Corporate video is a collective term to describe a video production used as a business tool rather than for entertainment purposes. There are many uses and benefits of video and they usually fall into 2 camps.
1. Training and information videos which are usually distributed within an organization either by DVD, online or an internal intranet system.
2. Promotional, advertising and marketing videos which are mostly distributed online by the many avenues now available through websites, video sharing sites and social networking.
Whatever the intended audience, video has a number of huge benefits as a communication medium. One of the most obvious is that it can convey personality. People respond to people, whether for marketing, brand engagement or for training and spreading information throughout an organization.
Video can also be extremely useful on a practical level when you may need to demonstrate products or procedures which may be inaccessible to clients or trainees. These video presentations are consistent compared to the unpredictability of live demonstrations.
The value of one off situations and events such as conferences, seminars and training days can be greatly enhanced and used again and again whether for training or promotion.
Video can also be used to create more effective and dynamic live presentations and interactive productions.
Even if advertising is not the business goal, inclusion of video on the company website can create a better user experience and add a touch of class. A recent study by treepodia, an authority in video use in eCommerce found that the retailers surveyed were selling substantially more products when a video of the product was included. Further statistics also showed this to often be the case even if the video wasn’t watched! This was assumed to be because video creates customer confidence and trust. The brand using video is considered more reliable as they produce a quality user experience. Also by showing the product in a multidimensional format the company exhibits trust and confidence in the product which filters through to the consumer. This is an interesting finding and I think it has relevance to the use of video in websites in general and not just ecommerce. As more and more companies include video on their websites this is likely to graduate to customers distrusting a website that doesn’t have a video presence.
For companies wishing to create a powerful search engine presence and high google ranking, online video is incredibly powerful. Search engine optimization (SEO) through video is the latest and potentially one of the most powerful means available. It is at the cutting edge of internet marketing and with youtube being the second largest search engine behind google, it is almost certainly here to stay.
For more information on this read my posts on ‘youtube optimization’ (creating search visibility in youtube and google)
‘how to effectively distribute online video’ (where to post video and the most effective positioning of video in individual websites)
‘the top ten video sharing sites’ (for the pros and cons of the most popular video sharing sites such as youtube, vimeo, daily motion, revver etc…)
The growing benefits of video, especially online video are clear, but how to start? Corporate video, even as recently as the 1990’s was prohibitively expensive for many small to medium businesses and the costs could easily be £20000-£100000. This has all changed in the last decade with the technology advances and a quality corporate video can now be produced for as low as £500. In some cases, a company with some technical savvy may be able to produce video themselves and I have included a post on Video Production tips for this this purpose.
Video production company or DIY?
As a video production company I am obviously biased toward the former though a small startup business may want to consider a DIY approach. There are pros and cons and the main pro for DIY is the cost though a member of staff will probably spend a substantial amount of time learning and producing the video. If time is of less value than money however, this may be a viable route and I’ve included some recommendations for useable HD video cameras and sound equipment in my article ‘Video Production tips’ The main con of the DIY approach apart from the time invested is that a poorly produced video may damage the company’s brand image. Most people are used to watching tv and know bad lighting, sound and camera angles when they see them and this may reflect adversely on the brand.
For an overview on online video read my post ‘What makes a good online video‘.
With current and forthcoming broadband speeds and the vast amount of video distribution potential becoming available, we are at an exciting and crucial time in video production and how modern business is conducted. Video has been statistically proved again and again to improve online visibility and drive more action than images and text. Email us now for more information on how you can employ video effectively in your company and how you can capitalize on this revolution in internet technology.
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