With today’s expansive digital media landscape, information is published and consumed faster than ever before. In order to capture the attention and mindshare of your key target audiences, it has become even more important to utilize rich, multimedia assets to accompany your traditional press materials. And while the infographic has become increasingly popular to convey a company’s message in a visually compelling manner, the use of video continues to be a very effective way to differentiate your offering, educate your customers and influence your influencers.
Gone are the days where video production was considered costly and confined to production inside an elaborate studio. Modern technology has made the creation and dissemination of video even easier, and has transformed how companies communicate today.
I recently came across an article on Ragan’s PR Daily that reminded me just how prevalent the use of video is in media today, and suggested some ways it can be leveraged to reach the masses. One suggestion was in the creation of video blogs, which we have previously discussed on our own blog. However, there are a number of ways in which communication professionals can make use of this powerful medium.
Consider the following:
- Company Overview. To create a more engaging experience for customers who visit your “about us” webpage, consider creating a short video to highlight the company’s mission and values, its history and key milestones, and a virtual tour of the office(s). The video may not only help prospective customers to select your services over a competitor, but it may also help with recruitment of potential employees as well.
- Feature Your Company Executives. One of our clients, Tecplot, recently created a video capturing interviews with several of its senior executives about the creation of Tecplot Chorus, a new simulation analytics tool that allows CFD engineers to easily discover trends and anomalies. Interviewing senior level executives about the company, its products and services, or industry trends, is a great way to establish and build upon your company’s thought leadership.
- Customer Testimonials. Nothing is more persuasive than having a customer testimonial captured on video to convey how your products and services have helped them achieve their business goals. An asset like this will help to drive sales among your current and prospective clientele.
- Product Demonstrations. Creating a video demo showcasing a product’s key features not only demonstrates how the product works, but can also differentiate the product from your competitors. Our client Tecplot, also created several product demos and video tutorials for the launch of Tecplot Chorus, to illustrate how it is the new generation of post-processing tools for engineers. In our media efforts to support the product’s launch, several media outlets found these videos valuable when illustrating their coverage on the product.
There is no denying that the use of video can be very effective in communicating your company’s message. Regardless of what you create, make sure your videos are short but as interesting as possible. And as the article on Ragan suggests, it is important to have a well-planned strategy in place to ensure you are delivering the right message to your key audiences.
How do you use video in your company’s communications strategy? What have you found to be the most effective?