When one hears the term documentary, we often think of real-life video storytelling of endangered animals, war, hunger or other social issues or historical events. But documentaries can also take on a more light-hearted approach. Brand documentaries, in particular, strive to tell true, compelling stories of regular people in order to promote a company, corporation, nonprofit or products. It’s no secret that reality sells, and more and more companies are taking notice.
A brand documentary is not solely an advertisement. In fact, advertising the brand comes secondary to the entertainment. “So, why even bother?” you might ask. Multi-media storytelling is a powerful tool because it allows consumers to see a different side of your brand, and often encourages or inspires them. This type of advertising throws companies into the world of content creation, and content creation is a dynamic way to engage consumers through entertaining. It opens up a conversation between a brand and the audience.
The best brand documentaries are multi-dimensional and can include text, infographics, stills and video. Incorporating these elements in a brand film can provide a more polished, professional and compelling look. Having good audio is also paramount to creating an impactful documentary. Bad audio distracts consumers and can make good video quality appear worse. Alternatively, great audio can add drama to still photos, making them seem more real and garnering emotion from your audience.
Creating a brand documentary is no easy task, but following these simple steps can help any marketer achieve an exceptional result.
- Choose a story. The story you chose to tell should relate to your brand in some way. Or it should relate to your company’s core values or philanthropy.
- Define a focus and create a plan. Conduct research on your topic and preliminary interviews with subjects to get an idea of how to center the film on one main concept. Next, put together a shot list or storyboard for how you plan to capture the content.
- Gather content. Shoot your video, conduct on-camera interviews and design the graphics.
- Edit content. Review video and edit it in a way that fulfills the purpose/focus of the film. You can also add still photos or graphics to help better convey your focus.
At Transformation Marketing in Lincoln, Nebraska, we can help you find the right type of video for your company and clientele. Give us a call today!