Corporate Videos 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

Key Takeaways:

1. Corporate videos are a powerful tool for businesses to enhance brand awareness, engage with their target audience, and effectively communicate their message. They can take various forms like promotional clips, training videos, or event highlights.
2. The production process involves careful planning, story-boarding, and execution, with the choice between live-action or animated formats depending on the specific goals and message.
3. Investing in corporate videos can significantly benefit businesses by strengthening audience connections, improving internal alignment, and enhancing overall brand presence.
4. Key factors to consider when deciding between live-action or animated formats include the complexity of the message, the need for authenticity and human connection, and the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of each approach.
5. Effective distribution channels for corporate videos include the company website, social media platforms, and email marketing to maximize visibility and reach the target audience.

Introduction

Businesses are always looking for creative ways to engage clients, employees, and the public. Corporate videos are a powerful tool for enhancing brand awareness and telling engaging stories. This guide covers the essentials of corporate videos, highlighting their importance and providing tips for effective content creation.

Corporate videos are short films made by businesses to relay their message, showcase offerings, or reflect company culture, taking forms like promotional clips, training videos, or event highlights. These videos connect with viewers emotionally, making it easier for them to relate to a brand's mission and values. Their share-ability across platforms boosts reach and engagement.

To make impactful corporate videos, start by defining your goals and desired viewer actions. Focus on storytelling with relatable characters to make it engaging. High production quality is crucial; consider good equipment and effective visuals and sound. Lastly, promote your videos on social media and your website for increased visibility. Understanding corporate videos can help businesses strengthen audience connections and enhance their brand presence.

What is a Corporate Video and Why is it Essential?

A corporate video is a specialized form of video content created for the purpose of promoting and showcasing an organization's brand, products, or services. These videos serve a multitude of purposes and can significantly impact various aspects of a business, including:

1. Strengthening Brand Identity
2. Enhancing Customer Engagement
3. Improving Internal Communication
4. Boosting Marketing Efforts
5. Facilitating Employee Training and Onboarding

In his insightful book, "Corporate Video Production: Beyond the Board Room (And Out of the Bored Room)," Stuart Sweetow illustrates how relatable content featuring real employees enhances engagement. He emphasizes using customer testimonials and product demonstrations to effectively communicate value, advocating for storytelling that connects emotionally with the target audience.

Reference: Sweetow, S. (2016). Corporate Video Production: Beyond the Board Room (And Out of the Bored Room). Focal Press.

11 Popular Types of Corporate Videos (+ Best Examples)

1. Company Values and Vision Videos

These informative videos emphasize and showcase the fundamental core values of a company, as well as its long-term vision for the future. By doing so, they effectively foster trust among stakeholders, while simultaneously aligning both employees and customers with the overarching mission of the brand. This alignment creates a cohesive understanding and shared commitment to the company's objectives.

2. Brand Story Videos

Brand story videos tell the captivating tale of how a brand came to be and the journey it has undertaken over the years. By sharing the various challenges faced along the way as well as the significant milestones achieved, these videos create a deeper emotional connection with the audience. They invite viewers to engage with the brand on a personal level, fostering a sense of loyalty and understanding through the shared experiences depicted in the narrative.

3. Company Culture Showcases

These videos offer an insightful behind-the-scenes perspective into the company's work environment, showcasing the culture and atmosphere that employees experience on a daily basis. This glimpse into the company's operations plays a significant role in both attracting and retaining talented individuals who are eager to join a dynamic team.

4. Marketing and Promotional Videos

Promotional videos are carefully crafted and strategically produced with the specific purpose of effectively marketing a particular product or service. These videos often showcase high-quality visuals that are designed to capture the viewer's attention, while also incorporating compelling narratives from satisfied customers. By combining these engaging visuals with relatable customer stories, these promotional videos aim to not only inform potential consumers about what is being offered but also inspire them to take action and make a purchase.

5. Explainer and Educational Videos

These videos effectively simplify complex information surrounding various products or services, which in turn aids audiences in quickly grasping the essential concepts and key ideas being presented. By breaking down intricate details into more digestible parts, these videos enhance understanding and make it easier for viewers to retain important information.

6. Client Testimonial Videos

With satisfied clients thoughtfully sharing their experiences and insights, client testimonial videos significantly enhance credibility while also fostering a strong sense of trust among potential customers. These videos serve as powerful endorsements, showcasing authentic voices that convey the positive impacts of the services or products, ultimately influencing the decisions of those who may be considering a purchase.

7. Customer Onboarding Guides

Onboarding videos are essential tools that guarantee new customers experience a seamless and hassle-free transition as they begin to utilize a product or service. These informative videos provide detailed and comprehensive step-by-step tutorials, guiding users through various features and functionalities, which helps to enhance their understanding and confidence in using the offering effectively.

8. Employee Orientation and Corporate Training Videos

These videos serve to significantly streamline the onboarding process for new employees, making it more efficient and engaging. Additionally, they play a crucial role in enhancing the ongoing training and development of current staff, ensuring that all team members are continuously improving their skills and knowledge.

9. Employee Interview Features

These videos play a crucial role in highlighting the unique experiences and notable achievements of employees, which not only acknowledges their hard work and dedication but also helps to foster a strong sense of community and recognition within the workforce. By showcasing individual stories and accomplishments, these videos contribute to an engaging environment where employees feel valued and appreciated for their contributions.

10. Company Benefits Overviews

Benefit overview videos provide a comprehensive look at the various offerings a company extends to its employees, clearly outlining the advantages and perks associated with employment. These videos play a crucial role in helping organizations attract and retain top talent by effectively communicating the value of the benefits package available to current and potential employees.

11. Tool and Software Onboarding Tutorials

These tutorials provide valuable assistance to users as they learn to navigate new tools or software by offering clear guidelines and outlining best practices. By doing so, they make the process of adapting to unfamiliar systems much more manageable and straightforward for individuals seeking to enhance their skills and productivity.

How to Make a Corporate Video

Creating a corporate video requires careful planning, attention to detail, and creativity. Whether you're aiming for a live-action or animated style, following a structured approach ensures a professional and effective video. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Identify Your Objective

Understanding the purpose of your video is crucial. Is it for marketing, education, recruitment, or internal communication? Each objective requires a different approach.

2. Choose the Type of Video

Decide on the type of corporate video that aligns with your goals. Animated videos work well for explaining complex concepts simply, while live-action videos are effective for testimonials or showcasing real environments.

3. Develop Your Brief

This document is one of the most crucial elements to get right when planning a corporate video. To create a video that captures attention and meets your goals, it's essential to consolidate all your ideas into one comprehensive brief, ensuring no critical details are overlooked.

Whether you’re producing the video internally or collaborating with a video agency, your brief is important in aligning everyone involved. It serves as a reference point where you can detail everything your agency needs to kick off the project, including examples of videos you admire or trends that have inspired you.

With 5 years of experience, the team at Motion knows what makes a great video brief. That’s why we’ve created a downloadable video brief template, free of charge. Whether you’re aiming to produce an explainer video, a promotional, or an ad, our template will simplify the briefing process and save you valuable time.

4. Plan the Animation or Live-Action Approach

When planning your corporate video, it’s essential to decide whether an animated or live-action approach best fits your objectives and message. Each format offers unique advantages and requires specific planning steps to execute effectively.

Animated Videos

Animation is particularly effective when illustrating complex concepts or abstract ideas that are challenging to capture with live footage. This approach is popular in industries like technology and SaaS, where visuals are needed to explain services such as software functionalities or cloud solutions.

• Animation Styles: Consider options like 2D animation, 3D animation, or motion graphics, depending on the message and budget.
• Templates for Consistency: For recurring formats, such as corporate training videos, using animation templates ensures consistency and efficiency, reducing long-term costs.
• Flexibility and Updates: Animated videos are flexible and easy to update, making them a cost-effective choice for companies looking to create content that can be repurposed or modified as needed.

Live-Action Videos

Live-action videos are ideal when authenticity and human connection are important. Around 55-60% of corporate videos use this approach, particularly for:

• Testimonials: Real clients or employees add credibility and trustworthiness.
• Company Culture: Showcasing real workplaces and staff provides an authentic representation of your brand.
• Product Demonstrations: Seeing products in real-life scenarios can build confidence and engagement.

For live-action, ensure that planning includes storyboarding, location scouting, and casting to capture the right visuals and atmosphere. Proper planning helps create a cohesive narrative and ensures that the production runs smoothly.

Choosing the Right Format

• If your message involves explaining complex services or products, animation offers the flexibility and creativity needed.
• For videos that highlight company culture, client stories, or product demos, live-action is often the best choice for conveying authenticity and building personal connections.

Both formats have their advantages, and the best approach depends on the specific goals, budget, and style that align with your company’s needs.

5. Shoot or Animate the Video

For live-action:

• Focus on capturing high-quality footage, ensuring proper lighting and sound quality. Each scene should be filmed methodically, aligning with the storyboard for consistency.

For animated videos:

• Follow the storyboard closely, animating scenes according to the planned visual elements. Ensure smooth transitions and clear visuals to keep the viewer engaged.

Out of video ideas? Here are some corporate video examples for your next project.

6. Edit the Video

Editing is crucial for both live-action and animated videos to create a polished, professional corporate video. Start by assembling clips or animation sequences according to the storyboard, ensuring that everything aligns with the planned structure. Incorporate graphics, text, and other visual elements that highlight key points, and strategically use music and sound effects to enhance engagement.

For live-action: Edit clips for continuity, color grade footage, and sync audio for clarity.

For animated: Add motion graphics and dynamic transitions to maintain viewer interest.

High-quality content is essential for creating a polished and professional impression in a corporate video. To achieve this, you have two main options:

1. Invest in Professional Production: Hiring professionals ensures top-quality visuals, animation, and sound. This option is ideal if you want a high-end video that aligns perfectly with your brand's image.
2. DIY Approach with Care: If you manage production internally, focus on a few key elements:
   • Clear, Well-Lit Shots: Whether live-action or animated, visuals should be sharp, with proper lighting or well-rendered animation to maintain viewer engagement.
   • Crisp Audio: Make sure the voiceover, music, and sound effects are mixed properly. Clean audio enhances the video’s overall quality and makes the message clear.
   • Professional Tools: Utilize editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or Blender for animations, ensuring a polished final product.

Investing time and attention in these aspects will help maintain professional standards, even when working with limited resources.

7. Review and Finalize

Review the final product thoroughly. Check if the video meets the brand guidelines, effectively delivers the intended message, and adheres to the technical standards for picture and sound quality. Make any necessary adjustments before the final delivery.

8. Distribute Your Video

Once finalized, choose the most effective channels for distribution. For corporate videos:

• Website: Embed the video on your company’s homepage to engage visitors.
• Social Media: Share on platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook to reach a broader audience.
• Email Marketing: Include the video in newsletters or promotional emails for direct reach.

This approach ensures that your video gains maximum visibility and effectively communicates your message to your target audience, whether it’s through engaging animations or live-action storytelling.

Why Struggle with the Steps? Let Motion The Agency Handle It!

Creating a corporate video involves numerous intricate steps, from initial planning and scripting to shooting and editing. To alleviate this burden, consider partnering with experts who can handle the entire process for you.

Motion The Agency specializes in producing high-quality corporate videos tailored to your specific needs. Our services include:

• Expertise: Our team of experienced professionals knows how to craft compelling corporate videos that captivate audiences and drive results.
• End-to-End Service: We manage every aspect of the production process, from initial planning to final edits, so you can focus on what you do best - running your business.
• Custom Solutions: We offer personalized services, ensuring that each video we create is aligned with your brand and vision.

Additionally, we provide:

• Transparent Pricing: Clear and competitive pricing options, so you know exactly what to expect.
• Clear Communication: Timely and effective communication throughout the project to keep you informed at every stage.
• Fast Turnaround: A commitment to delivering high-quality results quickly, so you can meet your deadlines.
• Dedicated Project Manager: A single point of contact to guide you through the process, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience.

Contact Motion The Agency today for a free sample of our work and let us help you elevate your corporate video project to new heights