The Best Ways to Shoot a Company Video: 10 Simple Tips and Tricks
Need to create a company video for your business? Whatever the type of video – a promotional video for a new product launch, a marketing video, a company culture or training video for recruitment, or an introduction video for your website – one of the most important steps is that you grab your audience’s attention.
Having high-quality video production can be a great marketing tool for reaching potential customers. Today we’ll look at 10 tricks and tips you can use to ensure your own video content reaches your audience.
1. Make Use of Storyboards
One of the most important parts of the pre-production process is creating a storyboard. The visuals can make it easy for you to see how your video will flow and how shots will come together. Storyboards are essential in ensuring that your company video truly reflects your vision and they may include:
- The actions that take place in your video
- How many shots and when each appears
- The main focus of the shot
TIP: Having a meeting with everyone involved before filming may help you avoid leaving out any key elements.
If don’t want to tackle creating high-quality company videos on your own, it might be wise to hire a professional video production company to handle the job for you! Later on in this article, we explore how you can be sure to choose the right one.
2. Don’t Overcomplicate Your Message
Always keep in mind what you want your viewers to take away from your video. No matter how good your video is, if your message isn’t clear, you won’t reach your target audience.
Remember, your video should convey the most important points to your viewers - clarity is always more important than cleverness.
Check out this short video with a clear message for Parallel Branch to see what we mean:
3. Make Sure You Speak Your Audience’s Language
Piggybacking off our previous point, to clearly communicate your message, you must put yourself in the viewer’s shoes. After all, YOU know what you’re talking about. And while that definitely can position you as the expert, it often can put you a little too close to the subject.
Use language your audience will understand instead of multinational marketing strategy corporate jargon. You don’t want them to walk away from your video with a lesser understanding of your product or service, right?
4. Think About the Tone of Your Company Video
Do you portray an image that is light-hearted and fun or one that has a more professional feel? How do you know? Understanding your audience will help you figure out what tone will resonate with them. For example, if you’re in the healthcare industry, your tone of voice may differ dramatically from those in the home improvement industry.
Why is this important? When it comes to choosing brands to support and like, 88% of consumers say authenticity is important. Be sure that your video conveys whatever impression you want to give to your viewers!
5. Keep It Short and to the Point
Make your video short and to the point. Of course, there’s no set length for your video, and there are a lot of factors to consider. Previous articles have discussed this, even earlier on in this one (that just shows how important it is!).
These days, people don’t have time (or patience) for long, drawn-out videos. Most people watch a video for no more than 60 seconds. That’s why our next tip is so important to help you make sure to make your point, make it short, and make it effective…
6. Script Out Your Company Video
Have you ever told yourself you’d remember something that you didn’t write down and later forgot all about it? To avoid that happening during your corporate video shoot, consider writing a script.
A script is especially helpful when you are recording a voiceover for your video, whether it is a social ad or motion graphics video. And we suggest they include the following:
- A brief introduction
- What the viewer’s problem is
- Some failed solutions
- Reasons to choose YOUR solution
- Action steps
Having a script will keep you on track so you don’t drift off-topic, potentially losing your audience.
7. Use Testimonials to Your Advantage
Testimonials from satisfied clients can be really powerful. You help your audience gain trust in you – and your product or service – by featuring testimonials from past customers.
The most effective testimonials are those that highlight the benefits for your customers. Yes, the features of a new product are certainly important. But how does it help your viewer? Use real customer testimonials that reflect how life has been improved as a result of using your product. The proof is in the pudding!
8. Make the Right Music Work For Your Company Videos
An okay video can be transformed into a great corporate video with the right music. The perfect soundtrack enhances the whole project. One thing to keep in mind is that it's important that the music not only matches the pace of your script but also conveys the mood you want at just the right moment.
*TIP* If you’re looking for some good music for your videos, you may want to skip Spotify. In our recent articles, we list some of the best royalty-free places and composers for hire.
9. Consider Your Company Video Style
Choosing the right style for your video depends on several factors, including its purpose, budget, and brand.
You can use typography for corporate videos if you want to showcase a corporate and professional style. Or if you want to tell an engaging backstory about your company. Animation is most effective when it comes to creating corporate explainer videos, while live-action works best for recruitment videos or product demonstrations.
Think about the look and feel you want to convey and who your target demographic is. Considering these factors will help you determine which style is right for you.
Take a look at this data RPM video example:
Who do you think their target audience is? Can you tell what message they’re conveying? Take these things into consideration when thinking about your own company video.
10. Don’t Forget to Be Yourself
While it’s easy to clam up or act awkward when being faced with a camera, remember to just be yourself! Use the language you use at work (maybe skip the sweary words) and wear what you normally wear to the office. Usually wear jeans? Wear jeans to your shoot! As long as you are dressed appropriately and it reflects your company, go for it!
Remember, 66% of consumers are most attracted to brands that are transparent about the materials they use, how they treat their employees and the things they’re concerned about beyond making a profit.
How Do I Find the Best Corporate Video Production Company for Me?
There are hundreds of video production agencies out there, so here are some tips on how to choose the best one for your company video:
- Review their portfolios – Have they worked in similar industries? Do the companies they’ve worked with have a solid reputation? Can they show you some examples of corporate videos they’ve produced?
- Have some ideas – Showing the production team a few ideas to convey what you have in mind helps make sure the end result is what you are looking for. Maybe there’s an animated video you’ve seen that really hits the mark. Or you might have an all-time favorite Airbnb video ad. Compile some of the best examples and have them ready to share. However, make sure that you’re open to their professional suggestions!
- Give details about your brand and goals – This is a very bespoke process, so beware of companies that give you a quote based on basic information without getting more details from you! Remember, this is a partnership between you and the production company. You want to feel comfortable working with them. So, above all, trust your gut.
Remember, this is a partnership between you and the production company. You want to feel comfortable working with them. So, above all, trust your gut.
Final Thoughts on Company Video
One of the best ways to create brand awareness is through company videos. According to research, 75% of people visit a website after watching a video (which is why video marketing on social media platforms is so important!). Not only that, but by placing a company video on your homepage, you can increase conversion rates by up to 20%! And having a landing page with videos can increase conversions by 86%.
As you can see, video is a great tool to show your personality and brand initiatives, plus make an impression on your audience – as well as increase traffic and conversion rates. Sound interesting? Why not contact us for help creating a memorable corporate video!
