Tag: 522 productions
5 Steps to Out Perform Your Competition with Video
3 Ways Corporate Video Production Increases Your Company’s Profitability
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Not sure if you’ve heard, but it seems companies are pretty enthusiastic about corporate video production and the potential it has to influence prospects. But for all the demand placed on sales and marketing departments, it might be difficult to understand exactly how exactly video can directly impact revenue.
Yes.. all the major media outlets are telling you that video is hot. Video increases profitability. But it’s often difficult to understand how and where exactly video creates a direct impact on your bottom line.
To start, it’s important to assess areas in your business where video could be a good fit to help save costs. Here are a few good questions to ask:
What areas of our business can we save time (money)?
Where can video help answer potential customer questions?
How can we use video to enhance our appeal?
Answering these questions help you set the right goals – because tracking the number of views or shares is often not the best way to track effectiveness. This also means that views/shares aren’t necessarily a good indicator of profitability. Said another way: views often have no effect on your bottom line.
The benefits of corporate video production are not always found in the more traditional ROI measurements of marketing, as in, not every video is made must generate leads and customers in order to be profitable. Some of the best uses of corporate video have much more to do with their efficiencies in saving time and money across departments. Here are three ways corporate video production can increase your profitability:
Qualify Leads
Today’s consumers spend far more time researching prospective products/services before they bother engaging with you. Video saves you time and money during the sales process by educating your potential clients. This helps you qualify leads before you engage. Video can answer the questions folks unfamiliar with your brand or service might have. You can improve your sales process by creating videos or video series’ that provide prospects with answers to common questions, demonstrates a typical use-case of your product, or connect with potential buyers. If you find that one of every ten sales calls is a ready buyer, a video series may help push a few of those on the fence onto your side. More educated buyers translates to less calls from prospects who are not truly prospects, and less time your team spends on the phone educating folks about your product or service. This enables your team to focus on prospects who are genuinely excited about potentially working with you.
Recruiting and Training Staff
Chances are you have a process in place for recruiting talent to your company and for onboarding that talent once they join your team. Who conducts these searches and performs the standardized training? Searching for employees that are the right fit can be incredibly time-intensive, so consider creating a video that highlights your company culture. Show your newest additions what it’s like to be part of your team. A video that effectively captures your company’s culture will strike a chord with the right talent.
Another way to increase profitability is with training those great hires. Streamline training by creating videos about company processes and policies, basic software training, or other required training like safety. This is especially helpful with products or services that traditionally require subject matter experts to be on hand for in-person training. Video can educate employees on the basics prior to their arrival, encouraging a deeper conversation about products or processes. Sure, you’ll still want to interact with employees, but the video can address the basic level questions that allow your trainers to have more in-depth and productive conversations during the onboarding process. This frees up your subject matter experts to conduct tasks that will help contribute to your company’s bottom line – such as getting more involved in industry events or interacting with potential customers.
Improve Your Brand
People make buying decisions based on emotions. If someone comes to your website, they instantly form an opinion about your brand. If your website is slick and efficient, they translate that experience to your brand – they’ll feel that your product is top quality. Crappy websites do the exact opposite. When was the last time you felt confident about purchasing a product or service from a crappy-looking website? The same holds true for video. A tight, well-crafted video instills confidence in your buyer. A poorly put together video has an adverse effect, as they translate a simple or basic video means that you have a simple or basic product. Consumers are far more likely to purchase from a brand that they form a connection with, and a video is an extension of your brand in much the same way as your website. Obviously, this one’s a little more tricky to quantify in terms of metrics but listen to your buyers after they make their decision to go with you. Do they say something along the lines of “You guys just felt like the right decision.” Boom. Mission accomplished.
These are just some of the things to consider when using video to improve your company’s bottom line. When you’re deciding how to use corporate video to your advantage, think about where it’s going to help your business, where you’re trying to improve your company or structure, and what processes could be in video form instead of repeated by employees. And remember, if you’re making corporate videos for marketing and fundraising, the most important things you can focus on are quality and authenticity.
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About the Author
Chad Vossen, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder
Chad Vossen is the Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder at 522. Chad’s combination of documentary filmmaking and marketing skills allows him to have a unique approach when connecting a client with what matters to their audience. Outside of work, Chad loves reading, writing, and finding cool new videos, in addition to spending time with his two daughters and his wife, Alisa.
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Strengthen Your Company’s brand with Corporate Videos
Think about the last time you read a simple, yet memorable blog post. That probably takes a second. After you read it, did you share it? Now think about the last memorable video you watched. Probably a lot easier to recall. There’s a reason for that: video provides a lasting impression on visitors.
Video combines the senses of sight and sound. We’re far more likely to connect with someone telling us a story than if we read about that story. We’re more likely to form a bond with someone when we can see the excitement on their face or hear the passion in their voice. We’re simply more likely to feel inspired ourselves. This ability to form an emotional connection puts video in the unique position for brands to leave meaningful impressions on potential customers, employees and investors – especially if they tell authentic stories that resonate with their audience.
If you use video to strengthen your company’s brand, quality matters. With social media being as popular as it is, the amount of advertising and marketing content that users see daily is overwhelming. This means it’s more important than ever to create collateral that connects with your audience. Quality videos combat short attention spans with compelling visuals, soundbites, and music. A well-executed video can easily convey more information in 30 seconds than a 500-word blog post.
But once you’ve produced your perfect brand story… how are people going to find about it? Videos make this easy on your audience because they’re so much easier to consume. Let’s face it, you’re far more likely to discover a story from a friend or colleague via video than a blog. Which are you more likely to share? This ability makes video the most popular way to advertise across devices. Newspaper, billboards, and radio are simply less effective and more difficult to track your ROI.
Because video is able to capture the attention of viewers far more effectively than written text, it creates a better means for getting your brand’s voice out there. The internet allows you to reach a wider range of audiences, as well as the ability to target the right personas for your product. This optimized marketing generally leads to more qualified leads, which in turn helps boost sales and notoriety. It’s worth the investment.
Video also allows provides the widest canvass for crafting how you want your brand to be perceived. It enables you to capture your company’s essence with powerful visuals, a strong voiceover, or sharp motion graphics. This helps create an authentic, meaningful connection with viewers.
How is your audience influenced by this connection? Video helps companies move the bottom line for their business. Traditional marketing doesn’t offer the ability to resonate with customers and potential employees. This leads to better hires, more donations, or higher comprehension rates. A strong corporate video shows a commitment to a strong brand.
There are so many stories and opportunities waiting to be shared in business today. These opportunities open gates for creators and corporations alike to develop a genuine connection with visitors that translates to a lasting impression. Not only does video help market a brand, it allows the viewer to get a sense of company culture, to see the true goals and values of the company, and ultimately connect on a human level that other forms of communication simply do not provide. For these reasons, corporate video provides an excellent place to start if you’re looking to strengthen your company’s brand.
Dos and Don’ts of Creating Recruitment Videos for your Company
Recruitment videos are a fantastic way to get potential employees to get an inside look at your company. It’s an ideal way to showcase the most appealing aspects of your company, such as culture, the physical space you work in, and the amazing employees that currently work there. Recruiting videos have become far more common in recent years. Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts for creating a recruitment video for your company.
DO these things when creating a recruiting video for your company:
DO Convey Core Values: Core values are the standards your company abides by. Be sure you let potential applicants know the values your company holds dearest, so they know what type of environment to expect from your workplace. You don’t need to list them out, but they should be apparent, or adhere to them. If you have a core value that describes a vibrant work environment, make sure your video has a lot of energy.
DO choose the best talent to feature and portray: Do you have an employee that exemplifies your core values, does an excellent job, makes the office a brighter place, or has a recent success story? Let them shine in the video. Applicants want to hear from those who are experiencing your company first hand. Tell stories that allows potential applicants to see your company from their perspective. Tell stories about people in the positions that they will likely have – not about a senior level executive. (Recruiterbox)
DO broaden the spectrum to get additional content for the future: Rather than posting about one specific job and dedicating all that time just for one specialized position, it helps to capture content for a variety of uses. That way, in two years when you need to hire again, you can reuse footage that might not have appeared in the old version to help you get applicants for your company. Reusing this footage can save your company significant time and money from not having to go out and shoot more material.
DO put people on camera who should be on camera (don’t inflict pain from bad people!): The fact of the matter is, some people love being on camera, and some people would prefer not to be. Don’t force anyone to get on camera – chances are they would be timid and give off a bad impression because of their discomfort. Include those who are enthusiastic and have great things to say about your company.
DO give a call to action: By the end of the video, if viewers like what they see, make it easy for them with a call to action. Tell them exactly where they can apply, or show them where they can find out more information. Either way, the content from your video will be fresh in their mind, so capitalize on it before they forget.
DON’T DO these things when creating a recruiting video for your company:
DON’T start with the top down (think about who’s applying and take it from that perspective): Essentially, don’t have your recruiting video be a short documentary on the CEO, with the higher-ups as the supporting cast. Make sure you have employees of all levels, showing the well-roundedness of the company. Try to think about what types of people will be watching your video, and tailor your video to the persona of who you see being the best-fit hire for your company.
DON’T lie – be honest.: If you falsely portray your company or the culture your employees are working in, you won’t attract the right people. This leads to turnover. If applicants have expectations based on your recruiting video, make sure they get what they expect. They won’t want any surprises when they show up the first day in the office.
DON’T think about what you want to say – focus on what the viewer wants to hear: An accurate depiction of the jobs available is a great place to start, but it never hurts to tell a viewer what they want to hear to intrigue them. Think about the most frequently asked questions candidates have during the interview process. Find out what folks want to know by speaking with your HR team. Put yourself in the shoes of the viewer and ask yourself what would you like to hear if you were looking for jobs and watching recruiting videos.
DON’T forget the approval process: Before you go ahead and post your recruiting video to social media or video hosting sites like YouTube, make sure you get approval from all those involved. The last thing you want is to post something only having to take it down (perhaps permanently) because someone didn’t approve of the video. For example, make sure everyone on the team is onboard with the goals of the video. Also, make sure that all material in the video builds your brand, and is sensitive to all those who may be checking out your video.
DON’T get wrapped up in time: Don’t go crazy trying to trim or expand the length of your videos to hit a specific time. Focus on the goal of the video, keep the messaging tight and on point, and say what you need to say. Don’t get long winded, or your viewers will get bored. This doesn’t mean that you should freak out and slash pieces of valuable information. Trim the fat only.
If you’re creating a recruitment video for your company, keep these do’s and don’ts on your radar so your video can attract the talent your company is looking for!
A Few of the Best Video Production Examples We’ve Seen
Over the years we’ve seen our fair share of video productions. Everyone knows a bad video when they see one, but do you ever recognize a good one? Since we’re on a mission to rid the world of cheesy corporate videos, we thought it’d be a good idea to shine a light on great work that takes place outside the walls of 711 King St.
We chose the following video examples because they are simple, smart and authentic ways to connect with viewers. They do more than just cram a ton of information into a short window. They craft a compelling story around the product – not necessarily about the product itself.
Blue Apron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oya68j6KREM
Yes… they play a lot in Youtube pre-rolls, but these spots are extremely well put together. These do a fantastic job of humanizing today’s dining experiences. Often times meals are cooked after a long day’s work, or hastily thrown together. These spots encourage the viewer to slow down and savor the act of cooking… because Blue Apron makes it easy for you.
Here’s a few reasons why we dig these vids:
- Showcases food as a means to bring people together
- The whole campaign (days of the week) does an excellent job demonstrating the practical value of their product
- Cinematography and story makes the situations feel authentic, and makes the act of cooking an art.
Yeti
Yeti is pretty much an ideal branded content developer. They have cultivated and created an entire following that grew organically from their branded documentary series that crafts authentic stories about their target audience. Yeti’s videos don’t hit the viewer over the head with their product – they simply tell unique stories that resonates with them. Stories that focus on Yeti’s core values that ultimately connect with the viewer.
Here’s why we dig these:
- The purpose of the videos aren’t to sell products (at least not directly). Their purpose is to generate brand loyalty. Viewers see the values expressed in the videos as their own, and therefore for a bond with the brand.
- These stories are as authentic as it gets. Yeti cultivate stories from their loyal followers who express the same feelings that the company stands for. And it’s not by mistake that these individuals all happen to have hobbies or professions in visually stunning arenas.
Notes
A little older, but this is storytelling on another level. The Take Note team does a phenomenal job humanizing a product: stationary. The team expertly reminds the viewer that even in today’s digital world, handwritten notes are still essential in our day to day lives.
Here’s what we liked:
- I can’t think of a more creative way to tell a story using stationary as the driver. From first date recap to the end, the story draws you in.
- Simple, relatable life situations (plot points) that resonate with most viewers
- They are able to tell the story of a lifelong relationship without getting lost in any unnecessary details as far as the product is concerned, such as what they people look like, and where the events take place.
Purple Mattress
This video is about two years old, and 100% focuses on the product, but it recently resurfaced in our office Slack channel as a video that we love. It’s extremely difficult to humanize your brand while trying to sell the audience on the benefits of a product, but the team at Purple does just that. You may not watch the whole thing, but I mean… when was the last time you were interested in watching a 4-minute video about mattresses?
Here’s what else we liked:
- This video entertains while it informs. That script is dynomite.
- Using Goldilocks as the ‘spokesperson’ was a stroke of genius – it’s a character that everyone knows; she’s associated with sleep; demands thing to be ‘just right’; and opens the door to a world of comedic possibilities.
- Timing – from the tight script to the tight edits, the video is impeccably timed throughout.
These are just some examples of how you can tell a brand story. If you’re looking for more practical tips on creating videos that resonate with your audience, check out our ebook, The Fundamental Guide to B2B Video Marketing. It helps get your started on creating a video that speaks to your audience. If you don’t need something like that… then I wouldn’t download it. Then it would just clutter your desktop.
3 Myths We’ve Heard about the Cost of Producing a Video
Often times folks newer to video think that because we have a ton of higher profile brands on our website, that they won’t be able to afford us. That’s not certainly not the case, but it is certainly a common concern. I mean, considering that the average Super Bowl ad costs $5.5 million, it’s no wonder our clients fear the cost of video.
I’m not here to tell you that video is cheap, but the good news is that the old way of thinking – that video is crazy expensive – is quickly becoming outdated. Investing in good video production for your company can be just as affordable as investing in any other marketing solution. It simply depends on your needs and who you partner with to create the video content that puts your brand on the map.
We figured that since many of us are consistently debunking the myths about the cost of a video, we thought we’d take a second to address some of those misconceptions head on.
Myth #1: “Video is Expensive!”
Let’s start here. The cost of video production is similar to the cost of buying a car, it all depends on your needs. Often it comes down to how much you need your video production company to take off your plate. Unfortunately, creating a proposal is simply not a one-size-fits-all pricing model.
To better understand what can drive the prices of video production up, let’s take a look at the factors that influence price. We’ll break those down in terms of the different phases of a typical video project.
- Pre-Production: Think about who’s developing the actual content of the video (the script), as well as who is going to be in it (Talent) and where you’re filming (location). If you’re using your team and filming at your location, that can help keeps costs down.
- Production: Think about whether or not you want an animated video or live action. What makes the most sense for your story? If you’re filming your own material, make sure you go in with a clear purpose. Same goes for creating animated video. Make sure you know what you want to produce prior to developing the graphics.
- Post Production:
Biggest consideration is usually time, but just because you want a :30 video, doesn’t mean it’s going to be cheap. But shorter videos can save your budget… and if the message is right – engages your audience far more effectively. Another thing to consider is how much content your team has to sift through during the edit. A tight script helps saves time in Post Production.
Don’t get me wrong, even by addressing all of the thoughts above, you can still develop a crazy expensive video. But it doesn’t have to be.
Myth #2: “My phone takes amazing videos… Video Should be crazy cheap”
The way you feel about watching your brother-in-law’s shaky vacation footage from the cruise he went on last year, is the same way consumers feel about watching your company’s recruitment video filmed on the marketing coordinator’s iPhone. Bored, a little sick, and annoyed that you are wasting time watching a pointless video.
When you pay for a professional production company to create video for your brand, you are investing in the full process of research, writing, editing, and distribution. So to debunk this myth, good video production will never be free.
Myth #3: “All Proposals are Created Equal”
When potential clients approach 522 Productions with an RFP, many of them assume all proposals will be comparable in terms of hours, equipment, shooting locations, and editing. I wish that were the case.
Our Director of Business Development puts it this way: Comparing proposals is like comparing apples to, well… apples. There are over 100 different types of apples, each has different qualities, is grown differently, tastes different, and is harvested differently. The same goes for video proposals – every production company will be looking at your project differently, with a different understanding as to what exactly your project needs. One proposal might include time for script writing, concept development, a second camera, and voice-over narration, while other proposals might not.
If you can, try to compare everything on a level playing field. Get an understanding of what each video production company will provide at each phase of the project.
Here are a few things compare when reviewing proposals:
- Pre-Production: Concepting; Script Development; Coordination
- Production: Talent (Actors); Locations; Size of Crew; Number of filming days; Number/type of cameras; type of equipment used
- Post Production: Number of deliverables; length of video(s) Music; motion graphics
The bottom line is, that every project is unique. Sure, there are many consistencies. But there are a lot of variables, too. Just make sure that you compare quotes equally, otherwise you might not realize how little or how much your production company will provide you.
Want to learn more? Download our ebook on the ROI of video.
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DJI phantom test flight
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Adding movement to your video with a Monopod
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Video review of the Tilta Rig
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The Roles and Hierarchy of a Video Production Team
Updated for 2018/2019!
When working on any video production, it’s important to know the roles and hierarchy of the team. This way you know who to approach with questions and which person leads what department. There’s somewhat of a standard to this, but each crew operates a little differently. This post shows the typical hierarchy for video production, following the structure we typically use at 522 Productions. Continue reading “The Roles and Hierarchy of a Video Production Team”
