Every organisation is competing for a few minutes of their prospects’ valuable time. A corporate video is a great way to capture attention and deliver your brand message, but if it’s boring or littered with mistakes, forget it. They won’t stick around long enough to hear what you have to say.
People often think poor corporate videos are due to less-than-ideal production values. While this is often the case, the video’s content can be just as much to blame. If you tailor the right content and deliver it correctly, you are well on your way to producing a successful corporate video.
Here are 7 corporate video mistakes we often see, plus tips on how to avoid them and create engaging and polished videos.
Common Corporate Video Mistakes
#1 Using only a Talking Head
While it’s important for your talent to know what they are going to say, don’t make the mistake of letting them learn it word for word or using a teleprompter. Your talent shouldn’t sound rehearsed and stilted, you want it to be more conversational to engage the viewer.
Someone who is recalling or reading a speech uses a different tone of voice than someone who is speaking off the cuff. The odd ‘um’ or pause is better than a monotone voice.
If you aren’t going to use cutaway footage in the video, make sure you vary the camera angles. Use two cameras to film the talent and vary the depth of field in the edited video.
Takeaway: Write an outline only, not the entire dialogue and edit your talking head with different camera angles. A good producer will know how to prompt and direct the person on screen to sound natural and appear comfortable.
#2 Not Knowing your Audience
Too many organisations don’t know their audience well enough. They may have a loose idea of a jumble of demographics, but don’t have a clear, definition of exactly what their ideal customer looks like.
Before you prepare any content for your video, research and write out your customer personas so you have a clear picture of who you are talking to so you can tailor your content’s dialogue and visuals. If you’ve not done this yet, here’s a great infographic to get you started.
Takeaway: Your talent should have a picture in their mind of one person they are talking to.
#3 Boring Backgrounds
People are often scared of using a background they think will be ‘too distracting or busy’. But in reality they are more at risk of it being boring. Using a plain white background on a video is the fastest way to make your viewer fall asleep.
Your audience will watch longer and retain more information if there’s some interest in the background. People want an insight into your organisation, so include your product or some workers.
Takeaway: Find a location or make a set that is interesting and appealing.
#4 Videos That Are Too Long
Keep your video punchy. Don’t try to do too many things with the one video. One clear message is all you should try to communicate to viewers. If you want to give additional information, include a link to the relevant page on your website rather than explain it on the video.
Takeaway: Think about the one clear message you want to communicate.
RELATED: Corporate Video Length: How Long is Too Long?
#5 No Visuals to Explain a Point
You already know a picture tells a thousand words so don’t forget to use them inside your video too. Instead of needing 10 seconds of audio to explain a point, use a few seconds of footage.
Takeaway: Use visuals to tell the story, not just a talking head.
#6 No Call to Action
People want to be told what to do. The end of the video should always tell the viewer what the next step is. A call to action also avoids an awkward ending and gives you a strong, positive note to finish.
If you want the viewer to:
- Buy your product or service, explain how.
- Visit a webpage, provide the link.
- Download your ebook, tell them how to do it.
- Sign the petition, tell them where it is.
Takeaway: Think about your video’s objective and how you can achieve it with viewer action.
#7 No Promotion of the Video
There is little point in spending time and resources making your video if it only gets a few views. Posting your video on YouTube and hoping people find it isn’t enough. Have a plan for how you are going to get it out to the world.
You can post your video on your social media channels (more than once), include it in your email newsletter, use paid online promotion channels, place it on your website home page and send out a media release (see more ideas here).
Takeaway: As well as producing the video you need to have a clear strategy and reason for promoting it. Who is it for and where are they going to see it?
How to Make Sure Your Next Corporate Video Isn’t Boring
Ideating, scripting, storyboarding, producing and editing corporate videos is what we do. If you’re keen to see our work, check out our showreel or get in touch today to discuss your ideas.