There is no denying the importance of corporate video production; for decades, businesses have used videos to share their brand stories, promote new products, and hire and train employees.
Corporate videos, however, have advanced significantly from the absurd and funny training films of the 1990s, and they aren’t just for internal use by employees or by other companies. There has never been a better time to brush up on your knowledge and understand the best practices in the industry as a result of the popularity of YouTube and social media.
You won’t ever again shoot a soulless interview, a boring brand story, or a dull explainer video by adhering to these easy tips.
Preparation Advice
There are crucial steps you can take to help make your video a success before the camera even starts to roll.
Plan out your video‘s plot. While storyboarding for animated films may be something you’re accustomed to, did you know that it can also be a helpful tool when creating videos with actual people?
Hire a specialist. I assume that anyone can hold a video camera and press the record button. Yes, but the finished product will clearly be amateurish unless you hire a pro. From the initial script to the last edits, a corporate video production company will assist you with every step of the procedure. Additionally, it’s convenient to have someone else take care of the logistics involved in planning a shoot, such as lighting, location, actors, and other concerns.
Real Workers or Employed Actors?
Should you spend the money on professional actors if you need them for your corporate video, or should you cut costs by having your employees play the lead roles?
The quick response? It varies.
What does your video hope to achieve?
What you want your video to convey ultimately determines whether you use paid actors or actual employees because each has advantages and disadvantages.
Real employees will exude an air of authenticity. People they can relate to are exactly what viewers look for in a recruitment video. For the same reasons, brand story videos that feature real employees are also effective. Your company will come across to viewers as more relatable and real.
Although you might think that your audience will always prefer to hear your brand‘s true voice, there are many occasions when the polish of a professional actor is more appropriate. They’ll be able to understand your message more clearly if you try to present information on your website in an easy-to-digest manner. The same holds true for explainer videos and other videos that are intended to sell a good or service.
Optimal Techniques for Video Interviews
Interviews are one of the most straightforward and efficient corporate video production techniques. Any video interview should attempt to capture an authentic conversation that your audience can relate to, whether it be with the CEO of your business, staff members, or clients.
Here are a few quick hints to make the most of your interviews.
The Creation Of Corporate Videos
Ensure that the person you’re interviewing is open to the idea. It may seem obvious, but you’d be curious at how often companies choose a candidate based on their title alone. Unsurprisingly, the outcome reflects their lack of enthusiasm.
Avoid giving participants their questions before the interview if at all possible. They will feel more natural when responding if they are unable to prepare their answers beforehand. You can give them a general idea of the topics they’ll be discussing, but avoid giving them any specifics.
Remember that the purpose of video interviews is to tell a story, not to have people gush about your business in front of the camera. Since audiences can tell the difference between sincerity and robotic corporate speak, it’s crucial to establish a relaxed atmosphere for your participants. They’ll be more likely to smile back at you if you smile when you ask them questions because smiling is contagious!
Finally, make sure the environment where you conduct the interviews is quiet or virtually silent. Distracting noises include the hum of a refrigerator in the break room or even the outside traffic.
Tips for Post-Production
Everything would be able to be captured on camera in a single take. Post-production is used when mistakes occur during corporate video production because it is a human endeavor.
You should hire a post-production company for this step if you are unfamiliar with industry-standard editing programs like Adobe Premiere Pro or Vegas Pro. Your video will be cleaned up and edited by a pro until it contains only the best clips in the finished product.
Here are some additional post-production pointers to think about:
Your friend is ambient sound. The majority of viewers are unlikely to recall the music you choose for your corporate videos, but they probably will remember how it made them feel. Whether it’s upbeat and upbeat or deep and powerful, music sets the mood. If your video has any audio at all, stick to background music that is solely instrumental to prevent confusion.
Be aware of copyright regulations. While incorporating music into your corporate video is a great way to give it a more polished feel, it can also be a simple way to run afoul of the law. If you use illegal music in your video, sites like YouTube and Vimeo may remove it, or worse, you may face a costly legal battle. Use a recording that is in the public domain, available under a Creative Commons license, or obtain the appropriate license for the song you want to use.
Promotion of Your Video
The Process Of Making A Video
If no one watches a video, what’s the point of putting time and effort into it?
You’ll need to create a marketing plan that exposes your video to your target market. This tactic may consist of:
- making a Facebook video ad campaign
- increasing conversions by including your video on a landing page
- Including the video in a campaign for email
- your video being played at events
- posting the video to every company’s social media page
- distributing your content to friends and colleagues
Finally, you’ll need a way to evaluate the effectiveness of your video. Most social media sites already have analytics tools that you can use to see how many views, shares, comments, and clicks your videos are getting from the people you want to see them.
Your next corporate video production can be improved using these metrics. For instance, if you see that many viewers start to drift off around the one-minute mark, consider ways to keep their interest.
Final Reflections
One difficult decision leads to another during the corporate video production process. Which actors best represent your brand’s message? Where is the least noisy environment? Which videos should the editor remove?
The majority of businesses choose to collaborate with a seasoned video production company because making all of these choices can feel like a daunting task.