Corporate Video Production – 5 Golden Rules

Video marketing is the most popular choice for corporate advertisement. Videos are appealing to a greater base of probable clients. Frankly, nobody wants to read a full fledged brochure or go through boring articles on company details regarding ideology, environment etc.. Today’s fast paced world is not going to stop for a miniscule moment in order to do that. Here comes, video marketing, and voila! Companies are getting fast increasing number of viewers and thus increasing chances of greater consumer and employee base by the second and the viewers get to experience something new in terms of getting to know a company’s profile and scope. It saves a lot of time of the viewer, which makes it all the more appealing. Companies want to capitalize on this fact and utilize this phenomena to its full extent. Why would they ignore this trend? Producing a corporate video, though costlier most of the times, proves ten times more beneficial than other means of advertising. It provides the user with an enriching, informative experience in just a small amount of time and displays the wholesome profile of company. These videos let the company portray its ideology, development and growth strategy along with providing the story and experience of their employees. This helps in promoting the brand image and letting their potential clients know more about the company or any of their product mentioned in the video and they are just a click away. What more could you want?!But, what goes on behind producing such an informative ye appealing Corporate Video? Some key elements need to be considered regarding this, such as

Script
Storyboard
Wardrobe
The gear or equipment
Location/lighting

To target and achieve all of these forms the base of making a corporate video, How to make is an entirely different aspect regarding the kind of content, style, tone and views, verbal anecdotes by employees etc.

To begin with, one must plan their approach meticulously about each and every detail and then follow with execution. Planning phase should also involve some pre-shoot strategies like keeping a tab on your competitor’s content i.e. watch their corporate video, carefully observe and look for any shortcomings you may notice. Analyzing this will help get an idea of what should be there to stand out from the competitors and what should not be there as to look redundant and insignificant. This leads to the notion of developing unique content which has not been offered on the plate yet and gives you that required edge above your contemporaries.

SCRIPT

Regarding development phase, the script/content must be engaging, which appeals to a wide range of customer base. Even the person not associated with the company’s profile should be intrigued to watch the whole video and see what it’s all about. The style or the tone of the whole video must be pleasing and should be able to connect with the audience. Targeting audience with the right amount of information is a good way to go. Too much information never compels the viewer to watch the whole video, so, infuse just the right amount of information that you may want your audience to know. The use of screen captures showing graphs might serve as being informative. Thus, the content should clean and concise along with being appealing.

Establishing an emotional connect with the audience is very important. Potential clients must feel connected with your goals and achievements. Use vibrant clips and present your company with a story with a clear beginning and then share the growth or evolution, thus making the viewer experience witness your journey. Show footage or images to support the journey. Use close up shots of happy employees, show camaraderie at the workplace. Use verbal anecdotes by the employees, like their personal experience and satisfaction regarding work profile and office environment etc. The right and look feel is an integral cog in the wheel of producing a corporate video. It is essential to build trust and rapport with the right kind of viewers and instill in them the confidence of getting in touch with your company or your company’s product.

STORYBOARDING

Cataloguing is a great way to start making a corporate video. Whatever challenges come your way, they will seem tiny if dealt with in a phased manner. Storyboarding helps achieving just that; it is just an outline of the entire process, showing each and every step in detail. Presenting the script through storyboards makes it easy to understand for the people who are a part of your team and handling other aspects of the video making process. If you are planning on incorporating a celebrity or some high end professional achiever associated with the company then you need to present the script and make them understand the whole process. Storyboarding comes to the rescue in such situations. It serves as an algorithm to a program.

WARDROBE

This factor comes into play especially when you are considering to have a celebrity or some other person of high stature in your circle. Although it is important to have a particular kind of wardrobe for the employees, who are going to be a part of the video, as well. However, the significant factor which needs to be considered in both the cases is that the wardrobe will portray an image of the company or it’s product. Casual clothing for a marketing company might affect its image negatively as it shows negligence on part of the authorities and the employees as well. So, it is of utmost importance that it is well taken care of. For a company which manufactures or supplies IT products and solutions, casual, as in Mark Zuckerberg style, (or geeky, in a positive way) is the best way to go. Similarly, for a digital marketing company, it is mandatory to have smart people dressed in proper formals, which are in-sync with the latest trends in that category. To sum up, looks, mainly the wardrobe, matter if you want to put your company profile in the limelight.

THE GEAR OR EQUIPMENT & LOCATION AND LIGHTING

Regarding the technical aspects, the video should be shot with professional grade equipment. It should be visually appealing. Good lighting is a must. Adding an outdoor location or some attractive background would serve as the icing on the cake. It should not look shaggy and cheap or show the company in a bad light. A high end corporate video might make it expensive for the company but it pays in the long run. Some companies have got their way around that also, they have started crowdfunding, which is an innovative and cost efficient way of achieving the said goal. It’s like a win-win situation, the company gets its funding for a corporate video and both the company and the customer get a common platform to interact with each other even before the video.

Duration of the video plays an important role too. Duration should be such as to not burn into the expenses of the company and also keep the viewer on toes. The best corporate videos are the ones combining precise information in just the right amount of time. Short videos are intriguing and the viewer ends up looking or searching for more about the company in a positive sense. This doesn’t mean that the viewer should be left lurking. The video should be well edited in order to portray a professional and tasteful image of the company and bring in genuinely interested customers to the forefront.

All of this should not be overwhelming as to disregard the wider image of the brand (or company). Everything mentioned in the right proportion would make an eclectic mix of content that is sure to work for the benefit of the company. The company principals should not be overlooked and false or absurd data should not be presented, if one wants to sincerely portray the company through a corporate video. Keeping all these factors will result in the advent of a new way of connecting with the viewers. Corporate Video Production is an art and it needs to be handled with utmost care as it is the driving force of the digital marketing boom for the companies all over the world.