Nederlands
A good company film presents your company convincingly and makes an impact on your customers. But how do you make such a company video? It starts with the elaboration of a strong story. With these handy tips, you ensure that you have a strong message and make maximum impact.
GET INSPIRED!
A lot has already been made, so you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Take advantage of that. View many examples and pay attention to what you think is good. Archive the favorites so that you can use them as inspiration. Do you want to get inspired right now? View the examples at the top of this page!
VIEW YOUR COMPANY FROM YOUR CUSTOMER
It may seem strange, but a corporate film is not really about your company. It is ultimately about your customers. It has little meaning to just show what you do. That does not affect your customers. They want to know: “What’s in it for me?” So think carefully about what your customers think is important. With what problems do they run and which solutions do you offer as a company? Translate your company’s strengths into concrete customer benefits. For example, your company has a large stock. Good, but what does the customer have? Well, that you deliver quickly because of this! That is the customer benefit that you have to communicate.
USE STORYTELLING FOR MORE EXPERIENCE
The term ‘storytelling’ actually says it all: tell a story. With a good story, you create an experience and give meaning to the message. Go for the story of your company looking for your added value: what drives you, why does your company matter? Do not fall into the pitfall by just telling what you do, just why.
ACTIVATE THE CUSTOMER IN THE FIRST 20 SECONDS
The headline of the story – about the first 20 seconds of the corporate video – is crucial. Then customers decide whether they find it worthwhile to look further. Do not start with a logo, however logical this seems. In the time that the logo is in the picture, viewers are already bored. You have to activate customers in that first 20 seconds, otherwise most of them will turn away. We call this the 20-second rule at Playforward. But how do you activate customers? Make sure you outline a recognizable problem or situation that makes them feel addressed. That is reason enough to keep looking. Then present your company or product as the solution. That way you stimulate your customers and make the company film extra convincing.
KEEP YOUR MESSAGE SIMPLE
A good story is always simple. The more difficult it is to understand, the faster we lose our attention and the less convincing it is. Make sure that the company film tells a simple story. A good approach to this is to bring things back to the core. What is ‘buttom-line’ now that matters?
MAKE A SHORT BUSINESS VIDEO
Time is scarce, especially online. Making a short company film is therefore essential. The longer, the more difficult it is to hold attention until the end. A good length is 1 to 2 minutes. In order to convey the message within that time, it is essential that you make choices and dare to leave out details. Keep in mind that you do not have to tell everything and especially make customers curious about more.
TELL YOUR STORY IN THE ACTIVE FORM
The way in which you tell the story is at least as important as the story itself. Always tell in active form and avoid the leading form as much as possible. With activating texts, your story is simply more powerful. For example: “This gives you a lot of value.” Sounds stronger than “This can give you a lot of value.” Always use spoken language instead of writing language that you use in brochures. Words like ‘however’ or ‘after all’ are really blacklisted!
DARE TO CLAIM THAT YOU ARE GOOD
You have to be convinced of yourself and dare to claim that you are the best at something. Do not nuance, because that takes the power out of the message. This applies to both the benefits of your company and your choice of words. Avoid words like ‘often’ or ‘usually’. That kind of words immediately bring the sentence into mind, but not always, and thus flatten your message.
MAKE SURE YOU WILL BE TIMELESS
You use a good company video for years. In this way you can earn back the costs for a company movie over several years. Make sure that you make the message timeless and avoid information that is barred, such as the 50th anniversary. This type of information shortens the shelf life. Unnecessary, because it is easy to avoid. For example, use the text “Since 1950” when you talk about the existence period of the company.
MAKE IT PART OF YOUR (DIGITAL) MARKETING
A company video does not stand alone; it is part of your complete marketing. Make sure that it fits well with your other statements, such as website and brochures. This way, it strengthens each other and you get a consistent communication. This applies to both content and form.
SAVE THE MOUNTING PROJECT OF THE OPERATING VIDEO
Your company does not stand still. Therefore, ensure that the raw footage and the assembly are retained after delivery. If something changes, for example, the logo, it can be easily updated. Talk to the video marketing agency to save the footage and editing for a number of years.
MAKE YOUR COMPANY PROMO FINDABLE (VIDEO SEO!!)
Strangely enough, we still often see that companies have not really thought about the publication. Company films therefore often remain a bit hidden. Sin! Work out a simple publication plan for the company film in advance. What should not be missing: a prominent place on the website, uploading on Youtube with a smart, attractive title and sharing via social media.
Discover the benefits of Video Marketing for Search Engine Optimization.
