A great video isn’t made by pointing and shooting
If the Egyptians hadn’t planned their pyramids before they made them, they’d likely have come out as squares. And visiting The Squares just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Yep, planning is one of the best inventions anyone’s invented, and when it comes to video production it’s just as important. Here are six steps we reckon are essential in making the creation of your video streamlined and stress-free, and the distribution of it afterwards worth the effort.
Purpose
First things first – long before you’ve decided what your video is going to be about – you need to figure out what you want out of it at the end. Are you introducing your company for the first time to new clients? Do you want to show people what it is your company does behind the scenes? Are you trying to teach people how to create a budget or start up their own business?
State the purpose of your video then stick to it like glue all the way through production. It’s easy to get distracted by new cool ideas halfway through development, but that can sometimes result in disjointed videos without a lot of direction. Commit to producing a video that maintains its vision right the way through production for the best results.
Audience
In the same way that Frozen wasn’t marketed to dads, a company needs to research and firmly establish who their target audience is and what those people are interested in before deciding to create a company video or corporate video. Sure, it would be incredible if anyone and everyone would watch it, love it and tell the world about it, but just like some people love romcoms and others love blood and gore, that’s realistically not going to happen.
And don’t be afraid to get specific. A personal trainer might work with a wide range of clients looking for a wide range of results, but his target audience for a video could be corporate blokes who sit at their desks all day, first-time marathon runners, or new mums who’ve had kids in the last three months. Each audience demographic is different and is therefore interested in completely different things.
Distribution
It might seem like we’re jumping the gun a bit here, but while getting a company video, corporate video or explainer video made is one thing, telling the world about it a whole other kettle of fish. For example, if you plan to use Facebook, your video and communication around it might be punchy, conversational, broad in content and funny. If you plan on including a link to your company video in a monthly email newsletter for business professionals, your video could be longer and more corporate. If the sole purpose is to teach an audience of 500 something new, the effort you put into planning your video will be completely different than if you were posting a short snippet on Instagram.
Presentation
Some videos are fronted by presenters; others have voice-over; others are filled with interviews; and others might use music and text to get their point across. One way isn’t necessarily better than another, although whatever delivery format you choose to use needs to be professional. If you choose to use a presenter, make sure they’re good at presenting. There’s nothing worse than watching a presenter who’s unnatural and uncomfortable in front of the camera. The same goes with music. If your content is professional and corporate but your soundtrack features death metal, your video is unlikely to be successful.
Development
Choosing video content can be a big minefield. Particularly if your video is about your company, it can be very easy to want to include every morsel of information you can possibly think of. The trick to remember here, though, is that less is always more. Unless they’re watching your video at a conference, your audience is unlikely to want to watch a 20-minute video because you couldn’t figure out what to cut out. Content should be specific to your target audience. It should be interesting and relevant to what they’re looking for. There shouldn’t be so much of it that your audience just gets overwhelmed. Great videos focus on one or two ideas at a time, rather than cramming in as much information as possible. If you have time, writing a shot list or drawing a storyboard can often help to visualise the final product. And don’t be afraid to shelve bad ideas. Just because the CEO wants a camera to follow him around on the golf course, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
Production
Once you’ve planned everything down to the last shot, start thinking about how it will be produced. If you’re after a really professional result, hiring a video production company like Onepost Media Productions is a really good option. Yes, you could save money by pointing and shooting it yourself, but the final result is likely to be far inferior compared to one that’s produced with film-quality cameras and editing software. If you’re as proud of your company as you’d like other people to be, it’s essential you invest in high-quality video production services that will highlight the best bits of your business.