Great company culture videos truly speak from the heart. They take your people, your milestones, and your successes and package them into bite-size helpings that embody who you are, what you do, where your passion comes from, and why.
What Company Culture Videos Seek to Accomplish
While it is simple to explain what you do or make, it is not as simple to describe who you are. A well-crafted video can distill an emotion or a thought into a two-minute experience that leaves the viewer with the notion that your company is one they would be proud to work for or with. Here is who a company culture video can speak to:
Represent Your Company to Tomorrow’s Leaders
When every hire is important, you want to make sure your company culture meshes with an applicant’s personality and style. In the past, the only way to know this for sure was after they were hired. Through video, you can easily show them what working for you is like and your biggest accomplishments. If they are smart and proactive, potential employees will research your company, and perhaps the most important part of that research is how your company is depicted through culture videos. Once employees are hired, customized onboarding videos can show and tell them everything they need to know about their new career.
Represent Your Culture To Everyone Else
Video can speak volumes about who your company is. “Who” is correct in this instance because any group of people who are brought together through a common goal develop a culture and a group personality all their own. They see current employees working in their environments, they see how a company appreciates and respects their customers, and it confirms the notion that your company is invested in their success. Culture videos are instrumental to current and potential customers when they are looking to start or continue a relationship with your company.
How to Present Your Company Culture Through Video
Businesses aren’t static, they move and think, and they problem-solve. They celebrate successes, they honor their employees, and all of this can be captured and conveyed through video. A company culture video is more than a simple snapshot. While the content may speak about one or two topics and last no more than two or three minutes, the video immerses the viewer in your culture and leaves them with a clear picture of your values and your goals.
Culture videos document what your company does when it isn’t doing what it normally does. This means company picnics, softball games, paintball wars, trivia nights, karaoke, ax throwing, sports games, bowling parties, and happy hours. It also means charitable contributions, volunteer work, and pro-bono activities like visiting schools or entertaining tours through your facilities. What your company does outside of the office says a lot about how they approach business relationships and how they treat their employees. This can often define why a customer would choose your company over another.
Company culture videos don’t always need a bigger purpose. Something as external as the St. Louis Blues winning the Stanley Cup Final and every employee wearing their finest Blues jersey is a great show of unity for a common cause. It is also an opportunity to be a little silly and present your company not as a stuffy collection of hallways but as a living, breathing entity … that loves hockey. This seems like a small moment, but it is moments like these that give potential customers and employees a powerful glimpse of the togetherness and unity within your organization.
Employees are passionate about their jobs. That is why one of the best ice-breaker topics is “What do you do for a living?” Ask an employee to explain what they do, and you will most likely get a 30-minute explanation of every nuance and detail. Ask them why they are proud to work where they do, and the response they give will most likely be heartfelt and emotional. Your employees have a deep connection between their jobs and their role within the company, and when they are proud of what they do and who they do it for, it provides a great opportunity to capture that and showcase it.
Building on the pride employees have for their jobs, when someone has a major achievement, like winning a major industry award, passing a career milestone, or are retiring after many years with the company, it’s always a great idea to commemorate these achievements with an interview video. Employee spotlights are great ways to recognize these key individuals.
Highlight Social Responsibility
Modern workplaces are changing, which means company cultures must also change to embrace new ways of thinking and different lifestyles. Culture videos help set the tone and define how your company approaches these social issues, something that is incredibly important in today’s society.
There are fewer things more powerful than seeing the physical result of hard work. This pride in accomplishment is positive motivation not only for the employees that work with a certain client but also the client themselves. Business relationships are built on trust and shared outcomes, and culture videos are an important tool that helps align client expectations with your abilities. Remember that client successes go both ways. Happy clients that believe in your company share your vision and feel as if you work miracles are typically happy to lend their voice and image to a success video. They would want the same from their customers.
All businesses have goals. They may be metric-based goals such as customers served, financial goals such as higher profit margin, or even territorial goals like complete market domination of Southern Minnesota. Goals are meant to be achieved, and when they are, a great way to memorialize them is with a video. Internally it recognizes the hard work that everyone did to get there, and externally it is evidence that your company is one that works hard to achieve success. Depending on the goal, these videos also serve as explainer videos that describe a process or illustrate the development of a new product.
Most companies have a mission statement or a code of ethics. Lots of thought goes into these values, and employee and executive compensation may be based on how well the employee adheres to them. While these values are usually found on the website, a more impactful way to present them is through a custom culture video. Video allows you to set the tone and cadence exactly how you want it, so the mission statement and code of ethics are crystal clear to viewers.
As businesses grow, they change. New employees, new goals, and new challenges come with growth. While the brain trust of the company steers everyone through smooth and rough waters, culture videos are important tools to provide transparency to internal and external stakeholders during these times.
The Elements of a Great Company Culture Video
What makes a great video? For your video marketing to have the impact you want, it needs to fulfill certain criteria. Here are some proven elements of effective company culture videos.
- Showcase real people doing real things.
- Let the viewer visit your buildings.
- Show processes from beginning to end.
- Explain why you are unique.
- Tell a story.
- Include input from your employees.
- Show enthusiasm.
- Describe your advantages.
- Have fun.
- Don’t oversell.
- Be genuine.
Remember that this video, and all others like it, act as a resume for your company. With this mindset, it is simple to produce content that is simple, fun, and informative.
Abstrakt Studios Delivers Customized Company Culture Video Content
Whether your company is buttoned-down, traditional, quirky, or just plain crazy, company culture videos are a smart way to let your flag fly. Through the power and customizability of video, Abstrakt Studios knows exactly how to showcase your people, your mission, your processes, your products, and your culture. With a series of cohesive, fun, informative business videos, applicants will know more about your company, employees will feel pride about their accomplishments, and customers will understand what makes your company tick.
For more information about Abstrakt Studios and what we can do, from corporate video to TV commercials, reach out to us today!
Backed by the capabilities of the largest marketing firm in town (and pretty soon the nation), Abstrakt Studios is the smart choice for St. Louis video production.
