Videos produced for commercial use are excellent tools for businesses that wish to stand out from their competitors. Commercial videos can be used to showcase your products & services and strengthen your brand by connecting with your desired audiences.
Aside from marketing, commercial & industrial videos can also be used for product tutorials, employee training, and website content. With the right strategy, a well-crafted corporate video can create a lasting impression, drive tangible results, save time and money.
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The Power & Versatility of Corporate Videos
Videos produced for commercial purposes have changed beyond traditional advertisements and training materials. They’re now a versatile medium for communicating your company’s values, vision, and expertise. Business-related videos can also provide valuable info in an entertaining format.
With the number of video-sharing platforms and social media platforms people are using these days, the demand for visually engaging content has skyrocketed. Thus, corporate videos are an essential component of any business’s marketing strategy.
Boosting Brand Awareness & Engagement
An impactful corporate video can significantly increase the number of people who are aware of your business. Videos produced for your business will allow you to showcase your company culture and highlight the unique selling points of your products or services.
A good video will also create a personal connection with the viewer. By telling a compelling story that resonates with your viewers, you can turn prospects into customers and, perhaps, customers into brand advocates.
Enhance Your Marketing Efforts
Corporate video productions can be integrated seamlessly into your marketing campaigns which will help to amplify your message and reach a wider audience.
Depending on the nature of the video, they’re can be repurposed for various platforms. One good video can be used on social media, your company website, in email marketing, and can be useful for presentations. A well-produced video could go viral, providing your brand with unmatched exposure and driving increased traffic to your website or landing pages.
Setting the Stage for Success
Creating an effective video for your business requires careful planning, creativity, and attention to detail. For best results at the planning phase, keep your objectives as the basis of creativity while crafting the perfect script and shot plan.
If you need our help, VizTV Media Services has the experience you’ll want on the project. We’ll work with your company to produce a high-quality video that captures the essence of your brand and leaves a lasting impression on your audience. If you’ve any questions about our process, corporate video production, or anything else, contact us by phone at 713-443-7578 or send us a message.
Understanding Your Objective
Best practices for planning a commercial video production dictate having a clear understanding of your goals. Affirming your purpose will keep every decision on the right path. When I say decision, I mean the choices you’ll make on factors like the script, music, and visual elements to the choice of platform and distribution channels.
Defining the Purpose of Your Corporate Video
There are lots of reasons why businesses need video production. Businesses may need commercial videos for everything from marketing and product launches to employee training and recruitment. To ensure your video resonates with your audience, keep the purpose at the forefront of decision making.
To this end, among the many questions we ask our clients when planning a video production for commercial purposes are the following:
- What do you want to achieve with this video?
- What message do you want to convey?
- How does this video align with your overall business objectives?
By embracing the answers to these questions, you’ll be ready to plan the production of effective videos for your business. Knowing your customer is everything.
Identifying Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience also helps with crafting a message that resonates with them.
Consider the following when identifying your audience:
- Who is your audience? (e.g., age, gender, income, occupation, location)
- What are their interests, needs, and pain points?
- How does your business offering address their needs or solve their problems?
Knowing your audience is key to creating effective videos and other marketing material that affirms your customer’s concerns, aspirations, and motivations. This, in turn, will increase the likelihood that your video marketing efforts leave an impression on your audience while driving desired outcomes.
Setting Realistic Goals
Once the intellectual creative marketing genius work is done in the planning department, set some goals. We recommend setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. The results will gauge the productivity of your video marketing efforts and steer future efforts.
Examples of SMART goals include:
- Increasing website traffic by a certain amount in a certain period of time.
- Generating a certain number of new leads within a certain time period.
- Social media engagement goals.
- Improving employee retention & recruitment.
Once the results come in, you’ll have a benchmark for success. In the future, these results can serve as a roadmap for creating business videos that positively impact your company’s bottom line.
Merging Video with Your Marketing Strategy
Most people find it more convenient to connect with businesses and conduct research using videos online. Take YouTube for example. It’s the 2nd largest search engine on the planet.
Therefore, your commercial video production shouldn’t exist in isolation but as an extension of your business. If your video aligns with your values, it’ll serve as a consistent message that resonates with your audience and reinforces your brand’s identity. That’s part of creating a strong presence for your business.
Affirming Your Company’s Vision
Your brand’s vision and purpose are guiding principles that define your business. Whether we’re asked to assist with video production projects related to product development, marketing, or customer service, we’re always in a position to help by providing actionable insight.
Our goal at VizTV Media Services is to create excellent videos for our clients that captures the essence of their businesses. If their business does well, so does ours. We have direct interest in creating effective videos for our clients. Not just any videos, but videos that build presence and spur sales.
To do this, we engage in the following:
- Highlighting how your products or services align with your mission statement
- Showcasing the impact your company has on your customers and the wider community
- Producing corporate videos that contribute to your brand’s long-term vision
Emphasizing the Values of Your Business
Your brand’s values and purpose should be the driving force behind the structuring and scripting of the video. Targeted focus of this nature will result in an authentic narrative that will strengthen your connection with the audience that comprises your target market.
Consider the following tips for integrating your values into your video:
- Choose stories, characters, and scenarios that embody your values
- Use visual and verbal cues to reinforce your values throughout the video
- Highlight real-life examples of your company living up to its values
Consistency Matters!
Your video production should maintain consistent messaging that aligns with the overall spirit the business. This, let’s call it personality, helps to maintain a cohesive experience for your audience.
Here’s a few tips for assuring the consistency of your video project:
- Use language that reflects your brand’s personality and values
- Maintain a consistent visual style, including color schemes, fonts, and graphic elements
- Ensure the structure of the video align with your brand’s communication style
By integrating these tips, you’ll create powerful narratives that captures the essence of your company. If done right, you’ll leave a lasting impression on your audience while reinforcing the image or “personality” of your company. Again, this helps with presence and brand recognition.
Crafting the Perfect Script
A well-written script is the backbone of any good video. A good script sets the tone, pacing, and structure of your video. It also ensures that your message will be clear and concise. The more planning and direction that goes into the project means a smoother process.
As an experienced video producer, I call tell you first-hand that it’s difficult operate a video production set effectively without proper preparation. A good script and shot planning are a mainstay of our video production process at VizTV Media Services. It helps with efficiency. Any efforts that improve efficiency is good for business.
Good Scripts are a Godsend
A strong script helps to:
- Clearly convey your objectives
- Maintain consistency in messaging
- Create a seamless, captivating narrative
- Eliminate common pitfalls, such as excessive jargon and information overloads
Tips for Creating Engaging and Informative Content
Crafting the perfect script is both an art and a science. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, here’s a few principles that’ll help.
Write a Strong Opening
Make an immediate impact by capturing your audience’s attention from the jump. This can be done with a captivating opening that communicates the purpose of your video. Use a hook that piques their interest and encourages them to keep watching.
Keep it Simple
Avoid using complex language or jargon that might alienate your audience. Instead, use simple language that’s easy to understand. Keep the message focused and concise. You should communicate to your customers using your video in the same manner as you or one of your employees would in person. Be authentic!
Tell a Compelling Story
Use storytelling techniques to create an emotional connection with your audience. Present your information in a narrative format that’s relatable and engaging, with a clear intro, body, and conclusion.
Benefits>Features
Instead of simply listing your product or service’s features, focus on the benefits. We all know fajita meat features proteins, but the benefits (the taste and the sizzle) is what sells.
Incorporate Examples
Use detailed descriptions or visuals of real-life examples to make your content more engaging. This could mean using footage of your product or service in action. Even a video testimonial from an existing client or customer will suffice. If you’re an attorney, perhaps a video explaining how you handle cases or “A Day in the Life of an Attorney” would be great video ideas. If you’re a restaurant owner, maybe a video detailing how you operate the facility, clean up, or prepare dishes will be effective. Slow motion frying and sizzling is always a winner.
Use Humor
While corporate videos should maintain a professional tone, don’t be afraid to incorporate humor and creativity to give your content some soul. As any comedian will attest, humor is based on truth. Take a moment to reflect on the work you’ve done in the past to spur ideas.
Incorporate Strong CTAs
Conclude your video and any mention of benefits with a clear call-to-action that guides the viewer to a desired action. Desired actions can be converting viewers to website visitors, app downloads, call-ins, newsletter subscribers, or paying customers. Ask for it and ask often!
Messaging and Storytelling
Conveying Your Unique Value Proposition
Stories have a way of resonating with people. If you’re going to tell a story, embed your brand’s unique value proposition in it. It should also showcase how your products or services address your audience’s needs. For this purpose, we always consider the following;
Use Emotional Appeals
Appeal to your potential customer’s emotions by illustrating how your services have positively impacted people similar to them. Relate to your potential customers. We can also make an emotional appeal by highlighting the passion behind your company’s mission or even reviewing your company’s history. If your company has humble beginnings, produce a short documentary about it.
Personality and character have values of their own.
Incorporate Your Values
Weave your brand values into your storytelling to create an authentic narrative. Show how your company’s values drive your decision-making, product development, and customer interactions.
If your business has deep family values, prides itself in patriotism, has strong religious leanings, engages in community activism or donates to scholarships, let it be known. Anything that appeals to your target audience should be included. Don’t try to please everyone or you’ll end up pleasing no one.
Showcase Your Unique Selling Points
Highlight what sets your company apart from the competition. Whether it’s your innovative products, exceptional customer service, or commitment to helping people, let the world know. Doing so will help reinforce the identity of your business and your position in the marketplace.
Showcasing Authenticity
Authentic Vs. Inauthentic Businesses
An inauthentic company is one that doesn’t care about its customers, craft, or its purpose. The only motive of this type of business is profit, service quality and the customer be damned. These type of businesses don’t generally have long lifespans and if they do, they don’t have loyal customers. Customers are numbers games to these type of companies.
Authentic businesses stand behind their work and care about quality. These type of business provide guarantees. They strive to be the best in their market. Authentic businesses are constantly looking for ways to enchant their customers and enhance their services. They want to be better. They want to create value. Every customer is a treasure to an authentic business.
Why Authenticity Matters
If we can show the viewer that your business is authentic in your video, it’ll resonate with them. This type of connection fosters brand loyalty and leads to long-term customer relationships.
Some of the benefits of using your commercial video to demonstrate authenticity are as follows:
- Building credibility
- Differentiating your brand from competitors
- Establishing a connection with your viewers
- Reinforcing your company’s core purpose
Tips for Showcasing Authenticity in Your Corporate Video
Below, are a few pointers that we often reference when planning video shoots for our clients. If you have any questions, feel welcomed to contact VizTV Media Services.
Stay True to the Brand’s Identity
Every aspect of your video should align with your company’s core purpose. This will help create a cohesive experience for your audience and keep the project focused.
Be Transparent
Show the unfiltered side of your business. We can do this by leveraging behind-the-scenes footage and employee testimonials. We can also use candid interviews with your leadership team and testimonials from your current and former clients. Also, don’t be afraid to show the imperfect side of your business. It’s humanizing.
Use Real-Life Examples
Share stories that demonstrate how your services have positively impacted your customers. This will help create a more genuine narrative that will appeal to people in general, and to your market in particular.
Avoid Over-Promising
Be realistic about your services. Avoid making exaggerated claims you can’t deliver on. Practicing integrity keeps businesses in the good graces of thier customers. Most bad reviews of businesses stem from them over-promising and under-delivering.
Show Some Passion
If you love your company and what it does, talk about it. Explain why you believe in your company’s offering and why the viewer should take it seriously. Passionate employees and leadership builds corporate character, which is good for business.
Finding the Balance: Authenticity and Professionalism
Showcasing authenticity helps build credibility. Credibility can’t be purchased. You either have it or you don’t. However, it’s important to strike the right balance between being genuine and maintaining a professional image. Below, we’ve listed a few of the pointers we use during the process of developing treatments for our commercial video production clients.
Practice Consistency
The video should maintain a consistent tone that aligns with your brand’s personality. While it’s important to be genuine, remember to maintain a professional demeanor throughout the video.
Choose Stories & Testimonials Wisely
Pick stories that not only illustrate the genuine nature of your business, but also reinforce your company’s image. Avoid sharing overly personal or controversial stories that could alienate your audience.
Leverage High-Quality Production Values
Don’t sacrifice the quality of your video production. Investing in professional corporate video production services will result in a professional presentation.
Although we’re a video production company, one of the most effective ways to showcase authenticity is to use vertical cell phone videos of services being provided or testimonials from clients. This is great content for social media accounts that your company should be leveraging when practical. Remember, credibility follows quality.
Balance Personal & Professional Content
While sharing behind-the-scenes moments can demonstrate the integrity of your business, make sure the content is structured and balanced. The video should still focus on your company’s products, services, and unique selling points, while using personal anecdotes to enhance the narrative.
Keep it Relevant
Video content should remain relevant to your audience and serve a specific purpose. Remember, business is about providing solutions. Leverage video to show the customer that your company can provide the solutions they need.
If you’re working with VizTV Media Services, we’ll help you craft a game plan to produce a professional corporate video or series of videos that demonstrates your business’s authenticity, dedication to craft, and the human side. One the things that sets VizTV Media Services apart from other corporate video production companies in Houston is our authenticity. We care about our clients, our work, and we’re proud Texans. Authenticity or “being real” matters.
High-Quality Visuals and Sound
Excellent production values are a big part of creating a quality corporate video. The value of top-notch visuals and sound cannot be overstated. Credibility follows quality.
The Importance of High Production Values
Both high-quality video & sound are important for many reasons.
Professionalism
A corporate video with excellent visuals and sound demonstrates a commitment to quality. A quality presentation will have a positive influence on the way viewers perceive your company. We believe that the essence of professionalism is perfection. That’s the goal; perfection.
Audience Engagement
High-quality production values will command your audience’s attention. A quality presentation is more likely to be fully watched, making it likely that the audience will absorb the message and hopefully convert into new business for you.
Competitive Edge
In today’s saturated media landscape, exceptional production values will give you a much needed edge in the marketplace. People these days have internet-connected computers with HD & 4K monitors in their pockets (smart phones). They’re bombarded with a lifetime of media to consume on a daily basis via a plethora of media inroads into their lives. If you decide to put your business on those inroads, you’ll need quality content to command a competitive edge. We’ll help with that.
Message Clarity
If your video has clear audio and crisp visuals, your audience will be able to easily follow the narrative of your corporate video. After all, you want your message communicated effectively, right?
By prioritizing quality for your corporate video project, you’ll create a professional viewing experience that’ll leave a lasting impression on your potential new clients & customers.
At VizTV Media Services, quality is a top priority. The quality of our video production work not only reflects on our clients, but it reflects on us. We have a vested interest in making sure that your video production is cutting-edge, compelling, and fun to watch.
How We Provide Quality Audio & Visuals
We Use Professional Equipment
To achieve high-quality visuals, professional video production gear like cinema lenses, cinema cameras, stable & sturdy tripods, and lighting are fundamental. These tools are required for capturing polished footage.
We Plan Every Detail of Every Shoot
Before we begin filming, we create always create a shot list and sometimes a storyboard to plan our course of action and visualize each scene. Shot lists are an excellent and simple tool that helps us to capture all the necessary footage and minimize the need for time-consuming reshoots.
We Use Proper Lighting Techniques
Lighting plays a significant role in creating visually appealing footage. We provide adequate lighting equipment and use techniques such as three-point, fill, and back lighting among others, to create depth and dimension in our shots.
We Utilize Composition Techniques
Our videographers are trained to apply basic composition techniques to every frame up. Techniques such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, and depth of field, are key to creating visually engaging and dynamic visuals.
We Take Post-Production Editing Seriously
At VizTV Media Services, we use industry standard video editing & VFX software to conduct our video editing process. We also take the time to refine your footage during the post-production process.
Tasks related to the post production or video editing process include color grading, adding graphics & subtitles, applying transitions and effects. This is done to enhance the overall flow of the video.
We Provide Quality Audio Equipment
To achieve crisp audio, we use professional microphones, audio recorders, and various accessories.
We Also Monitor Audio during Filming
We use headphones to monitor audio levels during filming. This helps us to make sure that the sound is being captured clearly, without interference. Poor audio ruins videos. Again, poor audio ruins videos.
We May Also Record Additional Audio
Sometimes we also capture room tones or additional sound effects to use during post-production. The use of supplementary audio can help create a more immersive audio experience and smooth out any inconsistencies in the recorded audio.
We Perform Post-Production Audio Editing
During post-production, we use professional audio editing software to clean up and refine your audio tracks. Audio engineering may entail removing noise, adjusting levels, applying compression, EQ, and implementing other audio processing techniques to ensure your audio content is of the highest quality.
Collaborating with VizTV Media Services
If you’re ready to work with a video production company to help your business leverage the power of video, we’re here to help. We possess the expertise and knowledge to assist you in creating visually stunning and sonically impressive content that reflects your business’s commitment to quality.
By working with VizTV Media Services, you can be confident that your video production project will have the highest possible quality in both the visual and sound department. Granted that we have an excellent plan of action with compelling content, leaving a lasting impression on your audience should be no problem.
Optimizing Video Length & Format
You may be wondering, what’s the best length for a corporate video?
There’s no right answer for this question.
If I had $100 for every time one of my clients assumed that short videos were best or asked me what how long their video should be, we’d be a multi-billion dollar commercial video production agency.
In short, the video should be as long as needed to effectively communicate your message.
Whether the video duration is 30 seconds, 3 minutes, or an hour, it needs to comfortably fit all the information you’re sharing with the user.
To put it another way, if the video needs to be 10 minutes long, don’t attempt to shorten it to 5 minutes. The reverse is true too. However, there are few things you can do to optimize your video’s duration.
Managing Video Duration & Delivery Formats
Know Your Audience
We take into consideration your target audience’s attention span, which is normally tied to the pricing and complexity of the product.
Shorter videos may be better for social media platforms, while longer videos are usually ideal for extensive presentations.
Focus on Your Objective
When we structure videos, we keep your business’s objective at the forefront. We avoid unnecessary filler content that might dilute your message or lose the interest of your audience.
Analyze Competitors’ Videos
We also review videos from your competitors for insight into what works and to develop ideas. There’s no sense in re-inventing the wheel. Competitive intelligence is always helpful.
Choose the Right Aspect Ratio
We also consider the best aspect ratio for your video. For example, a square (1:1) or vertical (9:16) aspect ratio is more suitable for social media platforms, while a widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio is standard for TV, YouTube and video-sharing websites.
Consider Video Resolution
We have the option of producing your corporate video in high resolution (e.g., 1080p, 2K, 4K, 6K) to provide high quality, crisp visuals at the level needed to compliment the project.
Captions and Subtitles
For viewers with hearing impairments or who speak different languages, we can include captions and subtitles. Sub-titles are also great tools for keeping the audience focused & informed.
By working with the video production professionals at VizTV Media Services, you can be confident that your corporate video will be strategically optimized for your target audience.
Effective Call-to-Action
The most important element of a corporate video is an effective call-to-action (CTA). An effective CTA can significantly impact the success of your business by leveraging your corporate video production.
A CTA is a prompt that encourages your audience to take a specific action. The specific action could be as simple as visiting your website, subscribing to a newsletter, submitting a contact form, calling a phone number, or purchasing a product.
Benefits of Effective Calls-to-Action
Encourage Viewer Engagement
A well-crafted CTA in your corporate video can motivate your audience to engage with your company beyond simply watching your video. Viewer engagement creates opportunities for your business to interact more with its customers and drive conversions.
Drive Conversions
By directing viewers to take a specific action, a CTA can increase conversions, such as product purchases, incoming calls, or contact form submissions.
Measure Video Success
CTAs provide a tangible way to measure the success of your corporate video by allowing you to track the number of viewers who responded. This can be done with tracked phone numbers, tracking contact forms, or other means of tracking interactions.
Reinforce Your Message
A CTA can serve as a powerful closing statement and as a way to reinforce the key message of your video. This also helps the intent of your production to resonate with your audience. We recommend initiating a Call-to-Action following every section of the video where benefits of the product or service are highlighted.
Creating Effective Calls-to-Action
Be Clear and Concise
Your CTA should be easy to understand. Don’t use vague language or jargon that might confuse your audience. Keep your message brief and to the point.
Focus on One Action
Don’t overwhelm your viewers by asking them to take multiple actions. Instead, focus on one primary action and make that the central focus of your CTA. This action could be something as simple as a phone call.
Use Action Words & Create Urgency
Incorporate strong action verbs in your CTA, such as “call today,” “register,” or “buy,” to encourage your audience to take the desired action. Use language that conveys a sense of urgency, such as “limited time offer” or “act now,” to motivate engagement from your viewers.
Make It Visually Appealing
We’ll design your CTA to stand out from the rest of your video content. We mix contrasting colors, bold text, ear-catching audibles and eye-catching graphics to draw attention to your CTA.
Choose Effective Placement
CTAs should be implemented at the most opportune moments in your video.
We generally implement minor CTAs after mentions of any set of benefits your business provides. More dominant CTAs are typically inserted at the end when your audience is most engaged and have received most of your message.
However, depending on the video length and content, you may also consider placing your CTA in the middle or even at the beginning of the video to capture viewers’ attention early on. Effective placement is generally dictated by the nature of the video.
Take Advantage of Leverage
The advantages of working with VizTV Media Services start with us being a creative marketing agency first, and a video production company second. We encourage our clients to leverage our ad copywriting experience, visual design skills, and our ability to track results for their benefit.
Very few video production companies in Houston are better suited to help you leverage the power of video while incorporating all the talents possessed by your business and ours.
The Value of Professional Video Production Services
Working with VizTV Media Services
With the information we’ve provided, you have the basic principles for producing effective videos for your business. However, taking advantage of our professional video production services will further elevate your video strategy and maximize the impact of your content.
If you’re looking for a corporate video production company in Houston, let us help!
At VizTV Media Services, we’re always ready to provide our expertise, quality, efficiency, and strategic guidance to help with your project. If you have any questions or would like to get started, contact us today at 713-443-7578 or follow this link to send us a message form.
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