Video Marketing Goes Behind-The-Scenes

Video Content Marketing Goes Behind-The-ScenesI love that big brands are catching on to the power of video marketing, but even the biggest of brands have the occasional misstep.

There’s a lot to praise with American Airlines. The company has been churning out quality videos for years, and they’re responsible for one of my favorites. I also love a current series.. sort of.

Behind-the-scenes video marketing

American Airline’s YouTube channel features a whole playlist of behind-the-scenes videos. This is something I highly recommend for businesses. If you’re looking for video content ideas, this is one of the easiest and most interesting series you can produce.

Start with the company itself. Produce a story on each department… from management to manufacturing… from HR to the custodial department. Introduce us to the people who staff those departments, show what they do and how it impacts customers. The more viewers learn about your business and the people behind it, they more they’ll trust you… and want to buy from you.

Something to avoid

Which brings us back to American Airlines. Again, I love that they did the series. Unfortunately, it falls flat for two big reasons…

  • the videos are way too long. 4-minutes… 5-minutes… videos like these should be 2-3 minutes, tops.
  • the videos just don’t come off as professional. There are audio issues… camera problems… some uneven editing. That may be acceptable if you’re a small company, but not when you’re a Fortune 500 brand.

Their misstep is your cautionary tale. Coming up with a good series idea is only part of what needs to be done. You also need to execute. Viewers are more sophisticated than some people give them credit for. When they see something substandard, they tune out… or in this case… click away.

Behind-the-scenes videos can put your company in a new light, but make sure your production doesn’t make it an unprofessional one.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 12 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.