6 tips to create a successful corporate video

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Jun 19 2012 | Ragan.com - Chris Jenkinson
Don’t make a video to promote your brand without heeding this advice.

The popularity of YouTube, currently attracting 490 million users worldwide and generating an estimated 92 billion page views per month, demonstrates that online video represents the “now” and the “future” of social media.

In fact, the “how to” video category is YouTube’s fasted-growing group. Are you beginning to see the potential already?

Thanks to huge technological advances in recent years, corporate videos are easier than ever to create. Some companies have reported a reluctance to do so in case their message comes across as “mixed,” or the audience reaction isn’t as positive as they had hoped.

Video can be a profitable marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, so it’s worth considering for your next campaign.

Here are six tips to keep in mind:

1. Know your purpose.

Is it to drive awareness of your brand? Create a platform from which to launch a new product or service? Attract affiliates to sell your products? Or persuade your customers to take part in a survey?

It’s worth spending some time outlining the basis of why you’re creating your video and what its key purpose is.

2. Ask yourself: Who is your intended target audience?

What are your audience’s age range, gender, salary, lifestyle, and hobbies? Define your ideal customer as much as possible. If you wish, you can give him or her a name, which can provide a focus for the project. You will then create your content for this particular character or persona, for example “Project Arnie.”

3. Give your target audience a reason to watch.

Just as TV programs are made with a particular audience in mind, your video communications need to do the same. Writing and delivering your content with a target demographic in mind will ensure you have a better chance of reaching the people you want to with your message.

4. Define your key message.

Thanks in part to the immediacy of the Internet, most of us have shorter attention spans than we did a decade ago. Very few people, not even committed fans, will sit through a video that waffles aimlessly. You need to create a proper structure with an emphasis on one or two key messages.

Your video should be no longer than five minutes; three is ideal. Make sure your tone of voice is consistent throughout and that the video content reflects your brand values. Be sure to address your audience in their preferred language. Don’t alienate people by being too corporate.

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