Creating a corporate video requires an investment of time, money and energy. You want to be sure that you will see a return on that investment. Unfortunately there are common mistakes that lead to mediocre video marketing results. Here are some mistakes to watch out for when creating your next corporate video.
#1 Failing To Provide Value
One of the most common mistakes made when shooting a corporate video is failing to consider the audiences attention. Any video is facing fierce competition for the scarce attention of the audience.
Over 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute (Source: YouTube)
The viewers time needs to be considered valuable. In return for their attention you need to be offering something of value. A good corporate video should be entertaining, moving or inspirational. In short there must be a payoff for the time that you are taking out of their day. With consumers increasingly being able to control what content they are exposed to asking them to give up their time without reciprocation will simply not work. Creating “shareable” content is also critical if you want your message to spread organically through social media.
#2 Using Technical Jargon
Video is a communications tool. When shooting video it is important to talk using language that your audience will both understand and resonate with. A common mistake is to use technical or industry jargon, which is understandable to those in the business, but can’t be understood by the audience. Using technical language is usually only suitable when creating video for “industry insiders”. Using the same language and tone as your audience is also critical for effective communication. For example, the type of language used for a corporate audience would differ sharply for that produced for a teen audience.
#3 Poorly Lighting The Subject
If the subject of the interview is poorly lit it can reduce the impact of the message or even give a negative impression of the company. It is important to light the subject so as to eliminate unbecoming shadow lines. When are shooting corporate videos we like to give our subjects a warm, flattering look which will present them at their best. Before lighting the subject you need to consider their features. Most people have slightly asymmetrical features. Good lighting will be able to counterbalance these. For example, most people’s nose will tilt slightly one way or the other. Through careful use of shadow we can offset this so that the face appears symmetrical on camera. We will also work to hide the shadow caused by the nose. This can be done in the smile lines of the subject.
#4 Forgetting About Sound
Poor sound quality can distract from the key message of the video. Instead of listening to what the subject of the interview is saying, the focus is on the sound. Another common problem is ambient sound. Noise from air conditioning units, passing vehicles or calling telephones will all distract from the video’s key messages. In order to avoid these issues we will perform a reconnaissance (recce) of the property to determine any potential sound problems. Setting up the subject for the interview is also a very important step. A trained sound person will know how to hide the lavalier mic in the subjects clothes so that it isn’t visible but still perfectly captures the subject’s voice. For interview subjects we like to use what is called a hypercardoid mic. This is designed to capture only the voice of the speaker while minimizing ambient sound.
#5 Not Prepping The Subject
For corporate video to be effective the interview subject must be properly prepped. This starts with the way that the subject is dressed. Stripes for example on a shirt will dance on the screen and will distract the audience.
Next the subject needs to be put at ease so that they will be at their best when they are being filmed. Prepping the subject explaining the nuances of shooting a corporate video. This includes the subject using nouns when answering a question.
For example, rather than saying “he works as a fireman” they subject should answer “my father works as a fireman.” The subject should also use the question in the answer. So if the question is “What is your favorite fruit?” the subject should answer “my favorite fruit is mango.” This will ensure that the answers have context when the questions are later edited out.
#6 Failing To Make A Connection
In order for a video to be effective it must connect with the audience. This means creating content that have real emotional impact. Unfortunately businesses in so-called boring industries struggle to produce this kind of content. We recommend looking at your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives or charitable partners for finding deeply emotive and inspiring stories which will resonate with your audience. You can find out more about how we have worked with other corporate clients to find and use these stories here.
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