Too often the last thoughts put into your corporate video production planning and strategy are the details to be communicated through the interview portion of your piece.
Whether you’re a serial entrepreneur, a small business owner or a full on, “I’ve been in the business game longer than you’ve had facial hair,” CEO, there’s a very good chance you understand the power of using corporate video production to tell your organization’s story.
Let’s even say that with that conviction you’ve walked through the process of hiring a video production company to produce your video. The stage is set. You and your team will be interviewed, b-roll will be gathered and the editing team is ready to turn your corporate video around faster than you can yell, “always be closing!”
Overall, you’re feeling great about your soon-to-be corporate video for your business; and with all this prep time, nothing can go wrong, right? Wrong. Here are 4 interviewing mistakes easily made when executing your video production strategy.
1. You’re Communicating Too Many Details
Regardless of the industry you’re in, chances are YOU are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about minute detail within your organization. I mean, you built this company from the ground up, right? Or maybe it’s a new position in a field you’ve been a part of your entire life? Chances are, then, when you sit down in the interviewee’s chair, you’re able to spout of a plethora of algorithms, behind the scenes info and information that, while exciting to you, just might not be that interesting to your customers or soon-to-be clients.
How to fix this: Before the interview, think through what you think is interesting about the work and differentiate it from what everyone w ill find compelling. Stick with those “everyone will find engaging moments. Oh, and maybe ask your spouse. You’ll be surprised how honest they can be.
2. Your Video Contains Too Many Topics
We get it. There is a LOT to your organization. Because you don’t shoot and make videos every single day, and because it can be a fairly big ordeal to communicate and pull off, the tendency
can be to try to “get it all.” So, you sit down to the interview with a notebook full of topics you want to cover and cram into one video. Perhaps they flow out of you pretty easily, but the truth is the edit and your final video are going to be a convoluted, confusing, overwhelming bear of a video without a sharp edge to cut through the competition and reach your potential clients.
How to fix this: We’re no longer shooting on film (well, unless your Christopher Nolan), so gathering extra of what you want in the interview room doesn’t cost an extra dime. Use that to your advantage, then make some decisions in the edit room as to how you can use the additional footage for additional videos. Creating an extra series of digestible featurettes can help you drill into additional concepts or products. Additionally, it will give you more content to spread across social media platforms.
3. Your Video Contains Too Many People
Chances are, if you love your company, you love the people who’ve helped build your company. That can bring about a common issue as you get closer to the “video day:” who is going to be in the video? All too often the answer is: everyone! Sure, you vp does know a lot about the products and sure your other vp has been with the company for 15 years and yes your assistant has been with you since, well, forever, but here’s the truth: clients fall in love with business leaders who are passionate about their services. When you cram 15 people into a three minute piece, it can be difficult for your audience to connect with anyone and ultimately end with a mess of a video that doesn’t really point your viewers to any one, specific angle of interest.
How to fix this: Too often we ask, “who knows the most about this piece of information about the company,” when we should be asking, “Who’s passionate?” If you’re the one who can bring the fire on camera, consider keeping your expert personnel close by to answer questions about the subject matter. They’ll bring the statistics, you bring the energy.
4. You’ve Lost Sight of Your Audience
Clients, well, people are interested in one thing: improving their lives. If you can improve their business, relationships or personal life, chances are they’ll partner and purchase from you. So your job has to be to communicate how you can make their life better? How will your product enhance their day, time and energy? How will your organization advance them in their career? How can you help them raise their children? Instead of communicating what you love about your product or industry, instead talk about how your business will revamp their way of thinking, elevate their situation or provide the upgrade they’ve been hoping for.
How to fix this: Talk this one out with your team. Brainstorm and blue sky the way to talk to your customers about how your organization or business can change their world. Then, talk with your current clients about the advantages they find in their industry and life that others should know about. When talking on camera, use real world examples of the way you’ve seen your products and services being advantageous in the marketplace. Finally, when communicating on camera, envision your clients in your mind. Think about how you would communicate with them and sell your ideas. That kind of authenticity will come through your communication.
A Word of Encouragement
Remember, your number one goal through telling your story on video is to give a real, transparent, authentic narrative about your organization. Avoiding the aforementioned pitfalls is less about following rules and more about understanding the natural tendencies and mistakes we all make when sharing about what we care about: ignoring our audience’s values. Take some time to talk through the ways you can advert these blunders and you’ll be so much happier with the end result, a video that tells the story your potential clients want to hear.
