If you’re debating whether or not you should invest your time and money in producing a corporate video that highlights your company’s products and services, then allow me to settle this debate once and for all. We are sitting in a digital and visual age unlike anything we’ve ever seen. The ease with which a quality corporate video can be produced and swiftly distributed should encourage any business, no matter how small, to get in on the action. Sure, there’s the headache associated with video production including logistics, shooting and editing, but that’s why you hire a reputable video production company with a team dedicated to taking care of the entire process. Take for example,
NWT Media, a production company in Washington, D.C. that specializes in high-quality corporate videos. They have worked with a number of high-profile clients, including the national television show NewsWatch, as well as smaller enterprises to clearly communicate their brand to potential customers. A look at any of their client videos shows what’s possible when hiring the right company. However, before deciding who you’re going to hire, you first need some convincing. Here are the 5 reasons you should hire someone to produce your very own corporate video.
Clear Communication
You could write hundreds or thousands of words on the services your company offers, and you probably should, but if you’re going to compete in this highly visual age, you need a clearly communicated visual component that gives potential customers a snapshot of what you offer and what you’re about, without asking them to fill in the blanks.
A clear corporate video also allows for transparency right off the bat, which establishes trust, an important ingredient in an eventual financial relationship.
Better Google Search Rankings
If you’ve Googled anything recently, you’ve seen search results for videos displayed on the first page. For example, if you were to search for “How to do my taxes” you’d see at least one YouTube video from some expert on how to easily and simply navigate through tax season.
This more than proves that Google understands the importance of video to users. Some of us just want someone to show us how to do something as opposed to making us read about it. A quality corporate video that accompanies SEO-friendly text, will give you a much-needed boost in Google search.
Versatile Marketing
There are a number of ways to market including social media, Google Ads, print, radio, TV, etc. It’s inadvisable to simply stick with one when you have so many options available to you that will expose your brand to customers who want to do business with you.
A visual element in the form of a video establishes yourself as a real entity that can be trusted, putting the viewer at ease and offering another way to connect.
Broaden Your Reach
Not everyone reads or reads well. This is just a simple fact and has to be accounted for in your marketing. A corporate video allows you to reach those that don’t read or simply don’t like reading. There are some that might arrive on your website and click away if all they see is text. Place a quality video on that page and you’ve potentially converted a sale.
Steady ROI
When hiring a company like NWT Media to produce a video, you only shell out for the initial payment to get the thing produced. After that you own your video and can use it as needed for years to come. That’s like paying for a billboard once and just leaving it up for an endless number of people to see for an indefinite amount of time. It’s not hard to see that this strategy pays for itself many times over.
These are only 5 reasons why you should seriously consider corporate videos as another means of advertising, but I’m sure you can come up with a lot more.
How to Make a Perfect Video
With everything already written about how to make a video that properly highlights your company’s brand, it’s unlikely this will be the final word on the subject. This doesn’t, however, mean that the information contained herein won’t be incredibly useful for those looking to dive head-first into video production.
We’ll lay out the steps you’ll need to take to ensure you’re getting the best quality possible, without having to break the bank to pay for expensive equipment. There are a number of equipment options available to you, some that you probably already have access to, like your phone camera.
These video tips apply no matter the camera you decide to use. These are the basics that’ll help you in your foray into quality video production. If you want to know how to make a video, the best place to start is with an example of what you’re trying to achieve.
Let’s look at one created by video production company NWT Media. The company operates in the Washington, D.C. area and primarily focuses on the creation of corporate videos, as well as 30 minute television shows, like NewsWatchTV. Below you’ll find one of the videos shot and edited by the NWT Media team.
The video highlights Smartbrief, a company that is the leading digital media publisher of targeted business news and information by industry.
The relevance of this project to other businesses meant that NWT Media needed to approach it with a multi-layered perspective. In order to do this, you want to start with
narrative.
This means you want to figure out what the story is. What is the video trying to communicate? What is the beginning, middle and end? You can write a script if the dialogue is going to be read or performed. Or in the case of the Smartbrief project, you can figure out what interviews you need that will fit the narrative of your video.
NWT Media chose to begin the video with an establishing shot, showing the organizations home office and logo, then adding in layers of audio and graphic to bring us into their world before telling us about the project. They proceed to tell the story through interviews across multiple executives on the Smartbrief team.
For angles, they chose the common talking heads approach that sees the subject answering questions from an interviewer off camera. This is very common and is used often in documentaries. However, they also filmed interviews in unique angles to convey different emotions. If this fits your narrative, go for it. You might find you want to “break the fourth wall” and have the subject or speaker talk directly into the camera. This is fine too, as long as it fits the narrative.
No matter your angle, one thing you’ll notice, is that the camera is steady, unless we’re trying to convey action. The use of a
tripod allows us to focus on the subject and what they are saying without distraction. This might seem basic, but this is often something overlooked when making a video.
The other common missing element is quality
audio. Audio makes up a good 50% of a video and when it’s poor, boy do people notice. Invest in lavalier mics and try not to rely on your camera’s internal mic.
Once you’ve finished shooting your video and recording necessary audio, you’re ready to
edit. You can use any number of free video editing software like iMovie or Lightworks, but if you want something that won’t limit your creativity, you should pay for something like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. Smooth editing and a few graphics will make your video pop and stand out among all the clutter.
And honestly, that’s about it. These simple tips will have your video production looking polished and professional.