It’s happened. The unthinkable…the corporate video that everyone has been working on and planning for so long is now done. The DVDs have been sent out…and the response hasn’t been great. People are falling asleep. Why? Here’s 7 possible reasons…

1) The objective of the video was never established. A successful video needs to have a clear cut objective. Write it out…it should be a sentence long. Try it, it works.

2) A committee wrote the script. Ever heard of too many cooks in the kitchen? Same thing applies to writing video scripts. Too many voices, too many perspectives coming at the same script from too many places. A successful video needs to have focus.

3) The video wasn’t professionally produced. Hmmm…this hasn’t happened before has it? “Let’s bring in the intern from college…didn’t he say he had a camera?” Professionals pay close attention to detail and have honed their craft for years and years. They’re worth the money.

4) Not enough time was put into the project. Depending on the format of your show and the goals that you have set forth for your project….generally speaking two to three days should be reserved for the shooting. Sometimes less…sometimes more, but that’s a good average. Trying to fit too much into a single day of shooting can ultimately cause a project to fail.

5) The guy on camera was…well, a little boring! Personality is important…it engages the viewer and in order to deliver your message effectively you need to keep that viewer awake!

6) The video was too long. Five to seven minutes for a DVD, two minutes for a homepage video on your website. Attention span is everything…don’t assume that people will just watch.

7) The video didn’t have a subject matter expert on set. This is an important one. When producing an instructional video that will be distributed to your employees make sure that you have a subject matter expert on hand so that when taping correct procedural habits you know that you’re demonstrating proper behavior. It’s a must have.

Corporate video presentation in search of heart.

Does that statement hold true for videos that your organization has produced? It almost sounds like an online dating ad! The sad thing though is it’s true.

What makes a video successful? What resonates with audiences? What will resonate with your employees? It all starts with people. Real people. Answering real questions. Questions that matter…questions that elicit passion and substance.

What makes this work environment a special place to come to every day?

Why do people here go the extra mile?

Tell me about your biggest challenge everyday…how do you succeed in that? What makes you want to?

No organization is the same…there are no tried and true formulas, but finding what makes a company tick, and keying in on their success is the best place to start. Because in the end, any successful organization has to have a passion for what they do. Our job as storytellers is to deliver that emotion to their audience.