Purpose of Corporate Video
The purpose of business video is to express a message that ultimately increases your bottom line. This is true for training videos, marketing videos, and really most business decisions.
As with any form of communication, to be effective it must be received by the viewer. This means it is interesting and focused.
Image
A basic youtube or home video type production will get your point across to an astute viewer and I recommend it for smaller, personal businesses. Note though that any video communicates an image about your business.
Will a home video image interest your clients, inspire your sales staff, or excite shareholders? Is low production value consistent with your website and other marketing materials?
When a professional image is important and is already being applied to a retail location, on printed marketing materials, uniforms/dress code, and so on, it also needs to be conveyed through video.
How to get your message heard
Even if we're making a training video or a movie, we're still selling our ideas and story to the viewer. We are selling them at least on continuing to watch the video and possibly on our methods and techniques, our abilities, or on our product or service.
It is worth breaking down the individual elements we need for maximum effectiveness. We can do so with the basic questions we learned in elementary school:
- What is the message?
- Who is the message for?
- How, where, why and when will they be watching the video?
What
I have a friend who is great at coming up with ideas, but is very vague in communicating them. Naturally, overall effectiveness could be improved.
Before the viewer will understand our message, we need to understand it ourselves. If we like a painting is it because of the reds or the greens? The lights and shadows? The textures? The shapes?
What are the core elements of our message? What is the most important point? What is the second most important point?
Let's create a communication structure around our ideas; a beginning, middle, and end; a central point and purpose. Every other detail supports and is supported by this structure. This is like the body hanging off it's skeletal structure, supporting and supported by it's muscles.
Who
I express myself to my friends differently then I would to a police officer, my mom, or my employee. I may share the same message, but it will be factored differently depending on my audience.
In video we also need to know who we are approaching so we can effectively refactor our message in their language.
Three W's and an H
Our clever message targeted directly at our intended audience will still be received differently depending on where, when, why and how they watch.
If our video is a commercial played before a movie in a theatre, they will have little distraction with a 50 foot screen and a THX surround sound system. However they might be walking in with their drinks, looking for a seat, or running to the bathroom.
Our video might be on the web where they're likely to give us 5 seconds to make an impression before they click off.
Maybe we're making a training DVD to show people how to do a fun activity like base jumping.
Or maybe it is a generic, 30 minute safety training video they are watching at 5am in their cubicle during work.
The website visitor might be tired, rushed, or in pain and needs to quickly see that you have the solution. The employee might groggily watching, anxious to get to work so they can go home. The base jumper might be excited to watch at home with his gear out.
Wrap Up
All of the above variables will change how the audience receives it. We should consider this when planning for the video. It may mean critical changes in all aspects of the production such as the type of music played, the overall pacing, the structure of the content, the selection of the talent.
Every production is different and every story is different. However the same basic principles of marketing and communication apply. Clearly expressing your message, with the right image, the right method, and to the people who want to hear it is the most effective means of communication. The same principles apply whether we're making a movie, a commercial, or a corporate shareholder "feel good about investing in us" video.
