Top Ten Tips for a GREAT Corporate Video

Paul Cooper of Bailey Cooper Photography in York explains his top ten tips for creating a great corporate video.

Transcript of video:

Hi,
Welcome to our top ten tips for creating your corporate video. We know there's lots to consider when putting your video together, but our experience has taught us that these are the ten most important things: Get these right and your audience will be glued to the screen.

1.Lighting

Your eyes are wonderful... they can adapt to all sorts of lighting conditions from a bright sunny day, to a dimly lit office in the middle of winter. But video's not quite so flexible, and most office lighting is not designed to look good on video.
Bad lighting will present the wrong image for your business.
Creative lighting can be used to add drama to your message.

Good lighting will make you and your business look professional.

2. Sound quality

Someone, and I don't know who, once said that an audience will never notice good sound quality in a movie, but they'll certainly notice bad sound quality.
Bad quality sound, like this, detracts from your message. Your audience will focus on trying to hear what is being said, and they'll miss the whole point of your video.
So let's restore the sound quality, like this, and say it again... make sure your sound quality is up to standard.

3. Clothing

In general, you're not trying to produce a fashion show for your video. So, the clothes you wear should be appropriate to your business. If you would normally wear a suit to see a client, then that's probably what you should wear for your video.
If you would normally wear a shirt like this one, and I possibly would to see some of my clients, then that's absolutely fine. But what you have to remember is that your video is going to date much more quickly. In general, keep it simple. plain clothes always work best and will not go out of fashion.

4. Use a Script.

Plan what you're going to say. Don't use jargon or buzzwords, unless you're absolutely sure that your audience will understand them. Write yourself a script. Or if you can't write one, get someone to do it for you. Nobody wants to listen to you making it up as you go along, and if you umm and ahh too much, your audience will stop listening. A good script will keep you on track and it will get your message across in the shortest possible time. Which leads me nicely into the next tip...

5. Keep it short.

Around one minute is the ideal length for a corporate video, and most people on the web won't watch longer than that anyway. So keep it short and to the point - a bit like this tip.

6. Get to the point

Not many people are interested in when your company was founded, or how many awards you've won over the last ten years. These things are important, but not in a short, snappy, corporate video that's designed to let your customers know what you can do for them right now. Did I mention, we do corporate videos.

7. Backup your claims

If you say you can do something for your audience, then back that claim up with proof. It makes your video message so much more powerful. For instance, our message would be "We can produce business videos". And the proof? Well, you're watching one now.

8. Location, location, location.

It's usually best to stick to a single location for your videoing. This will ensure continuity between the different sections when they're edited together.
Bear in mind that if you decide to work outdoors you really are at the mercy of the weather.
If you decide to do the filming in your own office environment then that's absolutely fine, but you have to be aware that there can be distractions - see what I mean!

9. Engage with your audience

Not everyone is comfortable talking directly to a camera. It can be a little intimidating if you've not done this kind of work before. So don't worry, you can use what's called the imaginary friend technique: Simply imagine you're talking to a friend who's just to the side of the camera. It's a lot easier for people who haven't done video work before but will still get your message across. Another alternative is to include two people in your video. You can write the script so its almost like an interviewer and they're chatting to each other about your product or service.

10. The Proposition

End your video with a proposition, or call to action. You've put all this effort into getting your message across. Now, you need to tell the audience what you'd like them to do. You don't have to tell them directly yourself. You can put the information in the end credits, together with your contact information. Maybe something like this...