When companies think about creating a video, the first video they think of is a company introduction video. An introduction video is just what it sounds like. It is a video that goes on the homepage of your website as an introduction to your company. This video can be called by many different names. My favorite is ‘sales video’ because this video should be part of a series of videos to help drive sales. Most companies create this video because their web designer recommended it or because the CEO wants it. Your video shouldn’t exist just as something to check off your to-do list. Relegating your company introduction video to just another task without a purpose has caused most company introduction videos to sound and look the same. You could change the name of the company and the video would easily work for another company.
Clarity is a competitive advantage
It is true that a video on your home page can help your Google ranking, usually by increasing time on the page. This is good but a better Google ranking doesn’t necessarily help your business. Extra time on your website doesn’t mean a thing if that message is confusing to your visitor. Conventional company introduction videos that are focused on the company should focus on the needs of your customers or clients. People don’t care about the history of your company. What they care about is solving their problem. This makes the format of your video important. People prefer clear communication, something they can understand quickly. Using the following basic formula will help them and help your company.
What problem do you solve?
The first step, before you create this video, is that your company needs to have a clear understanding of what the purpose of this video is and where it fits in the sales process. This is one of the key videos in your video sales funnel, so you are going to want to get it right. Why are people visiting your website? Depending on what you sell, it is either to avoid pain or to gain pleasure. Most companies exist to solve the problem. Your video should start by identifying the problem they have as it relates to your product or service. There are two types of problems: surface problems and internal problems. Most marketing deals with surface problems because they are easier to identify. This is one more reason that all corporate videos look and sound alike. What’s an internal problem? Here’s an example: people don’t call my agency because they want video production, website design, or someone to manage their company’s social media campaigns. They call us because they want to clarify their message and/or increase sales. Whatever your company does, you need to figure out these inner problems because, once you do, your customers will be more engaged, and you will have a stronger message that your clients or customers will understand. Sometimes you have to talk about surface problems as an opportunity to talk about the real problem they have but are not aware of.
What solution do you provide?
Then, step two is talk about the solution. Here’s a hint: the solution isn’t your company. It is the way your company solves the problem. The more unique the solution, the better. Unless your company doesn’t have any competition, having a unique solution will be a competitive advantage.
The voice of your happy customers
The 3rd step is to add a testimonial or success story to add credibility because having someone else say how great you are is much more valuable to the viewer than if you say it. If you say it, it sounds like bragging. If someone else says it in a testimonial, it sounds natural. A happy customer or client can say things that you can’t.
Tell them what to do next
The final step is a call to action. You need to tell them what to do next. It sounds funny but marketing research shows that people need to be told what the next step is if you want them to take it. They might not do it and that’s OK. At least you let them know what to do when they are ready. A video without a call to action is a video without a purpose. You might be thinking that many TV commercials don’t have a strong CTA. That is because they have a different purpose. Most TV commercials are for awareness. A company introduction video needs to be active in driving sales. Your call to action needs to be actionable. ‘Call us’ or ‘contact us’ are not direct enough. It’s like asking a date if they want to go out with you sometime. If you want to go out on a date with someone, you give them a day and time. If you want to move people to buy what it is you offer, you need to tell them to “buy now” or request a quote, something that lets them know what the next step in your process is.
Be human
Your company introduction video should be short, around 2 -3 minutes max. If you can keep it under 2 minutes, it will make it more likely that people will watch it to the end. If you need to say more, consider creating additional videos. Make sure the video features people to humanize your brand. People want to do business with real people. Most companies, especially B2B companies, create videos and websites that are faceless. This is a missed sales opportunity. Software companies are the biggest offender of this. The average person doesn’t understand the Cloud but we do understand happy users. People want to do business with real people. It is important to give them someone to connect with. Whether it’s your CEO or a salesperson, featuring real people in your video is the quickest way to stand out from your competitors. How often do you see an automobile commercial without seeing a happy driver behind the wheel?
Leave the cartoons for Saturday morning
Your company introduction video should not be fully animated. Animated video, or motion graphic video, is great for explaining complex ideas or products. If you need that level of explanation, you can use animation in conjunction with a real person but never use it alone. Animated explainer videos were all the rage a few years ago but now they all look alike because they have become cheap to produce. The number one problem is they don’t feature real people, so they fail to connect with viewers on a human level. Your company introduction video should help you build relationships faster. You can’t build a relationship without a human.
Be professional with help
As you can tell, the script for this type of video is complex. Make sure you engage a professional scriptwriter for this video. Most people will try to create the script themselves and they will fail. I have been creating a corporate video for 20 years and I can count on one hand the number of those who thought they could do it themselves that actually succeeded at it. Your company introduction video is your company’s first impression so don’t cheap out on this video. The more creative, the better. This is a video that needs professional help that you can’t get from hiring a videographer and editor. You need a creative video director and a video marketer. Your company introduction video will have at least a 5-year shelf life. So, don’t be afraid to spend 20k or more on your video. The more difficult your video is to create, the harder it will be for your competitors to duplicate. There are over 30 different things to consider when planning this video. You need to make sure this video represents your brand properly.
Where to use it
We already talked about how this video should go on the front page of your website. Don’t hide this video on your ‘about us’ page. If you do, it will be unlikely that people will ever visit that page because they don’t really care who you are until they know you can solve their problem. Make sure your website design allows for this video to be one of the first things people see when they visit your website. You also need to maximize this video it shouldn’t only live on your company’s website. Your video should be posted to social media once a quarter. It should be part of your email nurturing process. It should also be part of your social media retargeting strategy such as your Facebook video ads. On your website, use a video player that tracks who watches the video and reports this information to your CRM. Often times, with just a few changes, this video can also be used as part of your company’s recruitment marketing plan. Finally, make sure your salespeople know how to properly use it as a follow-up tool. A company introduction video should be a valuable sales asset. Remember, create a plan for how it will drive sales before you ever start writing a script.
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