Avoid This Huge Corporate Video Mistake
Savor…Chicago 28th St. Cafe
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This might be the biggest corporate video mistake business leaders make when they produce a corporate video. They create a video that’s all about the things they want to hear without giving any regard for their audience. Executives who don’t hesitate to preach “put the customer first” often fail to put their viewers first.
Why Should Viewers Care?
Which is why it’s worth a little reminder here. The viewer has to be top of mind as you work on different video projects. Anytime I’m faced with including something in a video, I ask myself… why would viewers care? If I can’t come up with a good answer, that material ends-up on the cutting room floor.
It’s a hard process for some to go through. I get it. People are passionate about their companies. They want to shout from the rooftop about all the great things they’re doing. Many times they want to include all of it in their videos… whether it makes any difference to the audience or not.
Click… there go your viewers
This is a critical mistake. Why? Because as soon as you start pounding your chest about something the audience doesn’t care about… CLICK!… they’re gone. They move on to another video.
It doesn’t have anything to do with attention spans. It’s all about relevance. If a video is going on about something that doesn’t effect them, they’ll just watch something else. Or if they’re a captive audience… for example, at an event… they’ll just mentally tune it out, which is just as bad.
Corporate Video Case Study
I’m actually working on a current project for Savor… Chicago that serves as a good example. We’re producing a video for them that’s highlighting many of the green efforts the company is making as the catering company at Chicago’s convention center, McCormick Place.
The list of things they’re doing goes on and on, and it’s all pretty impressive. During our interviews, they also highlighted some programs that are off-shoots to their sustainable practices. However, I didn’t include any of them in the script we presented before the video editing began.
I would have loved to put in the information, but I asked myself that question… why would viewers care? The audience has tuned in to watch a video about sustainability and environmentally-friendly procedures. The other programs they highlighted didn’t deal with those things. They weren’t on topic. That’s enough for me… the information doesn’t make the cut.
To their general manager’s credit, she didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. I was expecting to have to explain myself, but she didn’t question it at all. She gets it. Focus on the audience and its needs.
Putting viewers first is an essential mindset for any video project.
–Tony Gnau
Tony Gnau is the Founder and Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions.
He’s a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, has led T60 Productions to winning 18 Telly Awards for its corporate videos, and is the author of the Amazon #1 Bestseller “Lights, Camera, Impact: storytelling, branding, and production tips for engaging corporate videos.”