If you run a business, you should be thinking about using video to promote your business online, if you haven't already.
Gone are the days when full-motion advertisements were just available to huge companies with big advertising budgets.
You don't need to produce broadcast-quality adverts for TV or cinema anymore - these days, you can employ a video production company or even a single videographer who can produce a short, simple but slick video advertisement that you can then promote online, either on your own company's website or other sites like YouTube (free) or Yell.
com (paid).
However, it is important that you have a good idea of what you want to get across in the video, and therefore you cannot rely solely on the videographer's skills.
After all, who understands your company's unique selling points better than you? In this article I will provide you with some tips on how to produce an effective corporate video.
The first and probably the most important ingredient to a corporate video advert is the story.
It may seem obvious, but having a clear idea of what you want to convey is essential and can make or break your video's impact.
While you could argue that it would be easy enough to make a 60-second video without a clear story planned - you could just show shots of all your products, for example - it won't be nearly as effective as a well-thought out narrative with a clear intention of what you want to get.
across.
So, first things first: you have to consider want you want to say, why you are saying it and who you are saying it to.
Are you planning to appeal to a broad audience? If so, you may wish to showcase your company in a general sense, highlighting all of your main selling points.
Or is there a specific product or service you wish to promote? In this instance you are more likely to want to focus your story around that, and keep the other more general selling points for the end of the advert (or maybe leave them out altogether and save them for another video).
When deciding on the story of the video, you also need to be realistic about what you can achieve with the tools, the people, and the budget available to you.
With the right budget, you could have a full video crew at your disposal, with a presenter and possibly even actors.
This would open up lots of opportunities to have a fully fledged story-based advertisement like the ones you see on TV.
Or - and this is more likely for most people reading this - you may have only a few hundred bucks to spend, in which case your video crew will consist of a single videographer or possibly a member of staff with a hired camera.
In these instances, unless you happen to have some friends who are willing and able to act, you're best off keeping things simple.
There's no harm in doing a simple 'talk-to-camera' video, for example.
As long as you're well presented, and the backdrop (such as your office or premises) is clean and tidy, you can talk to the camera about your business and this may be enough to entice people to use your services.
After all, one of the main advantages of a corporate video ad is that it shows who you are and puts a face to the business.
But again, it's what you say that matters.
You need to convey your unique selling points to the viewer in a clear, concise way, with no waffle or jargon.
If you do all of the above, you're on the right road to an effective video ad!