A corporate film is a form of video content that is created for and commissioned by a business. It is usually created as a means of communicating a brand message. The term ‘corporate’ makes these films sound very formal when in actual fact there is no rule book to the levels of formality these videos uphold.
Benefits of Video Marketing
A corporate video can take on the form of a brand/promotional film, a product video, customer testimonial films, staff training and safety videos, or executive proposal videos. Whilst many corporate videos are regulated by brand guidelines, this doesn’t always infringe on the opportunity to explore creative freedom in your corporate video journey. Keep an open mind about the plethora of possibilities through corporate video production and you’ll reap the benefits!
The benefits of having a strong set of corporate videos in your marketing mix range from; nurturing a strong and close-knit staff culture, through to great PR for your business when your brand message goes viral. If you’ve got a product to sell and you want to do it justice (as well as double your sales!), then think about ways video can enhance your marketing.
You can also use video to show customers how to use your product. Put the product in context using actors or scenes to boost its image and advertise at the same time. You can even demonstrate the features of your product using slick copy and animation in your video. There’s always a way to help promote your product through film, so get your creative juices flowing!
Lights, Camera, Action!
Your corporate film can take on many styles too. The most common style that many businesses opt for is live action filming because it uses real people in authentic places and situations. This format often hooks the viewer’s attention and gives them an inside peek. This may involve locations, sets and props, actors, make-up artists and large crews. Or it could be animation which is scripted and created behind closed doors in the cutting room.
Animation is great for utilising your brand guidelines to full effect. Your colours, iconography, and font can be used as much or as little as you want and serve to immerse the viewer into your corporate world.
Corporate films can be watched by viewers almost anywhere. You’re likely to see them on large screens at business events or on a DVD in a training room, but are most common online. For consumers, videos will always be more interesting than walls of texts so they’re naturally inclined to the likes of Facebook and Twitter. The stats also point to online success:
• 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter
• 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or Youtube videos a week
• More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on Youtube each day
• More video content is uploaded in 30 days than the major U.S television networks have created in 30 years
Video is an ideal platform for creating promotional content in an entertaining way. Due to their expressive characteristics, videos are much richer than photos and texts. Their use of music, presenters, animation and colour add vibrancy to the brand and help to reinforce your message online.
Moving Hollywood Online
Sharing your corporate film will increase brand awareness and generate more likes. Videos are shared more than any other types of content, using video in your online strategy is a no-brainer.
Not only is sharing your videos important but so is thinking about how your videos will be ranking on Google too. To help improve search ranking, we’d advise that you embed your video on its own page at the top. Google only look at one video per page so if more than one video is on the page make sure your star corporate film sits at the top. Provide a transcript with your film to help increase the search for keywords relating to your video. Metadata optimisations are also important. Make sure you add keywords (tags), video titles, and a thumbnail image to optimise your video for search success.
Corporate films come in all shapes and sizes so putting a cost on these types of film is almost nigh impossible. However, by understanding the value your film will have on its audience, you can begin to get a good idea of what to budget. Ultimately, what separates a stellar corporate film from a mediocre one is the effect it has on your audience. Your bottom line is where you’ll find the success of your video.
If you’d like to find out more about developing a stellar corporate video contact us today. Our experienced team have the skills to get your name up in lights.