10 Tips to a Better Profile Video: #1 Know Why

There are no magic formulas for what makes the perfect profile video.  No one style, format, or approach will work across all industries and for all business people.  Hopefully this series will help you take away some useful information that will help to make your profile video, however you produce it, be the perfect video for your particular needs.

These tips are part of a 10 part series based on a Biznik presentation given on June 1st 2009.

Tip #1 – Know Your Purpose For Producing a Video

When beginning the process of producing a video for your business it’s important to take into consideration what kind of business you are in. The type of business you are in can be very instrumental in determining the type of video to produce, and how to produce it, or if already produced how to tailor it to your specific market.

What are you trying to sell? Is it a product? Is it a service? If you’re in a business that’s person to person like a massage practitioner then an impersonal video like an animation is probably not going to build the type of customer trust and confidence that you will need to get new clients. Someone looking for a personal service like that is looking to see that you are honest, pleasant, and have integrity. Those things would not come through in an animation, but they would come through if you were giving a short talk about your philosophy and what clients should expect when they set an appointment.

For a service business that is more concept oriented like security consulting you would need a video that does more to explain the process, and establish customer expectations. That business wouldn’t necessarily need a video that puts a face to the business, but one that establishes your companies experience and reliability.

Another thing to think about when starting the process of creating a profile video for your business is who your clients/customers are. If they are business owners, then a professional video directed at highlighting the benefits of doing business with your company might be appropriate. If they are consumers with whom you will have a long relationship with throughout the purchase process, then a more casual get to know you profile video might be in order.  Whoever your clients/customers are they will feel more comfortable knowing they are doing business with someone who they see as understanding and relating to their needs and concerns versus a person or company they see as outside their circle.

One more thing to think about when determining the purpose for your video production is where will you show the video. If you are only planning on having the video on a social networking or video hosting site then the quality doesn’t have to be as good as if you are going to be sending it out in emails, or direct mailing in a DVD, or using it as part of a broadcast TV commercial.

Knowing the purpose for producing a profile video is the first step in assuring that you have an effective and beneficial video.

Check back for “10 Tips to a Better Profile Video – #2 Pre-plan Your Video Structure”

Learn more about the author, Corey Lopardi

www.biznik.com