At SGA, we spend a lot of time discussing with clients how we can best tell their stories through film. And while it's true that every organisation’s story is different, there are questions that should always be answered ahead of planning a business video. Here's a list of the top seven business video production questions to ask before your next project.
Often, we speak with businesses who have been told they must “create a video to host on the homepage of their website”. Of course, there are huge benefits in doing this from an engagement and SEO point of view. But if you want a video to make an instant impact you need to know, with certainty, who is going to see the video and what it is about your business that will resonate most strongly with them.
Likewise, the same questions should be asked if your video is going to be used as a sales tool or for attracting employees to work for your organisation.
Where else do you want to use the video? Will it be part of a bigger plan or a stand-alone business video production? If it’s part of a wider marketing campaign, you’ll want to make sure it complements the rest of the content.
Tip: Write down exactly what you want your video to achieve. Typically speaking, your video will full into one of four categories: building brand awareness, educating customers, showing culture and creativity, or employee training or recruitment.
A lot of businesses get preoccupied in who they are, and what they do. Those things are important – but they must be communicated in a way that touches the emotionally drivers of the intended audience.
If you’re producing a video aimed at promoting the benefits of a new car, that information helps to set the tone for messaging, visuals, and music selection. But for a corporate video - whilst it needs to evoke a reaction - the recipient may be unaware that they need or want your product or service in the first place. Take a tech start-up video for instance. Your technical solution, if new, is unlikely to have been unheard of before. It’s no good leading with emotional ploys; you’ll want to clearly show the problem and how your company – through its tech – provides the solution.
Tip: Look for a corporate video production partner that creates customer personas – these are fictional, yet realistic representations of your ideal customers. This process will help you answer the following questions; what are the watcher's pain points? Is my buyer persona a decision maker or influencer? These questions will help you understand what type of video to create and how to tailor your message.
It’s tempting to say everything in one video, but the danger is that you can end up failing to say anything valuable at all. You must be clear on what your key messages are in order of priority.
Tip: The easiest way to avoid communication overload is to have three or four key messages you want to communicate in your video. Write the down and prepare your interviews through the lens of these questions. Refine those messages and make sure they’re easy to understand, concise, and either educate, inspire, or influence your audience.
The average attention span for video viewers is 8.25 seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2000. It’s not surprising then, if a video generates a strong emotional response it is twice as likely to be shared than content that doesn’t.
Think, when your audience watches your video at an event, through a link in an email, on social, or on your website, what do you want their instant reaction to be? Whether you want someone to feel in awe of your commitment to a local cause or you want them to feel motivated to click that “enquire now” button, you need to make sure you invoke that feeling instantly through the right messaging, visuals, and overall tone.
Tip: Emotional storytelling works best when it’s used to convey a single, simple message, so refine your message until it’s short, clear and succinct. But do remember to be careful not to get too wrapped up in the emotion. It’s easy to think customers buy a product because they love your company, when their real incentive might be your competitive pricing. In which case, you’ll want to focus on that instead or maybe a combination of the two!
If you want to capture the heart and soul of your company, you’ll want to carefully consider who the best people are to be filmed. Take a corporate video aimed at recruiting new employees. You may wish to feature your CEO but imagine the impact of John speaking who has worked for the company for five years and has received four promotions or Carol, who has enjoyed a successful 30-year career.
Tip: Remember that your speaker doesn't always have to be from your business. Often, a happy client or sub-contractor could work just as well. It depends who your audience is and the intended purpose of your video.
Video shoot locations often depend on the story you are telling. Many of ours are on location, at company headquarters, industrial facilities and stunning outdoor grounds. Or your shoot may need studio space where things like a green screen can be used.
Tip: Always opt for more space. Most video shoots require a video producer, a cameraman, multiple people, a video camera, lights and audio equipment. All these things can crowd a room quicker than you may think – so avoid small spaces.
As we spoke about in a previous blog, you could spend anything between £2k to £10k on a 3-minute corporate video. They’re all legitimate costs, but effective video content doesn’t need to be expensive if you make some wise decisions from the outset.
Tip: Quite often, simple shots that have been given creative thought can save you money yet still produce a high-impact video. A good video production company will look for solutions that align with your budget. That’s why its best to seek early cost guidance from them.
Every video production company has standardised timelines for planning, shooting and editing a video. However, if you need your video to be produced sooner, there are ways to quicken the process. Sometimes, it’s about simplifying the scope of the video without losing the impact. Alternatively, if you have a complex vision in mind, it might take some time to bring it to life.
Tip: communicate your ideal timeline with your video production partner early in the planning stages. That way, you’ll avoid missed deadlines and will be able to plan your internal resources.
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