Digital Signposts: Video Continues to be the Killer App
Jan 28, 2013 10:30 AM,
By Vern Freedlander, Vice President, Production, X2O Media
As enterprise communications become more social and collaborative, the tools that have taken the spotlight are social media applications such as Jabber, Jive, and Yammer. These tools have leveraged the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, bringing them into the enterprise with great fanfare. When combined with a signage solution, collaboration applications provide an effective way to distribute social media to highly targeted audiences across the entire organization, and to key external stakeholders. But while social media is an important and highly popular solution in the corporate communicator’s toolkit, video remains the quintessential “killer app” within the enterprise.
Video content, when produced properly, has the unique ability to take highly complex concepts and boil them down to their essence. By using clips from experts, graphic support, font, and other production techniques, videos are the best way to create “explainers” that can be used in HR, sales, marketing, PR, training and development, and virtually every other area of the enterprise. Production costs have never been more competitive, and with proper planning and a little ingenuity, budgets can be controlled.
Corporate communicators who want to create strong video content need to consider three important guidelines:
· Develop a concept: Before a script is written, take some time to clarify the overall objectives of the video, identify the target audience, and have a sense of the tempo and style.
· Be on brand: Remember that videos must fit into the overall brand personality of the organization and work to enhance and reinforce brand messaging.
· Hire professionals: Though someone at the office may own a great HD video camera, there is no substitute for a trained expert who knows how to take your concept and company brand and turn them into a great video.
Though social media is a wonderful collaboration tool and has an important part to play in enterprise communications, only video has the ability to deliver the “show me” to audiences with clarity, creativity, and emotion. Combined with a targeted distribution system across multiple devices and geographies, video continues to be the best way for corporate communicators to give their messages maximum impact.
Vern Freedlander is vice president of production services for Montréal-based X2O Media, a full-service provider of technology, network management, and content services for professional digital signage applications. With more than 20 years of broadcast television experience as a producer, director, and executive, Freedlander oversees all of X2O Media’s content initiatives. He can be reached at [email protected].
