After you know your target audience, it’s time to think about what actually needs to be said in your video. Is there a clear topic that needs to be addressed? Are you making a company announcement? Is it something you want to teach your audience?

When you understand the message, it’s much easier to put it down on paper during the script-writing and reviewing process. When you’re on set, you want to shoot with a purpose, because it’s much more difficult and time-consuming to figure it out in Post-Production (editing!). Preparing the message ahead of time gives you an outline of what your video, production and post-production process will look like and entail.

The tone of your video depends mostly on your target audience and your message – they should all interconnect.

For example, if you’re producing a culture video about your company’s hip and trendy downtown office, it’s pretty clear the tone should be energetic and upbeat. The cuts would match the uptempo beat tempo of the music, and there might be some playful animated graphics that highlight some of the key features – your fabulous employees, authentic company initiatives, and maybe even your office snack stash.

By the same token, a video describing the devastating impact a tornado had on a community would start our much more somber, with the music building in aspiration.

Think about what tone is proper for conveying your message to your audience in a tasteful, purposeful manner.

How and where you present your corporate video is critical to plan out in Pre-Production. It can determine how you film and what resources you need in Post-Production.

A corporate training video that’s meant only for internal distribution will have a different look, feel and tone than one that’s meant for widespread consumption on platforms like Facebook or YouTube. Internal videos speak to an audience that already knows who you are and what you do. They get the inside jokes and know the company’s core values inside & out. You can skip over your brand anthem & use graphics to visually engage with your employee base & keep them focused on your important message.

An external video, on the other hand, might have to spend more time bringing the viewer up to speed before launching into anything of substance. You’ll want to teach new audience members about you first to hook them into learning more.

Think about the environment they’ll watch them in, as well. Will they be at a desktop? Is that desktop at work or home? Will they need headphones? Will they watch it in an event space? Will they be able to hear?

Take the time to think about the platform upon which your corporate video will be distributed, and how that should inform your production choices.

You’ve hired a stellar video production team… but your video is still only to be as good as the work you’re willing to put into it too.

They should be asking you a lot of questions – about your company’s goals and objectives, the project, your team, distribution, etc. to determine the video strategy and video concepts they prepare for you. Make sure you’re there for them too!

Provide them the information that they need and come ready to have conversations about your target audience’s wants and needs. The production company – if they’re smart – should never complain that you’ve given them too much information. Just make sure that the information is relevant to the project & your brand.

If you’re not going to be the primary point of contact for them throughout the project lifecycle, designate someone who will be. Find someone who can answer their questions, and collect the information that they need – like employee backgrounds or branding guidelines.

Consider these points the next time you identify a corporate video need within your organization. Don’t want to do it alone? Reach out to us!