Where do you start when you decide to make a business video? The same place you begin when telling a story, making a presentation, or selling a product: define your audience. The ways to use video for your business are endless. Deciding the intended audience sets up a multitude of other decisions from content, to length, to viewing platform. This blog will help start the process of deciding what should be seen by whom.
The first decision is whether the video is for people on the outside of your business sphere or already inside it. Is it aimed outward at the crowds of potential clients and followers or inward at your employees, customers, and fans? Those two audiences are the pillars on which every type of video will stand.
Outward Audience
Videos that focus on the outward audience include brand videos, product videos, explainers, promotional videos, testimonials, and reviews (just to name a few). These focus on showcasing products, services, and businesses to potential clients. A brand video (like our Brand Essence videos) nurtures a relationship with viewers by sharing a company’s story and values, while a product video focuses on what they have to offer. Explainer videos can show how a product works and answer questions. Testimonials can be stories of customers’ experiences or even employees. Reviews mix those two by sharing an experience of using a product and how well it did or did not function. Promotional videos include more than just commercials. They range in length and can promote new releases, up-coming seminars or events, exciting updates, or product highlights. Each of these types of videos aims toward a larger crowd of viewers to pique their interest, raise brand awareness, and ultimately lead them to want more.
Inward Audience
The other pillar of business videos is for the inward audience. These communicate with people who are already a part of your team; employees, past and present clients, fans, and contacts. New employees, members, and customers benefit from on-boarding videos and ongoing training videos. Emails become more personal by incorporating video messages. Topical education and network news are shared through episodic videos like vlogs, podcasts, and webinars. The inward videos strengthen a company’s relationship with their people and promote growth.
The In-Between
The two pillars are linked together by a third category of videos. These are often social in nature and include videos that promote events, company culture, sharing presentations, learning tutorials, behind the scenes views, and live streaming. Any of the types of videos mentioned point to either outward and inward audiences. Many times they reach both! Things like upcoming events and interesting presentations or live streams are shared by your audience of “team” members to the “crowd.” Company culture and behind the scenes videos also invite outside people into your business circle while encouraging buy-in from your clients, employees, and friends.
If the image of two pillars doesn’t fly with you, you can also picture the categories of video audiences as two sides of a doorway. Outward videos aim to attract new leads from the masses and inward videos help the people who already know and support your business. The videos in the middle go between the inside and outside. Those social videos like to mingle with the crowds outside, but also have their home inside your company.
Audience Defines the Rest
Once you have figured out your target audience, it is easier to look at what you have to offer and share through video. To increase conversion of website traffic into clients, a good brand essence video shows who your business is and not just what you do. Subscribers looking to learn more in your field of expertise can look forward to training videos and webinars. Curious job-seekers will be attracted to the company culture through videos posted highlighting recent events.
Video length is another element quickly decided from knowing the audience. An on-boarding video will range much longer in length than a review because an employee needs to know the ins and outs of the process. A potential purchaser only needs to know a summary of the reviewer’s findings. A promotional on the same product would run even shorter to keep the viewer’s attention and tell them just enough to pursue more information.
The two pillars of video audiences support a host of business video ideas. The endless possibility of options can be overwhelming. However, when you know your story, your product or service, and your audience, using video for your business becomes not only possible, but powerful!
