By Santo D. Marabella, The Practical Prof®, Marabella Enterprises
In my writings as The Practical Prof®, I often challenge companies that character, their character as often manifested in their corporate culture, matters. As far back as 2018, research from Accenture reports that “nearly two-thirds of consumers globally (63 percent) prefer to buy goods and services from companies that stand for a shared purpose that reflects their personal values and beliefs and are ditching those that don’t [like around 47%].”
That message from customers only intensified post-pandemic. A Harris Poll, commissioned by Google Cloud, acknowledged that “while price continues to be a major factor in purchase considerations, shoppers are increasingly paying close attention to the values of the brands they shop.” The Harris study found that “82% of shoppers want a brand’s values to align with their own.” And the percentage willing to stop doing business with a “brand over a conflict in values,” is now at 75%.
So, if you are looking to build into your marketing strategy a way to show off your brand values and ethic, you’ve probably considered video as a no-brainer way to do that, and I would agree. But what type of video and how to do it might not be so clear.
According to an Indeed.com article, there are at least 18 different types of videos that a company might choose to engage with its customers or prospective customers. A video for every occasion—demonstrations, events, SME (subject matter expert) interviews, product reviews, how-to—are just some of the ones mentioned.
For helping customers get to know who you really are, and if there is alignment between values and beliefs, what’s known as a brand video seems to be the best choice. A brand video is more about your company’s mission, vision, values and philosophy than it is about your specific products and services. For you film buffs, it’s a narrative short film that tells a story in less than 25 minutes, ideally between seven and 15 minutes.
Here’s my suggestion about how to produce your corporate shorts. And, I promise, you won’t need a Hollywood blockbuster budget to do it!
- Start with a singular story: A singular story is one message that you want to share; examples include: We care about our employees, we’re doing our part to save the planet, we heart animals, etc.
- Pick a demonstration: This is your company’s evidence or example of the singular story. It needs to be true (not staged or made up), and it needs to be active (people doing something, rather than a document or brochure).
- Draft a description: A description is a two to three sentence paragraph that tells what your video will be about.
- Build a break-down: You “break-down” the description into a detailed (1-to-2 page) outline that presents the video in scenes or shots with a brief (1-to-2 sentences) explanation for each.
- Write a script: Don’t be intimidated by this step. From your break-down, you can write your script. I recommend a template for this type of video that organizes text into three columns: Scene, audio, video.
- Scene: Simply number, start with 1, 2, etc.; every time you change setting or location, make it a new scene. Think about the costs here, the more scenes and locations, the higher the cost and the more time needed.
- Audio: This is also called narration. If you have a narrator on or off camera, this is where the dialogue is placed for each scene.
- Video: Describe what we will see when the dialogue you describe for each scene is heard. Remember, it’s video—the more visual and creative, the more engaging it will be.
- Cast your characters: Use your people—your employees, volunteers, customers, suppliers, etc. The only time you might want to cast a professional is for voice-over or on-camera narration.
- Hire a pro – duction company: When you’ve completed the first six steps, you’re ready to hire a professional videographer. Check out some fellow GRCA members here. The more you have done with the first six steps, the lower the cost of hiring a production company. Can you do it yourself? You can, but unless your business is video or filmmaking, I wouldn’t advise it. The best story and script, without a professional video/filmmaker, will not project the impression you want and get the engagement you desire.
- Test the waters: Create a small (five to six people) focus group of folks who will give you honest, candid feedback. Test the singular story and demonstration, specifically. Did your focus group get what you intended in steps 1 and 2? Ask the group these two questions: What message does our video project? Did we demonstrate that message in an authentic and relatable way?
- Premiere your masterpiece: Don’t hide it or use it as an after-thought. Premiere it with your employees and other stakeholders. Go big on social media, and incorporate it in your onboarding or new customer events. It can only have an impact if it has exposure.
Some notes
Be open to developing and changing when you begin working with your pro and others in your company. Their insights and experience can be invaluable to enhancing the quality of your final production and achieving a manageable budget. It’s easy to hold on to a concept or a shot. It might be great, but it might not be great in this video or to convey the message. Stick with your message but be flexible everywhere possible as you strive for the best way to communicate it.
There are many ways to produce great corporate brand videos. The way I outlined is just one. Use whichever way works for you. The key is to do your homework and be prepared with a plan, rather than winging it. The time and money you save, and the product you ultimately produce, will be worth it.
Have fun building your brand in videos!
Santo D. Marabella, The Practical Prof® is president of Marabella Enterprises, an education and entertainment company. His current project is “Il Mio Posto a Tavola (My Place at the Table)” a documentary film about his adoption from Italy and the impact it had on him and his adoptive and birth families.