Corporate Video Production: A Guide to Making High-Quality Videos for your Business
If you’re looking to attract potential customers or keep your employees informed, a great video can be an invaluable first impression in today’s business landscape. While written copy, word of mouth, and eye-catching images never go out of style, short-form video remains vital in the age of TikTok and streaming. It may not work for every venue — sometimes reading is simply more convenient — but high-quality corporate video production can really send a message. And it’s bound to be how some of your audience learns best.
Understanding Corporate Video Production
Whether you’re hiring an in-house video team, working with a freelance videographer, or outsourcing your corporate video production to an animation studio, it’s like most aspects of business: you want a good, simple idea, and you want to communicate it well. When you work with the right corporate video production company, the final product shows your values. “The medium is the message,” as media theorist Marshall McLuhan once wrote.
When your audience, your customers, or your employees see serious filmmaking craft and skilled actors representing your brand, that in itself might say more than a bit of marketing copy ever could. When you’re unveiling a new theme-park attraction, training employees how to use a kitchen appliance, explaining the necessity of sustainable practices, or highlighting your best customer testimonials, great production value and clear communication can mean more sales and a better perception of your company.
Choosing the Right Corporate Video Production Company
Experience and portfolio assessment
Before hiring a corporate video production company or freelancer to represent your brand, you of course need to know whether they’re the right fit or not. The best way to do this is to see the work they’ve done previously, determine whether or not it suits your standards, and make sure the folks you’re considering align with your values.
This is easiest when the production company or videographer in question has already done some professional work in your field — something similar to what you’ve envisioned for your own video project. A lack of experience isn’t the end of the world, but there’s some risk involved when you’re investing in creative work. When in doubt, listen to your gut and don’t hire someone you’re not excited to work with.
Understanding of your industry and brand message
Whatever your video project may be, the medium will make a big difference to the audience. Animation and humor probably isn’t the best form for a cybersecurity training video, just as an advertisement for something fun and exciting — like a restaurant or water park — shouldn’t be too gloomy or corporate.
Competitor research is a great way to avoid making big mistakes here; what works for similar businesses may provide a safe starting point. And a little brainstorming can take a good idea above and beyond what the competition’s doing. Know what you want to communicate, and what you want your audience to feel when they hear it, and you’re well on your way.
Availability of creative and technical resources
If you’re concerned about budget, a good, creative marketing agency may be able to take care of your needs with special all-in-one bundles. Maybe you want to experiment with video, but can’t afford to go all in on a big production right out of the gate. With YouTube, TikTok, and all the technology and software available today, you can keep things simple with some images and text in a tasteful video format. Minimalist video ads that quickly convey what your company’s all about can help you raise brand awareness on social media.
Maximizing Impact Through Distribution and Promotion
To get the most out of your investment, start by going where your audience is and then build outwards. When running ad campaigns, use keywords, regional data, and other strategies to target your messaging. If you want to get more web traffic, experiment with advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, or TikTok. If you want to raise your brand’s profile among young filmgoers or passionate fans of pop-culture, find out how to get your ad into movie theaters. And, whatever route you take first, keep a close eye on the data; tracking your ad’s performance will let you know what’s working — or help you allocate misspent resources elsewhere.
Trends and Innovations in Corporate Video Production
If you’re trying to get noticed in Silicon Valley or the tech space, embracing emergent media like virtual-reality filmmaking or 360-degree interactive video can help you make an impression. From Paul McCartney’s innovative Pure McCartney VR series to Respawn Entertainment’s Academy Award–winning short film, Colette, innovation and inspiration is everywhere.
Sure, you could play it safe and commission the same sort of videos your competitors are using. Or you could take a chance and invest in a bit of forward thinking. Mixed reality may not be a magic catchall solution for every challenge, but it can be a profound way to give audiences and customers a novel, even profound experience.
The Takeaway
Video production for corporate audiences covers a wide range of needs. If you’re going to invest in a video project to raise your company’s profile and attract new business, you need to have some kind of plan for what you want and what kind of results you hope to get out of it. As with all things in business, any corporate video production will be a bit of a gamble, but the potential rewards are too great to ignore. People can’t become your customers if they don’t know you exist, and there’s nothing like meeting folks where they are and making a great first impression.
By experimenting with different types of videos, and embracing some out-of-the-box thinking where appropriate, you can raise your brand’s public profile, grow your customer base, boost sales, and keep all your employees on the same page. In today’s interconnected world, having a great social-media presence with positive messaging isn’t just a good idea — it’s crucial. And high-quality video production is just one tool with which to forge your company’s image.
FAQ:
What is corporate video production?
Corporate film content is any kind of video outside the realm of traditional advertising. When a commercial ad just won’t cut it for getting your full message across, and you want to show your employees (and potential customers) what your company really believes, that’s where this sort of video production comes in. Communicating your values, your history, and the nitty-gritty of your products and services is a delicate art, and good filmmaking craft is a way to do your brand justice. If your company’s small or just getting started, it’s an investment that can help you be taken more seriously than some of your competitors.
How does a corporate video production company help businesses?
Working with a production company or creative agency can take the lift of having to learn videography, editing, and so on off your shoulders. Leave it to the professionals, and you’re less likely to regret the time, effort, and expense. Solid filmmaking craft and the right message can boost your company’s profile, attract the right customers, and even tell a great story.
What are the typical costs involved in video production for corporate use?
Video equipment is more affordable and accessible than ever if you’re looking to do everything yourself, but the cost of good editing software, licensed music, paid actors, and so on can add up quickly. Whether you’re a bit of a filmmaker yourself, know a solid freelancer you can hire, or plan on hiring a full-service production company, you’re going to spend some money — say, a few thousand dollars — for good video content.
But with the virality of good, targeted posts in the online landscape and the sheer number of online platforms that let you upload videos, it’s a worthwhile investment to make. You want your new hires to feel they’ve chosen the right home for their careers; you want potential new customers to see you in the proper light. It all starts with the right message and a decent camera.
Image credit: Getty Images/brightstars