Think of a corporate video and chance is you will find it following the beaten old track. The audio video production will begin with some establishing shots of the company‘s products or services projecting them as winners in the context of the current market scenario.
Next the spotlight will turn to the company’s previous track record, its infrastructure (buildings, factories, workstations, etc), followed by some growth figures presented graphically, a few odd quotes of top managers and a glimpse into the future plans of the company. All this will of course be interspersed with animated text.
Will you ask the presenter to play it again for you? Unlikely. Will you remember it for days to come? Again, the answer is no.
Then, will your corporate video despite the best of production values be a non-starter with your target audience? Well, if you follow a few smart steps I am going to reveal to you now, you can make a corporate video that impacts the viewers and conveys your marketing message effectively.
1. Good Story
Like any motion picture made for popular consumption, corporate videos too must have good storyline. A few images, graphs and quotes thrown together even in the most expensively made corporate video are not enough to create magic. Think of a story – it could be your company’s story or your product’s story or even that of an employee and build the video around it.
2. Employee tells the story
To avoid your corporate video becoming just another yawn inducing exercise in marketing, you can let your employees do the storytelling part. For the viewer, be it an investor or a customer, nothing can be more convincing than employees talking about their experiences in their own words. It immediately makes the video personal, lends it credibility and creates an immense attachment value for the audience. The best way to do so is to let employees be themselves and tell their own stories in their own ways.
3. Common Theme
The cast must have some common element running through their stories to give the video a cohesive and credible look. Having said that, don’t forget the variety in backgrounds and viewpoints. In other words, make the cast colourful but have them toe a common line.
4. Make it audience oriented
Since corporate videos are for audience’s consumption, connect with them for the best results. And the best way to do so is to understand what they are looking for.
For instance, if the video is intended for prospective employees, show them around your office campus through the video, have current employees share true positive stories of their experiences of working with the company, etc. Apart from this you can have your top managers share their own view of the company, its future prospects and the career possibilities it offers. You can help the audience visualize the work atmosphere and position your company as the best place to work in, given its growth prospects, its market status and its corporate identity.
These are some elements of a successful corporate video, and you yourself can try your hand at making one. But make sure you don’t end up with an amateurish corporate video production despite putting in your best efforts.
The audio video medium can provide you with immensely powerful marketing tools, provided you handle it right. Unless you have a good knowledge of the medium, it is best to approach some professional audio and video production companies offering state-of-the-art audio-video solutions for the assured results. But do keep a tab on what they are doing.