5 Ways You’re Doing Corporate Videos Wrong

There are so many ways corporate videos can go wrong, yet if done correctly, video can be a game changer for your brand. In fact, Cisco projects that video traffic will account for 82 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2021. The time for video is now!

Not quite. To rephrase, the time for good video is now.

Here are five ways you’re doing corporate videos wrong and respective examples to back them up. And while most of these examples are humorous, there’s an important takeaway to all of them.

Your video is painfully long.

Ernst & Young should know better! Aside from the lackluster “why did you make me do this” looks from employees contrasting sharply against the overly excited soloist, this video is about four minutes and 15 seconds too long. It’s a cheery little tune, but offers zero value. No one, no doubt including the staff participating, wants to watch a 4-and-a-half-minute employee sing-a-long – except maybe the soloist’s husband, but that’s about it.

The same goes for your brand’s videos. Viewers prefer short, digestible and to-the-point videos. When attention spans average eight seconds, corporate videos must respond with brevity and value.

Your video is poorly executed.

Audiences rarely notice good sound and picture quality in a video, but they’ll certainly notice bad quality, as in this absolutely horrifying promo video.

I don’t know what’s worse, the video itself or the fact that the couple is selling their VIDEO SERVICES.

It’s 2017, people! Even iPhones can take beautiful pictures. People expect decent quality when it comes to video. Either do away with the bad green screen, shaky camera, clip-arty graphics or do. it. better.

Investing in a video partner (or a tripod, camera and lighting) is a must-have if video is a large part of your brand’s content strategy. Wistia offers a great guide on video set up and lighting. And if it’s too overwhelming to tackle yourself, here’s a shameless plug that’s meant to be helpful: We have a small video studio at Hodges perfect for small video projects, photo shoots and headshots.

You throw your target audience out the window.

People love bloopers. I love bloopers. But I don’t love seeing bloopers from my car salesman. I like seeing expertise, authenticity and honesty.

Yet, this New Zealand car dealership attempted a blooper-reel-esque promotional commercial, and it did not go over well with people, hailed in a few places as the “worst corporate video ever.”

Aside from the obvious tragic quality and poor execution, the real problem here lies in the strategy.

While conceptually, bloopers might be a good idea (especially if shot with good audio/camera), in this case, the finished product is not a fit audience-wise. And audience is everything.

At Hodges, we all love to have a good time, but there is a time and a place to showcase that side of our company. Maybe it’s in an Instagram post during our happy hours on Friday. Or something fun for the annual holiday card. Or a blog post about our company culture, but it is not when we are trying to showcase our expertise.

When concepting consumer-facing videos, think first about your audience. What are they interested in? What problems are they facing? How can we help solve them? Those answers will spark video ideas, and from those ideas, determine the appropriate video tone and style.

Your video has no clear point or call to action.

I apologize because this video is not even funny bad. It’s just bad. Let’s break down the first 30 seconds.

Things we know:

  • Couple: Bob and Sally
  • Shopping at Gigantor Foods
  • Looking at a gallon of mayo (God help them)
  • Tax guy: Ernie Sandlehoff
  • Random colleague: Erma Stevens

Things we don’t know:

  • Actually important details

We have elaborate first and last names and gallons of mayo, but zero brand recognition or call to action. Okay, give them some credit for trying to weave some dry content in a folksy style, but by the end of the video, we’ve been inundated with so many unnecessary details, it’s hard to determine what is being sold and by whom.

With video, lead with value and eliminate superfluous details that cloud your bottom line. Make it easy for your consumers to digest your message.

You are trying way too hard.

For the most part, let your product and value speak for itself. At Hodges, we like to follow the 80/20 rule of keeping 80% of our content educational and 20% promotional.

Okay fine, the late Billy Mays deserves some props for selling so hard he went down in infomercial history.

There’s a lot that goes into planning and executing an effective video. Our Video Creative Brief will help keep everyone on track with specific goals, key messages and more.

Aidan Newbold

With almost ten years of experience in the design space, Aidan Newbold is The Hodges Partnership’s Director of Creative Services. She has a multidisciplinary background with experience in graphic design, fine art, illustration, writing, advertising and photography.

Read more by Aidan

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