Your company likely has a video on its website, whether its an explainer, brand video, or some product videos. If you don’t have a video, then you’ve probably been talking about it but haven’t gotten around to it. Even if you do, you may be talking about updating. At whatever stage you may be in this process, here are some trending features you will want to consider for your company video:
Keep It Short
Consumer attention span can literally be shorter than that of a goldfish (9 seconds) . As a “millennial,” (a term only used by people who aren’t “millennials”), I can attest. One of the greatest deterrents to watching a video is seeing anything over 3:59 on the minutes bar. Go right to the point, and hit it on the nose. With some exceptions, studies show that the sweet spot for a video’s length is typically between two and three minutes.
Drone Footage Is all the Rage
Your company’s video may not call for drone footage. However, if it’s applicable, including some drone footage in your video can work wonders. For real estate companies in 2017, homes that were marketed using drone footage sold 68% faster than homes sold just with images. Before giving the thumbs up to a production company, ask if they can provide drone footage.
Explainer or Story?
To generalize a bit, two major video-types featured on company websites are “explainers” and “stories”. An explainer video details a specific product or service, often demonstrating how it works, like this one for Summly. (Check out this article to see what an explainer video typically costs). A story video follows the progression of the company founders, company culture, a customer, or a fictional person who could really use your company’s product or service. They are intended to draw the viewer in through the narrative, and pepper in valuable information about the product or service, like this heart-warmer from Extra Gum. You’ll have to decide which video style would best suit your brand, product, or service.
What’s Your “Thing”?
Every business has their “thing” that defines them and sets them apart from their competitors. You’ll want to harness this in your video and show it off to the world. That means answering: What do we offer? What is our style? What is our company culture? What is our attitude toward our industry? Answering these questions will help your production company know how to portray your business in a way that sends the message you’re going for. You could end up with a video that utilizes humor, or simple shots and text, or fancy graphics and dynamic imagery, or anything in between depending on what is right for you. For example, Refine Acne Clinic’s “thing” is that they offer a simpler way to get acne treatment than ever before. So for their video, they got a simple animated explainer that fit right with their style and message.
We’ll Do It in Post
Many production companies will also be able to edit your video, though not all. In the case that the company you’ve chosen does not offer editing, they will contract a post-production company for that. However, it is generally much easier, and more consistent for your video, to work with one company for pre-production, production, and post-production.
Where Do I Put My Video?
Right on your homepage. Studies show that including a video on the homepage of your website can increase conversion by 80% . Then rally up your marketing team, start the sharing party on social media, and sit back with a glass of champagne. Or maybe a cocktail if champagne’s not your “thing”. Bad joke, forget it. Man, poor way to end this article.
By Stephen Kipp
Head Writer