How-To Create A Great About Us Video
Video has come a long way as a marketing tool. Gone are the days when it was a luxury. Now… it’s a must use. You’ve likely seen the data regarding the number of people who are watching online video, so it’s no wonder companies are choosing to use the medium to promote their brands. There are several types of videos businesses can produce to get started, but one stands above them all as the video every company should create.
The About Us Video
Imagine you have a specific need for a product or service. You sit down at your computer to research companies. You Google… surfing from web site to web site. You’re greeted by images and lots of text, and it all starts to look and feel the same.
That is until you come to Company X. It has the familiar images and text, but there’s also a video. You click and you watch. If it’s a well-produced video that tells a nice story, you’ve just found a company that has set itself apart from the rest. That’s the power of video.
Whether your business is B2C or B2B, a solid About Us video can help your company stand out. It can set your company apart from the competition. While most companies require prospects to read and imagine what it’s like doing business with that company, others show them through video.
Create a Great First Impression
For many people, your About Us video is going to be the first time they’ve seen and heard from you. That’s why I like to refer to it as your first impression video, and why it’s crucial to have a good one.
It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. It doesn’t have to list off every product. It doesn’t have to detail every service. Video isn’t about facts and figures. It’s about emotion. We want to use the About Us video to tap emotion, and start earning people’s trust.
I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats!
When people put together “video” and “emotion” in their minds, many instantly think it means their video needs to either make people laugh or cry. They’re wrong.
Those are great emotions to tap, and if you can pull it off… great… but they’re not the only emotions you can target.
Think about it this way. How do you want your audience to feel about your company? That’s the type of emotion we’re going after with the About Us video.
How about confidence? Do you want people to feel a sense of confidence about your business?
Want them to feel good about you? Want to make your prospects smile?
Maybe you want them to feel impressed by your company’s size and stature, or maybe feeling excited about the prospects of a small business on the rise?
There are all sorts of feelings available to you. The key is to pick one important to your business and make sure your video reflects it.
Tricks of the Trade
How? The music you choose will go a long way to setting the mood. If you’re using sound bites, picking the right ones will help as well. These are the types of things a professional video producer (aka storyteller) can help with. Talk with them ahead of time. Let them know about the feeling you’re trying to elicit from the audience and they’ll craft a story to achieve that goal.
Don’t Make This Mistake
Of course, while you’re creating that feeling for viewers you’re also passing along some basic information. “Basic” is the key word here. What’s your company all about? What sets you apart from your competition? How do you help solve your customers’ problems?
It’s kind of crazy, but one of the biggest mistakes business leaders make when they produce any video is that they create something for themselves instead of their audience. The video is packed with all sorts of things they think are awesome about their company, but hold little interest for viewers.
When you look at a script or a first-cut of a video, you should always do your best to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. What’s important to them? If there’s something in the video that doesn’t speak to them, eliminate it.
Remember, your About Us video might be about your business, but it isn’t for your business. Every decision you make about the content and tone of the video should be focused on your viewers. This video is for them.
DIY vs. Pro
We can handle this… we’ll just shoot it on our smart phones!
Are you sure about that? Just because we all carry HD video cameras in our pockets and purses these days doesn’t mean everyone is capable of producing a marketing video.
Having said that, there are circumstances where I endorse people producing DIY marketing videos:
- the company is a startup and/or has no marketing budget. That’s ZERO dollars for marketing.
- it’s a kitschy company culture, and customers like that about the business.
- the marketing videos are things like Facebook Live, short Instagram videos, slideshows with text and music
Everyone else… please, hire a pro to produce your About Us video. If you have a decent budget, great. If not, don’t worry… there are ways to produce low cost videos. Yes, hiring a professional is going to cost you something, but it could cost you more than dollars if you do it yourself.
How’s that? Your reputation is on the line. Amateur videos make your company look like an amateur. This is not the first impression you want to create.
Wrapping Up
An About Us video is a great place for any business to get started with marketing videos.
It’s a way to make your company standout from the crowd, and start earning the trust of your customers.
Don’t just tell people about your company, show them.
– 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.”