Say goodbye to PowerPoint! Choose video presentations instead!
Product presentations, corporate presentations, event presentations... there was a time when PDF and PowerPoint reigned supreme. And fun was dead.
But that was then. Today, boring, static media are a thing of the past! Convey your message dynamically with video presentations! Thanks to this more engaging and creative format, you're sure to captivate your audience even more.
But questions are certainly on your mind.
What are the concrete uses and benefits of video presentations? How can you make a video to present your company, services or projects, without any directing skills?
You'll find all the answers in this article, with examples to back it up.
Use cases for presentation videos
Corporate video presentations are becoming increasingly popular. This is only natural, given the wide range of uses they can be put to:
- product presentation video,
- service presentation video,
- company presentation video,
- event presentation video,
- training presentation video,
- strategy presentation video,
- project presentation video, etc.
☝️ Of course, depending on your objectives and your target audience, you'll choose one type of content or another.
For example, a product or service presentation video is aimed at your prospects and customers, to raise awareness of your offer and increase sales.
In the case of a corporate video, the aim is to present not only your business, but also your values and working environment, with a view to attracting potential candidates.
A strategy or project presentation video, on the other hand, is aimed at employees or investors, and makes it easier to communicate key elements.
Why video presentations? Key benefits
More impact
For a long time, companies made their various presentations using fixed documents (PDF, PowerPoint, photographs, etc.). But video is far more impactful. It offers a better experience for your audience.
And this is all the more true if you favor original, sexy formats such as motion design or animation.
More memorable
The figures speak for themselves: learners retain 50% of what they see and hear... compared to only 10% of what they read.
As a result, producing a presentation video is an excellent way of firmly anchoring your message in the minds of your target audience.
More modern
At a time when video has become one of the most widely consumed formats online, particularly on social networks, using it allows you to modernize your communications and avoid looking like an old-fashioned company.
It's a great way to enhance your brand image and stand out from the competition!
Easier to distribute
Video can be shared across a wide range of media, from your website to your internal or external newsletters, via social networks. It therefore guarantees maximum visibility for your offer and your company in general.
What's more, you can precisely target the people you're talking to according to the communication channels you've chosen.
Greater visibility
Video is also an asset for your natural referencing. In fact, search engines value video and tend to rank sites that broadcast this format higher in the results pages.
More accessible
For a long time, companies shunned the video format, due to a lack of in-house skills.
Today, however, it's becoming much more accessible, thanks in particular to the development of software that lets you create a professional-quality presentation video... in just a few clicks!
How to make a presentation video? The 5 steps
💡 Worth knowing: it's possible to entrust the production of your film to a specialized external company. But unsurprisingly, this option can greatly inflate the bill, especially if you want to produce videos on a regular basis.
So let's take a look at what to do if you're planning to do it all in-house.
#1 - Define your objectives and target audience
A good video presentation involves staying focused on the essentials. So start by asking yourself the right questions:
👉 What is the objective of my presentation video?
Examples: To inform people about a new product being launched. Present your company to enhance your employer brand and attract talent, etc.
👉 Who is it intended for?
Once you've defined your objectives, ask yourself who your production will be aimed at, which personae.
Examples: prospects to win over? Your customers, to win their loyalty with additional offers? Your employees, to communicate internally?
Asking yourself what your objectives are and who your target audience is is a fundamental preliminary step, because all the work that follows will flow from these elements. The content, tone and format of your video must serve this purpose, and be aligned with the expectations and characteristics of your target audience.
#2 - Write your script
You can't just start recording your video! You need to write a script first.
In this way, you can structure your speech (voice-over, participants, interview, etc.) and your production in general. But the script also helps you to be concise, because even if video remains more captivating than the written format, the fact remains that Internet users' attention spans are getting shorter all the time. That's why a good presentation video is no longer than 3 minutes.
So what should you say in your presentation video? Here are our tips for writing a rock-solid script:
- Stay focused on the message you want to convey to reach your objective and the personae you've defined beforehand.
For example, in the case of a video presenting a new product, explain how it can be used to solve the problems faced by your target audience. Also explain how it differs from other products on the market. - Choose the right vocabulary. Be sure to adopt a tone and jargon (and why not a dose of humor) in keeping with your audience.
- Take care with the introduction. Start your video with a punch, avoiding blanks, to grab viewers' attention right from the start.
- Make your film as attractive as possible. To do this, think storytelling, the art of telling a story to convey emotions to your audience. It's an excellent way of reminding your audience of what you're all about, and of getting the reaction they're looking for (a purchase, for example).
#3 - Record your presentation video
Now it's time to record your video. The good news is that a quality smartphone and a lapel microphone are all you need.
However, even if the process has now been simplified, there are a few points to bear in mind:
- image quality: always opt for full HD. Take care with the lighting, too, to make the most of the elements that will appear on the screen;
- clean sound: use a lapel microphone for sound recording, and avoid background noise that could interfere with the audio;
- voice: when speaking, speakers should adopt a clear, fluid and engaging tone;
- background: choose a neutral background. Background "clutter" distracts the viewer's attention.
💡 How to make an original presentation video?
Please note that these tips are only indicative, since the presentation video can take on many faces. Indeed, to gain in originality, you can turn to more modern formats such as motion design or even whiteboard animation... Depending on the case, you may therefore not need to film or carry out sound recording.
#4 - Edit
To engage your audience, the final result must be dynamic and professional. Video editing is therefore a crucial step.
In post-production, we recommend adding :
- transitions,
- sounds and music,
- animations,
- subtitles: don't neglect the latter! They make it easier for the hearing-impaired to access your message. But they also make it easier to consume your video content at any time, even in less-than-optimal background sound conditions (on public transport, for example).
💡 Specialized software makes this step child's play. With Pitchy, for example, you simply create your video from a template that you adapt to your liking. You integrate the content of your choice (video, text, photos, etc.), structure your presentation and then add all the necessary elements, such as music or subtitles, in post-production. What's more, this tool supports your creativity with over 1,200 motion design animations available.
#5 - Share your masterpiece
Is your masterpiece filmed, edited and in the box? It's time to share it.
There are many marketing and communication channels open to you. All you have to do is select them according to your objective and target audience.
For example, you could use
- for a video presenting your products and services :
- your website,
- your social networks,
- your YouTube page,
- newsletters sent to your customers and potential customers, etc.
- for a corporate film:
- your recruitment page,
- your LinkedIn page, etc.
- for a presentation video for employees :
- your corporate social network,
- your internal newsletter,
- internal messaging system, etc.
Examples of successful presentation videos
The practical product presentation video
😃 What we like: the fun aspect thanks to the animations and the very feature-oriented content: you immediately understand how Trello software works and the concrete benefits to be gained from it.
The inspiring product presentation video
😃 What we like: in the world of fashion, there's no need for long speeches (there are no precise functionalities to explain). H&M has therefore played the inspirational card, highlighting the product worn in a stylish atmosphere that makes you want to buy.
The storytelling presentation video
😃 What we like: the Delsey connected suitcase company has got it right. Instead of "scholastically" explaining the usefulness of its product, it prefers to make a lasting impression by playing the a story about father-son relationships and an invitation to travel.
Employer-branded corporate presentation video
😃 What we like: here, Air France shows us how to make a powerful corporate presentation video. In just a few minutes, it condenses a strong statement of its values. It also highlights its teams and their key role in the success of its mission, across all business lines. The icing on the cake is the appearance of Thomas Pesquet, who lends credence to the speech.
The event presentation video
😃 What we like: the teaser for Marseille's Delta Festival 2020 captivates us right from the start, thanks to a highly cinematic introduction (which, incidentally, is reminiscent of the Game of Thrones credits). Then the pace quickens and the film plunges us into the real festival atmosphere, with archive footage to make us want to come.
What can I learn from the presentation video?
The presentation video can take many different forms, since it can be used for a wide variety of purposes: corporate video, product video, event video, strategy video... But they all have one thing in common: making it fun to convey key information, facilitating message dissemination and increasing the visibility of your company or brand.
To reap these benefits, however, you need to produce a professional-quality video! To do this, proceed in several steps:
- define your objective and target audience,
- write your script,
- record your video,
- edit and add effects in post-production.
On paper, the exercise may seem complicated to the most inexperienced. But fortunately, there are software programs that enable even beginners to create convincing productions that will put good old PDFs and PowerPoints on the shelf.
Article translated from French