19 Aug Common Corporate Video Production Mistakes

In today’s digital age, corporate videos are a powerful tool for communication, marketing and brand building. However, creating an effective corporate video is not as simple as pointing a camera and hitting record. There are numerous pitfalls that can derail your project, resulting in a final product that fails to meet its objectives or represent your company in the best light. Here are some common corporate video production mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mistake 1: Lack of Clear Objectives

One of the most common mistakes in corporate video production is starting a project without clearly defined objectives. Without a clear purpose, your video can end up unfocused, confusing and ineffective. What job is your video trying to do? Where will it be seen? By who? What return on investment should you expect?

How to Avoid It:
Before you begin production, take the time to define your goals. Are you trying to increase brand awareness, educate your employees, promote a new product or service, or generate leads? Establish key performance indicators to measure success and ensure that everyone involved in the project understands the video’s purpose. This clarity will guide your content, style and messaging.

Mistake 2: Unrelatable to your Audience

Creating a video that doesn’t resonate with your target audience is a critical misstep. If the content doesn’t speak to the needs, interests and pain points of your intended viewers, it will likely fail to engage them.

How to Avoid It:
Conduct research to understand your audience and where they will want to see your video. Consider their demographics, preferences and challenges. Tailor your message to address these factors directly. Use language, tone, visuals and an approach to your video that will appeal to your audience, ensuring that the video feels relevant and relatable to them.

Mistake 3: Poor Scriptwriting

A weak or poorly structured script can make your video confusing, boring or hard to follow. Even a visually stunning video can fall flat if the script doesn’t convey your message effectively. Without a compelling narrative, viewers may struggle to connect with the content emotionally.

How to Avoid It:
Invest time in developing a strong script that covers all the key messaging that you’re intending for this video. Start with a clear outline that aligns with your objectives and flows logically from one point to the next. Keep your language concise and avoid jargon that may confuse your audience. Even in a corporate setting, a good story can make your message more engaging and memorable. Structure your video with a beginning, middle and an end that resonate with your audience.

You might want to consider hiring a professional script writer to ensure your message is communicated in a clear and engaging way.

Mistake 4: Underestimating the Importance of Pre-Production

Rushing through the pre-production phase to the actual shooting, can lead to problems during filming and post-production. Inadequate planning can result in missed shots, disorganised production schedules, budget overruns and a video that doesn’t quite meet its objectives.

How to Avoid It:
Dedicate sufficient time to pre-production. This phase should include thorough planning, storyboarding, location scouting, scheduling and organising crew and equipment. The more detailed your pre-production process, the smoother the rest of the project will go. This for us at Perpetua, is the key thing to get right before filming for any successful project.

Mistake 5: Overloading the Video with Information

Trying to cram too much information into a single video can overwhelm your audience and dilute your message. Viewers may lose interest if the video is too long or packed with excessive details. Having a video that tries to cover lots of different objectives often then misses the mark on all of them.

How to Avoid It:
Focus on one or two key messages per video. Keep your content concise and to the point. If you have a lot of information to share, consider breaking it up into a series of shorter videos. This approach helps maintain viewer engagement and ensures that your message is delivered effectively.

Mistake 6: Neglecting Video Quality

Low-quality video production can damage your brand’s reputation. Poor lighting, shaky camera work, bad sound quality and unprofessional editing can make your video, and brand, look amateurish and untrustworthy.

How to Avoid It:
Invest in quality production values. Use professional-grade equipment or use a crew with a track record of producing high-quality content. Pay attention to details like lighting, sound and editing, as these elements significantly impact the overall quality of the video and representation of your company. There is often no replacement for hiring a reputable video production company who bring with them a wealth of experience, as well as their top quality equipment. 

Mistake 7: Ignoring Post-Production

Rushing through post-production can lead to missed opportunities to enhance your video. This phase is crucial for refining your content, ensuring consistency and adding elements like music, graphics and special effects.

How to Avoid It:
Allocate adequate time and resources to post-production. Review your footage carefully, edit for clarity and pacing, and add finishing touches that align with your brand’s style and tone. Consider getting feedback from colleagues before finalising the video.

Mistake 8: Not Promoting the Video Effectively

Even the best corporate video will not achieve its objectives if it’s not seen by the right people. Failing to plan for distribution can limit the video’s impact.

How to Avoid It:
Develop a distribution strategy before the video is completed. Decide where and how you will share the video, whether on social media, your website, email campaigns or other platforms. Optimize the video for each platform and consider using paid promotion to reach a broader audience.

Mistake 9: Neglecting to Measure Results

Failing to measure the success of your video means you won’t know whether it achieved its goals. Without data, you can’t learn from the experience or improve future videos.

How to Avoid It:
Use analytics tools to track the performance of your video. Monitor metrics like views, engagement, click-through rate, and conversions. Compare these results against your KPIs to determine the video’s effectiveness and identify areas for improvement in future projects.

Corporate video production is a powerful tool, but it requires careful planning and execution to be successful. By avoiding these common corporate video production mistakes, you can create content that not only look professional but also achieve your business objectives. Whether you’re working with an in-house team or partnering with a production company, keeping these tips in mind will help you produce content that resonates with your audience and strengthens your brand.

Also, check out more about the production process here in our recent blog.