1. Define (and then refine) your audience first.
Marketing is about positioning and communicating your unique value to a very specific audience. Your product or service won’t appeal to everyone. In fact it probably won’t appeal to that many people at all. You have to ensure that you craft a message that is tailored to the specific concerns of a very well defined audience. That sounds risky because if you narrow the focus of your message you have to leave stuff out. The only thing riskier than that is leaving everything in.
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Example: One Market Media completed a video project for Queens University to promote their International Study Centre in England. We spent a great deal of time working with the client to define the audience and then we further refined the key messages by creating two separate videos: 1. (Bader International Study Centre) which was targeted at parents and included program information supplied by the professors at the Centre and 2. (A Day in the Life at The Bader International Study Centre) which was aimed at students and included perspectives of two students at attending the college.
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2. Tell a great story that makes an emotional connection.
Our conscious mind would like us to believe that we make rational decisions. Our sub-conscious mind knows better. Virtually all purchase decisions are emotional decisions. Your lubricant may be 23% more viscous than your competitors, but the fact that the local fire-department uses it is going to be the idea that people relate to and remember. Most corporate video productions today are recitations of facts, features and benefits. Most viewers never get to the end of these videos. If you want your viewer to watch and remember your message then you have to connect with them on an emotional level.
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Example: Jamie Leal is a public speaker, a business coach and an entrepreneur. He’s also a great storyteller. He approached us to develop a promotional video that would help establish him in the North American market. After a brief meeting with Jamie it was clear that his success didn’t stem just from what he does. Jamie’s success has been achieved largely because of who he is. After that epiphany the structure of the video was rather simple – turn on the camera and let Jamie tell his story. No hype, no clever positioning, no features and benefits, just Jamie… being Jamie.
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3. Show me, don’t tell me. Video is by far the fastest growing marketing tactic in use today because it informs and persuades better than any other media type. Video is a visceral experience that engages the audience both visually and orally. Why just explain how your product works when you can actually show people using and benefiting from that product? Video is gaining popularity because it is the best means of conveying a great deal of information quickly to an attention-deficit plagued audience. Video is particularly effective when you need to showcase the more intangible benefits of a product. Imagine trying to promote a perfume solely on the merits of that particular fragrance. You couldn’t. You sell perfume by creating imagery that suggests the “promise” of that perfume.
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Example: There is no sale more aspirational today than luxury real estate. We develop promotional videos for multi-million dollar properties. When you’re selling luxury homes you’re selling more than just features and an address, you’re selling a lifestyle. To showcase that lifestyle you need to include people and you need to tell a story. Video complements (not replaces) traditional real estate marketing tools by showcasing a lifestyle (and not just the features) associated with that home.
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4. Your customer is the focus, not you.
Your customer wants to know how you can solve their problems – that’s what matters to them. They really don’t care much about your history or your processes. And yet the vast majority of corporate videos today are still not written from the client’s perspective. Most businesses continue to create videos that talk about themselves. You should be putting yourself in the shoes of your customer. What do they care about? What are their problems? Then position your company as the obvious and unique solution to those specific problems. Give the people watching your video something they can relate to, something that let’s them see themselves in your video.
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Example: We developed a promotional video for a local Real Estate agency that specifically spoke to the question of ” How do you chose a real estate company?’ We told the story (a story that includes an end… a beginning a middle and an end”) from the perspective of a potential client.
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5. Share what you believe, not just what you do.
Fourteen years ago the Cluetrain Manifesto told us that ‘markets are conversations’ and explained how the internet is fundamentally changing how people interact with businesses. {Coincidentally, this is the same time that Seth Godin came out with his marketing opus ‘Permission Marketing“.} Today, a high level of transparency is expected in business. This is new for most companies. Getting people’s attention is just the first step. Somewhere along the buying cycle you’re likely going to have to give up a bit more of yourself than you’d like. What do you believe? What are your core values? Why should I care about you when I have a huge number of undifferentiated options in front of me? This never really used to matter. Today it does.
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Example: We developed a promotional video for an organization trying to affect fundamental change to our way of thinking and acting. Their goal is ambitious – to try to slow down our growing consumption of fossil fuels. Beliefs drive all behavior. Sharing our beliefs is the best way to reach out to, and work with like minded individuals.
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Are there other ‘rules’ you should consider (golden or otherwise?)
‘Include a call to action in your video’; ‘Make sure you employ smart SEO practices in naming, placing and promoting your video’; and ‘Distribution is everything’ are all smart tactics to ensure that your video gets seen by it’s intended audience. Have I missed one?
Note: This post is also found in the Top Ten Posts for this blog.
86 Responses
I love these tips! you really did cover all the major things you need to consider for video marketing!
Thanks Jenks… identifying what works is the easy part. Executing is the challenge!
right on Jenks
Thanks for the post. These are great tips for those just starting out in the video production business.
Thanks Tiffany, much appreciated.
Online video is booming and if you want your video to have an impact, take it directly to your market driving sales conversions.
Awesome videos!
These tips is a basis and it’s hard to argue. Of course they must be considered as being “golden rules”. Actually, the 5th one, as for me, is directly connected with the 2nd point, because only by showing what we believe in we can get to our audience’s emotional level.
Thanks Serge.
Very clever guide on corporate video production. I really like the part “Show me, don’t tell me” style. It’s one of the most effective methods these days. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Good thoughts. I should share this page with some of my clients, who are generally adamant about a preconceived notion about corporate films
Thanks.
Santanu B
http://www.santanu.biz
This is amazing, I’m going to share this site among friends and customers. These are some great examples that video tells more than just a thousand words.
Thanks Oplevesler.
Great advice and great production value in your pieces – an excellent lesson!
You nailed it! Everyone that comes to my video company and asks for a video always starts off with how they want it to look (lots of graphics and amazing visuals). Actually, if you tell a great story all the graphic pieces fall right in to place.
i love the one horizon promo video. just a suggetsion on the music. the extro could have been better. i was all hyped up the entire video, but when the company logo came out at the end, there was an abrupt fade out of the music. it could’ve been a one-note sound or a shebang kind of extro music, whatever the client wanted. but the abrupt fade sort of was anti climactic for me. great video just the same.
Zarah, thanks for the kind words and yep, that video woulda benefited from a longer run out.
It’s amazing to me that so many clients and video production companies forget these essentials. My favorite rule of yours is “your customer (audience) is your focus- not you”. This applies to every business, every piece of marketing, ever.
Patrick
NYC, LA
thanks Patrick – yep, it’s remarkable how many companies focus on themselves rather than how they can solve their customer’s problems.
Appreciated you sharing these very useful tips and advice on video production … I am very new on this topic and you have given me a much better understanding on this subject. Thank you.
thanks for the feedback Hinano
It all boils down to two words: Customer service. Create a video that the customer(s) can relate to, that speaks to them and they will hear you.
Couldn’t agree more Rick. It’s mind boggling how many corporate videos still blather on about the company and the product rather than how the product solves a problem for the viewer.
Thanks for your amazing website. You truly empower us and make the web an experience worth venturing into for not only the corporate world but Hollywood types like me. Grateful
Thanks for those kind words Kathy.
Great information about corporate video production.
Thanks Ashwin
do you work in USA? do you do illustrated icon/animated video?
Yes we do.
do you do script writing?
yep, that too.
I can sense your passion through your advice and it’s helped me find motivation and passion in my work too. Thank you and all the best.
Thanks Ram!
Thank you. Your article is very helpful.
One little note, though. Your client’s name is Jaime Leal not Jamie
Thanks utpal – correction made
no scrap at all very sharp and usefull stuff which helps in locking the client for sure
I am just starting out and found this to be very helpful. Thank you for these guides and I’m sure they will me me much better.
Miquel, thanks for those kind words.
quite an useful article on corporate video production & corporate film making..
As nowadays online video marketing is playing a huge factor in business success, therefore, my experience tells, to engage more and more audience to your business your video must have the taste of “humor, inspiration and concise but worthy lesson”. You must address about what you believe. You must educate your audience about your business in a much concise way.
Thanks a lot, Jim, your guidance always helps me in my work!
Anna, thanks for those thoughts and comments. Very much appreciated.
Most welcome Jimm !!
Stay Blessed 🙂
I worked in an explainer video production house, so if you need any assistance so I’m there for you !!
Good pointers on corporate filmproduction…
Good one, I think one of the most prominent aspects we see is “show and don’t tell” can’t emphasise this point anymore… You can just notice clients rolling their eyes when you showcase a corporate film with a long video
Nice article! I have really learned a lot after reading this. Got to apply this one to my future projects! Thank you for sharing Jimm.
Great thanks for sharing this post, it’s very helpful.
Nice article! Thanks for sharing the post, it is really helpful for us.
Companies that are young and new to the market who are vary of spending way too much in the beginning.
This is also good for companies that have the resources to produce in-house videos and just anyone who is interested in making a video to promote their local business.
Thanks for this great article Kathy.
I like how you said to first define your audience of the video you are making. We are making a corporate video to hire more people this summer. I appreciate all the tips on how to make a marketing video for your company.
My sister was given a video project and she needs to pass it with flying colors. It was explained here that she should define the audience first. Furthermore, it’s advisable to hire professionals for the full video production.
I agree with you that explaining is not going to work as well as showing the people how the business will benefit them, especially if they are looking at a video. Personally, I watch a video for visual learning, and I am talking about seeing things in action. If I would have to read again, I could’ve just gotten a book. I will be sure to do this once I decide to market my own services.
hi thanks for the information
Thanks for sharing the informative post.
Posted in 2013, and still very relevant in 2019. Thanks for writing such an informative post.
Very Useful and Informative article! Thanks for sharing the post. It is really helpful for us.
I couldn’t agree more on point number 4. Your videos should be relevant.
Filming and editing is the easy part. Figuring out how to be relevant – that’s where you provide real value to a client.
Thanks for sharing the information. These information will really help for those who starts corporate video production business
Thanks Vani!
hi there thanks for the information and posts 🙂
Thanks for mentioning how video is able to persuade better than any other type of media. My dad started a small company that produces clothing, and he wants to advertise his business. I’ll let him know about how video can attract new customers and that hiring a video production company could help him make videos to advertise his business.
Thanks for sharing this article golden rules for Corporate Video Production – keep posting.
This blog is very informative. Thanks for posting, hope to see plenty of great content coming soon!
Nice description of the corporate video production. The 5 golden rules you shared are very important and need to be followed. Your article is informative and easy to understand. Thank you for posting this article. Keep posting
very well-written and quality content
These five golden rules are mandatory if you want to create the perfect results and gain potential customers for your business and marketing.
good post and well written
Thanks for sharing such a valuable post with us. I am gonna bookmark this site.I have also seen your older post it is always awesome!
Thank you Phillip.
excellent blog, Thank you for posting.
Thanks Banshi.
Thanks for sharing such a valuable post with us. I am gonna bookmark this site.I have also seen your post it is awesome!
Thank you so much for sharing this useful information with us.
thanks Phiilip!