire. While filming the video, you will want to make sure that you have proper lighting and sound because these two factors directly affect the video’s quality. Poor quality videos will ultimately receive fewer views. If you are partnering with a good production company for your video, they will be able to provide proper lighting and sound during production. If producing the video yourself, be sure to find the right equipment that will ensure your video looks professional.
DO:
Do Plan Distribution for Your Video
Planning distribution for your video will become easier once you have established who your target market is. Once this is done, your video can prove to be one of the best promotional tools for your business as long as distribution is done correctly. With proper planning, posting your finished video to sites like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, the company’s website and many others will result in successfully reaching your target market. Although the most popular avenue for distributing videos is online, you want to make sure that you do not completely disregard DVDs. Some companies may have blocked access to certain online sites because they are worried their employees will waste time, however a DVD that comes in the mail quickly solves that problem. If you plan to utilize DVD distribution you will need to make sure you publicize their availability through the company’s website and other social media sites.
Showcasing your business in a corporate video is one of the best ways to reach your target market and promote your product or service. Producing a successful corporate video may seem like a daunting task, but with the help of these five do’s and don’ts, you can have your video completed in no time!
Article by Joe Forte, co-owner and producer at D-Mak Productions. D-Mak Productions is a Phoenix, AZ video production company specializing in tv commercial, live-event, training, web, fashion, music and corporate video production.
