Why is a picture worth a thousand words? When it comes to marketing, it’s because a picture is immediately relatable. You look at a picture, and you put yourself in the picture, automatically engaging with the brand on an emotional level. So if a picture is so valuable, what does that mean for video?
People like to watch other people live life – it’s weird but true. Think about your favorite YouTuber. After you’ve seen several of their videos, you start to feel like you not only know the person making the videos, but they’ve earned your trust. Eventually, You notice that they start talking about a furniture service they use, and a trendy geometric-print rug starts showing up in the background of the videos. The vlogger says she got it through Rugs4Ever.com. The rug starts looking more like the perfect addition to your living room with each video. One day, you see a video of the vlogger’s dog sleeping on the rug, and the next thing you know, you’re validating your credit card number with Rugs4Ever.
Welcome to the age of the influencer. This rising corporate strategy makes sense when you consider the millennial influence on social media. Millennials run the show when it comes to social media, right? Well, now they’re on their way to surpassing the largest consumer demographic in the US. So, corporate America follows suit and evolves to satisfy this new target demographic – the Millennial.
Who Run the World? Millennials
Consumers today, especially millennials, won’t buy into any old product or service. They flock to brands that offer an avenue for honest emotional connection. We see companies compensating for this new requirement through efforts like supporting a great social cause, trying to save the planet, or they’ve got some vegan thing going on. The bad news is, miss the boat and you’ll fall through the cracks of the perpetual millennial scroll. The good news is, you probably don’t have to change much about the way your brand works – what you should consider is updating the way you present your company culture to the world. We’re talking about using video marketing to refresh your image and bring the younger generations flocking to your product. So here are some ways you can use different types of corporate videos to get a millennial to give a damn about your brand.
Bottom Line
Social video is all about millennials today, baby. With the rising accessibility to pro production tools, the whole idea of the “corporate video” has begun to bleed into that social scene. So, do like the influencers do and use videos as a way to shape your brand personality and showcase your company culture. Share short-form, docu-style videos about office life, testimonials, charitable causes, casual interviews, etc that tell your story. Share your videos on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to provoke discussions – and then participate in them.
Corporate Video Production Today
Since the inception of “the corporate video,” the scene has undergone an extreme makeover. Hiring a production company to produce one high-quality, all-encompassing video about your company used to be this crazy expensive process that only the elite could really get into. Today, with the rise of DSLRs and prosumer-grade cameras built into every smartphone, that cinematic, professional look is much more accessible and less expensive to achieve for production companies and consumers alike.
Today, the corporate video scene is more about putting out a consistent stream of on-brand video content that starts to develop into your company’s public persona. And don’t let the jargon get you down – on-brand, brand story, brand image/persona – it’s all just about making sure the content you publish aligns with your company’s values. Think of your marketing content (videos, blogs, graphics) as a window into your corporate culture. When consumers open that window, they should feel like they’re interacting with your story.
Why Corporate Video?
The bulk of consumers today need more than just a great product or service. They want to see themselves, or the ideal version of themselves reflected in the brand image.
Here’s a great example of how Beats By Dre utilized influencers across a huge scope of sports and active lifestyle personalities to not only demonstrate the versatility and durability of the product, but it also connects with consumers by allowing them to visualize the possibilities available to them with this product.
Corporate videos give your audience unique access to your company. When you produce authentic, casual content, viewers feel they can trust your brand.
Types of Corporate Video
You’ve seen this information before, so we’re gonna keep it brief and give you some concrete ideas for different ways you can take the “corporate video” and shake it up into something more human and relatable. These are simple, short-form videos you can distribute to strengthen your brand.
Introductions:
Pop into a coworker’s office and capture a genuine glimpse into what they do.
Not-so-intimidating interviews:
Interview executives in a more approachable format. For example, instead of setting up a formal interview in their office, have your production team take a more casual approach. Humanize these often larger-than-life executives by walking with them outside on break or grabbing a cup of coffee together and shooting the breeze. You can deliver the same important information you’d get from a rehearsed formal interview, but this way shows audiences that your brand is made of authentic, approachable people.
Testimonials:
Let real customers send in their thoughts about your product. It doesn’t matter the production value – an iPhone-shot video of a client expressing their love for your brand on their own volition in their own environment speaks volumes to potential customers
Social Responsibility:
Does your company go out and serve at a soup kitchen once a quarter? Do you support and engage with a charity? This kind of content is candy to the modern consumer. Get your video crew out there and capture a few on-the-fly interviews with team members, community members, and don’t forget the artsy B-roll.
You can and should still produce training, promotional, and instructional videos as they pertain to your brand, but keep in mind the market’s craving for authenticity and real people doing real-life stuff.
Where to Share Corporate Video
Thanks to social media, you have a million platforms to share your videos. There are, however, types of videos that perform better on certain channels. Ultimately, you decide where your corporate voice thrives, but these are a few examples of the kinds of videos that go hand-in-hand with different social platforms.
Stories: IG stories are THE PLACE for your introductions. After you post the stories, save them all in a highlight (little bubbles under your bio) called “Our Team” or something cuter, it’s up to you. Instagram stories are just a great place for shorter, less “produced” videos. Puppy day in the office? Snap some clips and get them up in your stories.
REPOSTING* If someone publishes a story or post that features your brand, you can repost that to your story for a testimonial effect.
Feed: Put more polished, packaged videos on your feed. The content in your grid should be the face you are proud to show to the world. Promotional videos or an edited compilation of testimonials are just a few ideas.
Facebook
Facebook and Instagram are comment-heavy platforms. If you have a video that’s thought-provoking, these platforms are where you’re most likely to inspire conversations in comment threads. If your brand has a hot take on a social issue or you’re taking action that makes a definitive statement, consider Facebook and Instagram.
Youtube
Youtube is your haven for longer-form content. Thought-leadership, instructional, and documentary-style videos do well here because consumers come to YouTube with the understanding that the content may be longer. A great way to expand the reach of these longer videos is to produce short preview-style videos to share on other platforms.
Get a leg up in the Corporate Video Scene with TalkingTree
Ready to bring your video ideas to life? Whether you want to produce a thirty-second promotional video for Instagram or you’ve got some thought-leadership content you’ve been dying to bring to YouTube, we can support you from creation to distribution. Get in touch with us today about your next video project!
