If you’ve ever looked at someone’s profile on a dating site…
Or the Facebook profile of a random stranger’s friend request, you can pretty much tell almost immediately if it’s going to be a yes or no.
It all depends on the vibe they give off.
In the business world, both B2B and B2C, a company’s culture and values are the “vibe” they give off. And one of the best ways this is portrayed is through a company culture video.
Whether they’re called company culture videos or corporate videos, they’re the windows to your organization’s soul.
In just a minute, your company culture gives people the entire gist of your values, what it’s like to work in your organization, and the overall vibe.
So for businesses that care about their perception of their brand, it’s important to get their corporate video done right.
In this post, we’ll provide an all-encompassing rundown of company culture videos — including some tips to create yours and examples of what good ones look like. If you stick around to the end, you’ll leave with actionable tips to create your own amazing company culture video.
Let’s dive right in!
What are company culture videos?
First things first.
What are company culture videos anyways?
As mentioned above, company culture videos capture not only your employee working experience but your core values and personality as well. It tells your brand story and gives people — partners, potential employees, and customers — what it’s like to work for in your organization.
Do you even need a company culture video?
Now that we’re on the same page with company culture videos, you’re most likely wondering if they’re really important and if you need them at all.
The short answer is yes, they’re essential for businesses and you most likely need them. But ultimately it depends on your needs. Here are some reasons why;
In a study carried out by Delloite, they found that “94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success.”
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Set clear expectations
Videos that highlight your company culture helps set expectations and make it easier for potential hires to decide if you’re a good fit. When people watch your company culture video, they get to decide if they align with your brand values and if it’s a place they’d like to work at.
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Better employee engagement
83% of executives and 84% of employees rank having engaged and motivated employees as the top factor that substantially contributes to a company’s success.
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Reduced Turnover
This is somewhat tied to setting clear expectations. When the workplace culture in your organization resonates with a potential employee, they’re more likely to stick for long periods of time. This is because they already know what to expect and are better suited to adapt and fit in.
On the flip side, if part of your organization’s component is speed and you onboard an employee that doesn’t thrive in a fast-paced environment, there might be issues in the nearest future. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes clear the relationship isn’t working.
One way around it is the employee pushing themselves to adapt by stepping out of their comfort zone.
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Increased productivity and performance
Also, there is a correlation between employees who say they are “happy at work” and feel “valued by [their] company” and those who say their organization has a clearly articulated and lived culture.
Types of company culture videos
So far we’ve gone over what company culture videos are and why they’re important. But as mentioned earlier, the benefits depend on your needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all “kind” of culture video.
That being said, let’s briefly look at the different approaches most businesses use to handle corporate video production;
1. About us
When was the last time you read the “About us” on a business’ website?
Yeah, you’re not alone.
Almost everyone has an about us page but words do not do justice to your brand story. Videos, on the other hand, can help you really connect with your audience and communicate in ways words can’t.
These kinds of corporate videos are a great way to share your organization’s origin story, unique accomplishments/awards, or impressive statistics.
2. Workplace culture
In this case, the goal is to give people a sneak peek [and show off ;)] at what a typical day is like at your company.
Videos like these are a good way for potential Not reserved for only potential employees — your prospects may also want to know about your workplace culture before deciding whether to work with you.
Example: “a day in the life” videos, where you showcase one day at your office.
3. Holiday
Holiday videos can inspire loads of engagement and exposure. Some examples include; winter holidays, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and a couple more.
4. Recruitment
Recruiting videos encourage the right people to apply by showing what it’s like to work at your company.
What to consider when creating company culture videos
Before we go over the steps of creating your video, it’s important to keep some things in mind. Think of it as a checklist to make sure you’re on the right track.
Plan the format
Before you write even one letter of your script, you need to be clear on what style of video you’re going to produce.
This will largely depend on your audience and your goals. You need to produce a video that will resonate with your viewers as much as possible. It could be a 2D or 3D animation, a live-action, or a talking head style.
Whatever format you decide to use, bear in mind that the goal should be to communicate your message clearly.
What you want to include
Another important thing you should be clear on is what you want to include in the video.
The last thing you want is to have a lot of distracting elements in your video that end up confusing your audience. You risk getting comments like these on your video;
Or these…
(21 people agree?)
And these too…
Yikes.
So be sure to answer these questions clearly
- Why do you do what you do?
- What makes your company unique?
- Why do your loyal customers love you?
Length of the video
There’s no point in making your company culture video unnecessarily long.
No one wants to spend 10 or more minutes of their time watching a video about a company.
The ideal length would be somewhere between 1:30 seconds and 3 minutes. So keep it short and try as much as possible not to exceed 4 minutes.
How to produce an awesome company culture video
If you’re sold on the idea of having a company culture video (which I hope you are), you’re probably wondering what it would take to create one.
What stops most people from getting started is the false belief that these videos are too expensive or take a lot of time to produce.
These are common misconceptions about video marketing like the cost of production, time, low ROI, and lots more. And in this article, we picked the common ones and cleared the air on those.
So here’s how to produce your company culture video;
1. Write down your goals
Before you do anything at all, you need to be clear on what you aim to achieve, the message you’re trying to pass, and who you’re trying to reach. Be sure to answer important questions like;
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- Your target audience
- Your budget for the video
- Company size
- Core values
2. Draft a script and review it with your team
This is where you sketch out your ideas and fine-tune them. Write a short script and outline if needed, and then share it with your team. Be sure to keep it simple and ensure that the message is clear.
Once everyone is on the same page, it’s time to bring your thoughts to life.
3. Practice a few times
Not everyone is going to get it right in the first, second, or even fifth attempt. Be sure to have fun while at it and make sure no one is feeling pressured.
Once everyone has a good grasp of their roles, it’s time to shoot.
4. Record the video
There are two ways you can do this.
You can either hire a videographer or produce your video in-house to save cost. If you’d like to go this route, you don’t need expensive gear at all.
Employees can quickly record videos on their phones with the Dubb mobile app — then each clip will be edited and merged. It’s a quick and easy process.
The goal here is to be real and authentic.
Remember, not everyone might be comfortable in front of the camera, so you need to reassure everyone that there’s no pressure.
So relax and have fun while at it and if possible, try to include some level of humor.
5. Edit and refine
Finally, it’s time to polish it up.
Once you’ve finished recording, you can hire a video editor, or assign your in-house team to clean it up.
The aim isn’t to make it glossy and boring, the goal is to cut out any errors and make sure the video follows the script.
Do’s a.k.a Best practices
- Tell a story
There are a couple of angles to tell a story through your video. Pick a specific angle like;
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- The experience of the very first hire
- Set it around a specific event
- A normal workday
- Through the eyes of the CEO
- Talk about how the company started and its vision.
- Inject some humor
Who doesn’t loves a good laugh once in a while?
Remember, the point is to appeal to the viewer’s emotions while being authentic. So feel free to include bloopers or do something silly.
When you get your audience to laugh, they’ll lower their guard and it’s a reminder that we’re humans.
- Show don’t tell
Instead of telling viewers about specific benefits, opportunities, or the fun stuff you do after work, show them. Give room for the viewer to picture themselves going through the experience.
- Show a positive work environment and culture
- Show opportunity for employee and company growth
Don’ts a.k.a Some Things to Avoid
- Avoid distracting scenes
Don’t try to fit everything into one short video, you’ll end up not saying anything in particular. Pick an angle and stick to it.
- Avoid trying to sell in the video
Please, and please, avoid talking about your services or the features of your product in your company culture video. The goal of the video is to show your culture, and not to make a sale. Avoid giving reasons why prospects should buy your product.
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Don’t focus too much on perks.
Instead of focusing on the benefits and perks of working in your organization, try to communicate a healthy culture and work-life balance.
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Telling too many stories or Not telling a story.
What Does A Good Company Culture Video Look Like?
If you need some inspiration, here are some companies that nailed their culture videos.
1. Asana
Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.
2. HubSpot
3. Netflix
Reed Hastings, Co-CEO of Netflix, shares his top 5 Lessons Learned over the years.
4. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign was built to give growing businesses the tools they need to compete with even much larger companies.
5. Zendesk
Zendesk is a service-first CRM company that builds software designed to improve customer relationships.
Where to use and share your company culture video
After producing your awesome video, it’s time to share it with the world. It’s important to note that some channels are better suited for a particular kind of culture video. Here are some great channels;
1. Website and Blog
Your website is a great place to share your culture video. The “About us” or “homepage” section would be great for the “origin-story-style” of video as it shows.
On the flip side, a “recruitment” or “workplace” style video would fit in the career page or blog.
2. Social media
If your company culture video is part of a recruiting campaign, then it would make sense to share them on social media. Channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Facebook are good places to start.
3. Email newsletter
Your email list is a great opportunity to share your culture with current and potential customers.
Ready to create your company culture video?
Whew!
We’ve gone over what culture videos are and why they’re important. At this point, you have actionable tips and a checklist and to start producing yours.
Most businesses drag feet or put off video production because they think they’re too expensive or complicated, which is false.
Dubb makes it easy to record, edit, and share awesome videos from your phone or computer. If you’d like to see why 40,000 business professionals are using Dubb to create powerful videos, feel free to grab a free account here. No credit card required.
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