Your corporate video - more like a home video than you might think

People like to tell stories. What’s more, people like to listen to them, and every company has a story to tell. Maybe it’s how your company was founded, or perhaps it’s where your company vision is taking you. At any rate, corporate video is a great medium for storytelling.

That’s because corporate video is a narrative medium which shows the development of people or places over time rather than being just being a snapshot, which a print advert shows. That’s the difference between holiday snaps and home movies. Both evoke important memories, but only your Dad’s camcorder footage from decades ago brings a lump to your throat.

That’s what makes a corporate video shareable as well. It’s no wonder that YouTube, a site for personal video, is teeming with corporate films that are watched by millions. But only those videos with emotional impact get the clicks. That tells you something. If you want to connect with customers you’ve got to engage them emotionally, and well shot corporate video with a good storyline does that best.

Of course, what we're telling you is nothing new. In marketing theory, getting people to develop an emotional link to your product is known as ‘added value’, which is the basis of branding. It’s why people choose one kind of cola over another. And where do people make those choices? When they watch a TV ad. And we bet you remember some cola adverts like they were family videos with their innocent songs and wholesome family scenes. What’s more, thanks to the internet, you can still make that emotional impact by shooting a corporate video without the millions in media spend.

So get some paper and write down what kind of a story you’ve got to tell. How did you get to be where you are? What change does your product make to the world? Whose lives have you altered? You need a beginning, middle and end. Also, make sure the tone of the story isn’t too stiff. Sure, you want to seem professional, but you’re showing the video to other people like you.

If you wouldn’t watch a dry corporate video in your spare time, neither will your customers. So make it gripping, and tell a story.

Editor’s Note: Visual Arena (http://www.visualarena.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.