Tips For Creating Engaging Corporate Video
Ever sat back and wondered why cat videos are often so viral? According to a recent research, watching funny and cute cat videos usually boosts the viewers energy and impact their emotions. While we are not asking you to make cats part of your corporate videos, there are obviously several lessons we can learn from these incredibly furry movie stars. Many corporate videos have quite a reputation for being boring and bland, something that we need to change if we want to get our audiences glued to our corporate videos. With a creative team pulling the strings, your corporate videos could be informative and entertaining as well. Here are a few tips for creating engaging corporate video content.
1. Defining Your Audience
Although commercial adverts are usually meant to appeal large audiences of people who are not familiar with your brand, corporate videos are meant to offer more information to those who are already aware of your company and its brand. Corporate videos could include company history, explainer videos, a customer focus or brand philosophies and are typically presented on a companys website, could be shared on social media channels, and used in conferences or training sessions.
Bearing this in mind, it is crucial that you define your audience and important messages which you can communicate your companys value to this group of people. Although it could be risky narrowing down your message to a specific group of people, the truth is that cramming in everything and appealing to a large audience is riskier. With a well-defined audience, it means that your corporate videos will target a particular group of individuals and their concerns. In the long run, this will bear a greater impact than a corporate video with no audience focus. Understanding and talking to your main audience will not aid in making successful videos but also compelling ones.
2. Storytelling
There has been a heated debate regarding whether our attention span has decreased because of the technological advances we have experienced in recent years. However, the truth is that there are now more distractions constantly seeking our attention. Unfortunately yet, a majority of corporate videos lack a personal perspective or compelling story to keep their audience watching. A good corporate video needs to capture and hold the attention of the audience and prevent them from the constant distractions.
The advantage of using videos over other marketing avenues is that there is room to engage viewers by creating a story through some visually compelling content. If you have watched cat videos, you can confirm that they create an emotional connection with the viewer, and corporate videos should also take some notes from this. A videos success often relies on the messages authenticity from the real persons perspective. In most cases, employee stories will be more engaging as compared to having the CEO narrate the whole story.
Do not squander the chance to capture your audiences visual attention. You need to show the story instead of telling it. Your audience needs to see what your products do and why they should go for your brand over other brands. This will bear a greater impact as compared to explaining everything in words.
3. Create a Narrative
While your corporate video will probably last from three or four minutes, it does not mean that you cannot have a beginning, middle, and end. A simpler version of the standard narrative structure is hooking the viewer with an enticing introduction, create some tension with a few obstacles, and reach the climax before making a final resolution. The narrative needs a protagonist and this could be your company, a customer, or one of the products you offer.
Your protagonist needs an aim, whether it is finding true love or setting up their own company, your audience should understand the intentions of the protagonist so that they can become invested. The obstacles encountered by the protagonist will create tension that could be resolved just before the climax of your video. While there are many other ways of presenting your corporate videos, creating a narrative in this manner is an excellent way of injecting imagination into the corporate video creation process.
4. Create An Emotional Connection
When it comes to creating engaging corporate video content, it is easy for you to get carried away with facts, figures, and dates. Unfortunately, this is information that is often difficult to remember besides having little chances of resonating with your target audience. Your household cleaning products could me 20% more effective at eliminating bacteria than what your competitors offer but the fact that an elderly care home used them is an aspect that people could easily relate with and remember.
Making such an emotional connection with your audience aids in inspiring more loyalty and faith in your brand. Besides, it increases the chances of your audience sharing the video on social media.
5. The Small Things Matter
Poor audio, video, and lighting could put a damper on your well-intended corporate video. You should bear in mind that sound and lighting could be affected by whether the script dictates outdoor or indoor shooting. To avoid such errors, it would be a good idea if you hired professionals with good lighting equipment and excellent sound engineering capabilities.
Creating engaging corporate videos must not be a difficult process. By adhering to the tips above, your next corporate video will be informative and entertaining and will get your audience glued to it from the start to the end.