The Corporate Video. One of the earliest forms of video marketing for businesses. Back when it was only large corporations that could afford to have a video made. But times have changed. Video equipment has become more affordable which has driven down the price of having your own corporate video shot. So is a corporate video still a thing or is it dead? Well, it is still a thing but not in the traditional sense. A traditional corporate video would be staff in suits talking to the camera or off to the side in an interview style. They would explain how successful they were, how long they’ve been in business and how many clients they had helped. News flash. Nobody cares!
Now that may seem harsh but it is the truth. Times have changed. Consumers habits have changed. If you don’t adapt and evolve then you’ll go the way of the dinosaurs. Due to the sheer amount of content out there, attention spans have been dropping dramatically year on year. I have seen some corporate videos go for as long as 14 minutes!! You are cannibalizing your own content by thinking that this would work. You want to cram as much information in there and think that the length will just be the length. As soon as a viewer sees how long your video is they will click off and probably watch one of your competitor’s videos instead. That’s if they even click at all! If they are watching on Youtube then they can see the length before they commit. If your video is too long then you won’t even get a click! What is the point in paying to create content if nobody even sees it? Outside of your friendship, family and a couple of Linkedin followers are you getting ANY reach?
So should you still create a corporate video? Yes, just don’t call it a corporate video. Corporate Video Production is still one of the most popular keywords. But, that is businesses searching for that, not consumers. The videos you should be creating should be giving people value. Short bite-sized pieces of content that help them along their buyer’s journey. It’s a farming mentality mindset, not a hunters mentality that works. These small videos are your seeds. Plant them consistently and watch them grow over time. At first, you won’t get many views. That’s just the nature of the beast. But, by being consistent and giving free, helpful value to people, you will start to grow your engagement. Shooting all your content in bulk will give you a great batch of seeds to start with. If you only make one video and post it and it doesn’t get much engagement then you will feel disheartened and give up. You’ll think I tried video, it was a waste of time and money so I should try something else. I’m saying this because I have been there! The beauty of these videos is that they are evergreen content. So when you reach the end of your current batch of videos, you can post the earlier ones. Now that you have been posting consistently and you have grown your audience, your engagement rates will be up from the first time you posted them.
Maybe you do have a corporation and bite-sized pieces of content aren’t an option for your business? What then? Consider what stories you can pull from your business? What interesting project have you been working on? Tell us in a non-salesy way. Tell us why you are proud of the project and how it helped the client. Get the client to give you a video testimonial. They are so much stronger than written testimonials that can easily be faked. Let’s get to know you and your staff. Do they have a hobby that you wouldn’t expect? Give your business that human element. Let’s get to know you as human beings and not a faceless corporation. If consumers feel like they know you then they are more likely to buy from you. People buy from people.
I had two back to back meetings once. One was with someone who had seen my videos and the other had not. The one who had seen my videos said they felt like they already knew me and we had a fantastic meeting which led to them becoming a new client. The second client had not seen my videos. The meeting was slow, laborious and didn’t lead to anything. That first meeting really gave me the drive to push on. Knowing that it works is an incredible motivator.
Don’t be disheartened either if you don’t get huge engagement at first. Some people watch from the background. They won’t give you a thumbs up or comment they just lurk in the shadows. That just means they aren’t ready to buy from you yet. I’m always surprised when someone contacts me and says they love my content and want to shoot something similar. I have no idea who they are because they have never interacted with my content but they have been there, watching and waiting for the right time for them. The same with this blog. I will get readers that will never comment or share. But they are there. If you are reading this though then perhaps consider giving me a little like or share if this content helps you to move forward.
So there you have it. The corporate video is still there it has just evolved. I’d love to hear your comments on this. Have you put a video out there that didn’t work for you? Why do you think it didn’t do its job?
Thanks for reading!
Gareth Carr
Cinematographer & Photographer based in Sydney, Australia
————————————————————-
Get in touch: https://exposedwolf.com/contact-us
Website: https://www.exposedwolf.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garethcarrvideo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xposedwolf
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/exposedwolf/
Exposed Wolf is a video production & photography company based in Sydney, Australia. With over 20 years of industry experience, they can help you with planning, shooting and editing your projects to give you months of powerful content to raise your business and brand.