How to Create Company Videos People Will Want to Watch
70% of marketing professionals report video converts better than any other medium. The number of companies using online video has soared, and a recent report shared some compelling statistics that prove the ROI for video.
Companies are using video in a variety of ways. These include videos for marketing, training, and brand journalism. Video has shown to be effective at capturing an audience, and the numbers prove it.
The first wave of online company video was rich with experimentation. Platforms came and went, formats changed, and long- and short-form content took on new definitions.
Our agency has seen a lot of different video formats over the last decade thanks to our involvement in the video production world. Working with various companies in a range of industries, we have learned valuable lessons, and one thing has stayed constant: No matter the platform or the audience, engagement has been at the core of any successful video campaign.
Experimenting with video can be expensive, and with that in mind I want to share some of our tips on what it takes to make an engaging video for your company.
Step 1. Bring Out the Excitement in Your Brand
One of the biggest mistakes companies make is forgetting about the simple things in their videos. Frequently, employees get stuck in the day-to-day and overlook the stunning visual content or the fantastic stories they have access to in their organization.
I’ve discovered this numerous times when having an opening discovery session with a brand. Representatives from a company are usually thinking about marketing the newest product or putting out their best public relations message. Those are valuable topics, but one thing I always ask for is a tour of the company to see things for myself.
These tours have led to a ton of eye-opening ideas that have turned into engaging online videos. The operation floors and inner workings of a company are fascinating places that a lot of us do not get to see. Audiences enjoy a behind-the-scenes experience, and every company can provide that with video.
While some employees may not think their process is exciting, the target audience of many companies will geek out over these things. Companies need to be careful not to give away propriety information, but patented systems and processes are great ways to show the innovation of your brand.
Here is an example from Southwest Airlines of an engaging behind-the-scenes video that focuses on the personal experience a passenger gets when flying with Southwest.
Discovering a passionate employee who can speak to the importance of their job and the company is like finding a hidden gem. Their emotion and articulation often show on camera, and help your target audience connect with your brand. It's all about creating a link to your target audience, and sharing these stories is a powerful way to grab and hold those viewers.
Here is an example from Duncan Family Farms that shows the value of finding passionate employees for company videos.
Working with an experienced video production agency or marketing company can be pricey, but they often provide a different perspective from your internal team. If there's no budget for hiring professionals, use surveys to gather information from both your audience and your employees about what topics could be in your videos. This research can provide a wealth of knowledge and a fresh angle for your video strategy.
Step 2. Know Where Your Video Will Live
The second step to creating an engaging online video experience is knowing where your video is going to live. This information is something the video team should know before the video is recorded.
Platforms have come and gone, but a few channels have captured a majority of the online video audience. Starting with the social media channels, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn have all grown their video offerings and have a substantial market share when it comes to overall users.
All of these channels offer numerous ways for adding interactivity within your video player. These features are useful for leading viewers to other relevant materials such as website landing pages, products, other video content, and newsletter signups. Many of these can be clickable calls-to-action and provide reliable lead generation tools for a company.
These features can extend the customer touchpoint beyond a single video. If your company is going to use these features with the channels mentioned, it's essential to know which platform is the target. These features can take up real-estate when overlaid on a video, so the video team should keep this in mind with composition and the overall video style, as the BMW team did for the video shown here. Some testing may need to be performed to see what works and, more importantly, what does not.
The same approach applies when a video is going to live on a company website. Brands should know ahead of time how the video will display on pages. Is there room to add any relevant material around the video player? Publishers need to ask themselves what will happen when the video is over, where can the viewer go? Is there an option to ask questions or leave comments?
Create a two-way experience with the viewer. Will your video's topic generate a conversation? If yes, ask for audience comments and questions within your video. Make sure the tools are there to make it a fluid process so that your audience can have a great experience when viewing videos on a company site.
Step 3. Embrace the Tech
I mentioned the importance of creating a two-way experience in the last step. Technology these days has taken that idea even further. For example, many companies have turned to live streaming.
Maybe you’re launching a marketing video for a new product or service your company has created. Why not accompany that video with a live stream where your audience can have a Q&A session with you?
Yes, this can be risky, but the feedback can be positive and insightful. Companies can set up controls to monitor for trolls and block them. The whole experience is valuable for both the company and its audience, and creates a level of engagement with viewers.
Another growing technology trend is 360° video. This immersive viewing experience puts your audience into the director's chair. Viewers' choose what they see by using controls within the video player. It is a fun way to show off a product, demonstrate a process, and virtually put people at a tradeshow or event.
The price of creating a 360° viewing experience has gone down drastically over the years and is now attainable for even small businesses. All it takes is a little creativity and some planning to produce an engaging experience like this tour of a Google data center.
Take these tips and think about how you can include them in your company's video strategy. With more videos being uploaded by the second, publishers need to create engagement in their videos to hold and reach an audience.
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