A Manager's Guide to Commissioning a Corporate Video - setting the objectives to be achieved by your corporate video.

A Manager's Guide to Commissioning a Corporate Video

Step 1 - Setting the Objectives

A corporate video can add value to your business, promoting your services or products, creating new business or assisting in producing an effective workforce and safe environment. It is a cost-effective means of reaching a large audience overcoming the restrictions of geographical placement.

Producing a corporate video is no longer limited to large multinational corporations but is now within the reach of the smallest companies and organizations.

What is the purpose of your corporate video?

The first question you need to consider is what you actually want to use your video for. The exact purpose of your corporate programme will influence the choice of the content, the length and overall style of the programme. Therefore it is essential to decide what you actually require before commissioning your corporate video.

Let us take you through the choices in a little more detail:

• A video for exhibitions
  
  A plasma screen and well-produced promotional video will get you noticed, keep potential customers occupied whilst waiting to see you, and overcome the constraints of limited floor space and an inhibitive environment. Products can be seen in action and skilful manufacture of products demonstrated.
  
  The video will need to be dynamic, with lively musical backing, titles and animated graphics, in order to engage the attention of the audience. It will only be short but often provided on DVD and looped. The programme can even be interactive if appropriate to the content.
  
  
• A streamed corporate video for your website
  
  If you would like your corporate video to be easily accessible you can commission a production company to produce it specifically for putting on the Internet. It will need to be a short, dynamic programme with suitable content for encoding. If you would like your corporate video to be streamed, it is essential that you tell the production company at the beginning of your discussions as a different technique of shooting is required if the content is to be streamed than just for putting on a video or DVD.
  
  
• A promotional video for potential or existing customers
  
  A promotional video may consist of a range of content, from the different locations at which you are based , the process of producing your products, the launching of new products, or testimonials from existing loyal customers. The first things you have to do is to decide what message you want to present to the target audience and who the audience is.
  
  The duration can vary depending on the message and nature of the content although it is advisable to keep it as concise as possible therefore making more of an impact on the viewer. The music used and imagery will depend on the image you want to portray.
  
  
• A training video
  
  A necessary but often time-consuming and costly task of staff training can now be carried out with relative ease with the use of a training video. You can ensure your staff are provided with all the necessary information presented in a clear, concise manner. This will reduce the time taken in training staff and the associated expenses in large organizations.
  
  A training video is often a longer production in order to be able to present the quantity of information necessary. However, it still needs to be as concise as possible in order to maintain the interest of the audience and presented in a lively, engaging manner.
  
  
• A corporate video of a company event
  
  Often a company wants to capture the event of the year when the guest speaker address those present. By filming the event you can ensure the whole staff benefits, having a corporate video which can be used retrospectively.
  
  

What is your message?

Before embarking on the production of your corporate video you need to have a clear idea of your message as the whole production will be built on this message. Every television programme you watch has a very carefully scripted message and uses both sound and vision to communicate it to the viewer. The same applies to every successful corporate video.

Ideally your message should consist of no more than three points - the simpler the message, the more likely the audience is to receive the message being presented and be won-over by watching your corporate video. You need to decide what objectives you want the video to meet and what exactly you want the audience to get out of watching it.

How will you present this message?

You may already have a clear idea of the content you would like including in your corporate video - for example, you may want to feature a newly developed factory site or a new product and a number of testimonials from existing customers promoting business relationships with your company.

You will probably find that you develop ideas gradually as you consider the possibilities for the content of your corporate video. Also the production company you commission will most likely have a considerable input in this area - they are the experts in producing corporate videos and can give valuable advice on the content of your programme and the presentation of your message.


Once you have begun to consider some of the requirements for your corporate video it is advisable to write a Brief.


Next: Step 2 - Writing a Brief