10 questions to consider before deciding to create a Video for your company

Creating video content can seem daunting when you or anyone on your team is not experienced with it. Below we break down the ten most important questions to consider before creating a video for your company or project. Once you have answered these ten questions, you are well on your way to producing a video.

1. Where are you going to be using the video? What is your distribution channel?

Your distribution channel is one of the most important questions to consider. It will help you determine your plan for your video. Will it be distributed internally or externally? On social media, on your website, through email or on TV? Are you going to use the video for advertising? If it is on Social Media, will it be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin or Tiktok? All of these questions will help us in determining the type of video you would like to make. It will also change how we export the final video to properly optimize it for the medium it will be distributed on. 

2. Who is the target audience? 

Is it existing clients, employees, stakeholders or out to the public? Your audience will shape your final video. Narrowing down the persona of the audience can affect your overall vision and the direction you take. For example, you won't want to make a highly technical video for the public because they may not have the knowledge to understand it.

Important questions to consider when defining the audience is:

• What is the demographic of the target audience you are trying to reach?

• Where is the target audience you are trying to reach located?

• What is the age of your target audience?

• What is the behaviour of your target audience? 

• What types of social media do they consume?

3. What is the business objective or purpose of the video? 

Is it to reach a particular metric or number of views? Is it to create greater awareness of your Company through your social media or through advertisements? Do you want to get more sales or inform people of your impact on the community? Considering these questions will allow you to measure the success of your video or campaign.

Here are some examples of potential business objectives listed below they may help you decide:

• Promote or raise awareness about a product, service or cause

• Introduce my customers to who we are

• Communicate a message externally

• Communicate a message to employees internally

• Explain a product or service

• Showcase my product on my online store's product page

• Enhance the credibility of my business

• Train or onboard employees

• Content to use on social media

4.  What are the key messages of the video? What do you want to communicate?

Key messages are important to allow the audience to understand the video and what it is trying to communicate. Did you just launch a new product or service? Are you looking to make people laugh, cry or feel any other emotion? Do you want to communicate a particular feature? Do you want to show people how to use your product or service? These can all be essential questions in determining the style and purpose of the video.  

5. What aspect of the customer journey is it a part of?

Awareness

The first stage of the customer journey is the awareness stage. During this stage, you are making people aware of your business if they weren’t already aware or reminding them of your brand. You want to highlight the features and potentially the values of your business. Types of videos that work well when you are targeting the Awareness stage are:

• Commercials

• Explainer videos

• Company Story Videos

• How-to-videos

• Video Series

• Social media Videos

• Branded Content

• Product videos 

There are lots of options to choose from when you are looking to create awareness of your brand for your target audience.

Consideration

The second stage of the customer journey is the consideration stage. The consideration stage is where you engage the customer in your company and your brand. They are seeking more information about you and videos are a great way to convince them you are worth investing their money into. Types of videos that work well when you are targeting the Consideration stage are:

• Explainer Videos

• Company Story Videos

• Customer Video Testimonials

• Video series 

• Product Videos

Decision

The third stage of the customer journey is the decision stage. The Decision stage is when customers decide to purchase your product or service. You need something to push them over the edge and convince them to buy your product. Types of videos that work well when you are targeting the Decision stage are:

• Customer Testimonials

These are also often good videos to use on your website.

Retention 

The last stage of the customer journey is the retention stage. It can relate to the retention of employees, customers or stakeholders in your Company. It is often a feel-good piece that reminds your target audience that you care about them. You want to show them what you have been up to, make them laugh, intrigue them, or inform them so they associate your brand with positive feelings. Types of videos that work well when you are targeting the Retention stage are: 

• Branded Videos

• Internal Videos

• How-to Videos

6. What type of video are you looking to make? 

Here is a list of potential video types and what purpose they serve:

• Commercial: If you seek to create mass awareness for your brand, product or service, TV and online commercials are the perfect platform for that. 

  • 30- 90 seconds or less

  • Traditional and social

  • High-level branding content

  • Generates buzz and excitement

  • Motivating call-to-action

  • Share-worthy

• Explainer Videos: Sometimes less is more. That is why explainer videos shine as they capture the essence of what can be otherwise a complex subject matter. Distill into more digestible, engaging content that makes it easy for your customers to understand your product or service.

  •  In an era where content consumption rates have reached an all-time high, explainer videos remain one of the most compelling videos to engage and convert new customers.

  • Two minutes or less

  • Clear, concise and conversational

  • Specific call-to-action

  • Makes a complex process simple

• Company Story: Also known as an "About Us" video, company story videos tells the story of your Company, philosophy, people, mission and values. These videos often feature company founders and team members.

  • Brands use these videos to create a stronger connection with their customers, attach real human faces to their brand, and draw in potential customers who share the same values.

  • 2 - 4 minutes in length

  • Passionate, authentic, conversational and approachable

  • Features multiple voices in the Company

  • Stays true to your brand

• Customer testimonial: A customer testimonial video provides social proof to prospective buyers that your product or service has worked for other buyers like them. It works to eliminate that doubt in their mind by adding credibility to your brand. 

  • Authentic, with personal details

  • Natural, unscripted responses

  • Not overly promotional and focused on the customer

  • Clear problem/solution narrative

• How-to Videos: How-To videos are helpful content you share with the world, teaching the viewer how to do something themselves. This type of content is typically found on YouTube, the world's second-largest search engine.

  • Useful how-tos

  • Works well as a body of work - multiple videos

  • Valuable and informative - not promotional

  • Simple, easy-to-follow teaching points

  • Engaging on-screen talent or characters

• Video Series: Video series is a way to build connections with your audience or customer over an extended period. They're often created as a cohesive body of work and feature an episodic format.

  • Consistent message / theme

  • Tells multiple stories with a common thread/theme

  • Minimum 5

  • Cohesively branded and promoted as a series

• Social Media: Social media videos are specifically crafted to capture the attention of social media scrollers. 

  • Meant to grab attention quickly and efficiently

  • Assumes audio is muted

  • Communicate a single message externally

  • Formatted and optimized for mobile viewing

  • It can be used for awareness, specific call-to-action, educating your audience

• Brand Content: Branded videos are pieces of content that you put out in the world for the sole purpose of entertaining and delighting your audience. A key differentiator of these is that they're not self-promotional in any way. Instead, they focus on entertaining telling stories with your brand strategically placed throughout the content.

  • Short and sweet

  • Not self-promotional

  • Tells a story

  • Feels genuine and authentic

  • It can be good as social content

• Internal Content: Internal videos are an excellent form of internal communication. Brands use them to share a message, process, idea or story internally with their team members in a fun, engaging, emotional or entertaining way. They can also be used to celebrate company and employee milestones.

  • Three minutes or less

  • Clear and concise

  • In your brand voice

  • Internal Audience-specific

• Product Video: With product video, online consumers can familiarize themselves with products in depth. It's the next best thing to actually own or use a product. With the added benefit of having the control to show it in its best light, you can ensure that a viewer's impression is positive and lasting.

  • Made to spec for eCommerce platforms (Shopify, Amazon)

  • Focuses on showcasing the product only and/or in lifestyle settings

  • May feature a model and/or lifestyle setting

7. What is your budget for creating the video?

A budget will define how big your scope can be. A small budget doesn't mean you can't create a fantastic video. It just requires a more outside-of-the-box perspective. Whether your budget is less than five thousand or more than fifty thousand, it is essential to keep an open mind to take maximum advantage of the money you are spending. With a larger budget, you may be able to have a faster turnaround time or hire more resources to complete the project. It may also allow you to have a more crisp clear quality through the use of more expensive equipment. Smaller budgets may feel limiting, but they can actually be a place for creativity to grow and prosper if you allow them to.

Coming in with a budget in mind and making it known to whoever is producing your video will help them to guide you in determining where you can take your project.

8. Who do you want to be involved in the video?

Will it be your employees or customers? Actors or models? Other professionals such as makeup artists may also be required, especially for commercial videos. Defining who will be involved in your video will allow you to properly communicate to them what is to be expected and obtain the proper photo releases.

9. Who are the key stakeholders who need to approve the final video?

Are you the final approval? That's easy! You are ready to get started.

If not, you will need your project to be approved by your managers,  bosses, or even the participants. Having a plan of who needs to be consulted before you start will allow you to get approval quicker when needed.

10. When do you want to finish the video?

Having a realistic timeline is essential. Video project timelines vary depending on style and complexity. You should expect 6-8 week timeline for a smaller scope project and up to 3 months for larger scale productions. Faster turnaround times may require a larger budget to compensate for overtime hours or extra staffing on set.