Companies usually think about culture videos as a way of attracting new talent to their organization. They offer a sneak peek into your company’s everyday life: what your offices look like, who your employees are, and what motivates them to get up each morning and drive to work.
But, as the most experienced video companies in the market will tell you, a great culture video can be so much more than just that!
A culture video is an effective way of building trust and fostering empathy with your targeted audience. By presenting the human side of your brand, customers won’t think of you as just another corporation but as someone they know and can trust to do business with.
In this piece, we’ll go over some of the main aspects you can focus on to make compelling culture videos that not only represent your company but promote deeper connections with potential customers.
Let’s go!
Most popular types of culture videos
First of all, let’s start by breaking down the kind of content you can find in a culture video.
You can’t fit every aspect of your company in a single video, and that’s why there’s pretty much one type for each side of your company you want to showcase! Just a heads up, though, these are not all the types of culture videos out there, but the most popular ones!
One of the best aspects of this style of content is that each video is unique in its own way! (More on that later.)
Company history
Before there was a company, there was an idea. Company history videos go back in time to tell the story of how your brand was first created and how it got to the place it is today.
In this company history video, the owners of this brewing company explain the how and the why of the brand. What’s valuable about this example is how it relates the original vision of the company with the passion they still put into their products.
“About us” videos
They are called that because they are usually featured in the “About Us” section of your company’s website. They serve as a summary of your brand’s mission and vision through a friendly and engaging lens. They also give you the opportunity to show off your business’ awards and other impressive accomplishments and recognitions.
Compass, a real estate agency, managed to describe the company’s mission using inspirational footage from their clients and employees.
Workplace culture videos
These videos focus on (you’ve guessed it!) your workplace culture. This means they feature interviews with your employees about what a normal day in your office looks like, and what they think about being a part of your company.
This video from Dell Technologies talks with the real employees behind the company and asks them about their workplace culture. The interviews cover topics such as schedule flexibility, home office, and community programs.
Behind-the-scenes videos
Let’s say you want to show your audience the process that goes behind a new product revealing, or an important event at your company. Behind-the-scenes videos are a rawer and more candid look into the human side of your brand.
Take a look at this behind-the-scenes video from Microsoft about their re-branding project for the Los Angeles Nokia Theater.
Recruiting videos
Recruiting – or HR – videos speak strictly to potential employees and new recruits. They usually list the most important benefits of working in your company to encourage people to apply for a new job.
While they are a useful recruitment tool for your HR team, today, we’re going to focus mainly on the previous types of videos and their branding potential.
Communicating your brand identity
A classic marketing rule states that a successful brand isn’t selling a product or a service: it’s selling a way of life. And this is true, whatever your business or industry. Culture videos show that your company isn’t defined solely by sales or profits: it’s defined by a set of important core principles: its values.
These values are the fundamental behaviors that represent your company, the principles that dictate how you should do business. They also work as a moral compass that guides your employees whenever they’re faced with a challenging decision.
Some examples of company values are integrity, respect, quality, and innovation. They may sound like big abstract concepts, but when put into action, they form your brand’s culture. Company culture is made up of all the tiny decisions your employees make each day as much as the leading, big-picture decisions.
But how will your customers ever get to know your brand’s identity unless they actually work in your company? Culture videos are the one and only opportunity to show your company’s better self to your audience.
And here comes a key aspect of culture videos: they are brief and simple. In today’s age of short attention span, video marketing trends point that the ideal length is about 90 seconds long. And culture videos are perfect in that way, as they rarely go over the 2-minute mark.
A unique video for a unique company
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes for a second. Imagine them in a metaphoric shopping aisle, walking through hundreds and hundreds of indistinguishable products. What would it take for them to notice yours above the rest? How can you show them your brand is different, unique?
Now take a look around your workplace, and you’ll notice that you’re surrounded by a unique and diverse team of people working together! They each have their personality and set of skills, which makes it impossible to compare it to any other group out there. Company culture videos can help you showcase just that!
Let’s look at an example from Google. The brand wanted to show the whole range of eccentricity and flexibility that’s part of their workplace culture. In this video we follow a very diverse group of interns on their first week, discovering the company’s campus, their sports facilities and cozy offices.
You could argue that every video your company puts out there (if done right, at least) is unique in some way. But culture videos give you the stage to take the spotlight away from your products or services for a second and put your employees at the center of the story.
And audiences resonate with that type of content!
An effective culture video can make a difference in the way your audience perceives your brand and the things it offers. After all, wouldn’t you prefer to buy something from someone you know and trust rather than a stranger?
A story your audience can relate to
Every company starts with a goal. It can be an ambitious vision, like non-profit organizations that focus on bettering the lives of a community. Or maybe something smaller, like offering the best coffee in town. Either way, it’s a goal that goes beyond selling products or services: it’s about making a change.
By focusing on why you started, company culture videos can communicate a relatable sense of purpose that humanizes your brand. This gives your company culture one of the most powerful tools out there: a story. People are just drawn to good stories!
With social media being such a huge part of today’s marketing, audiences are far more likely to do business with a brand they feel close to. It’s why so many successful companies no longer market without an attitude. Video is the perfect medium to create a sort of unique storytelling that you need to impact the bottom line.
Showing the real people behind your brand
Unlike ads, culture videos don’t need actors or an imaginative script: they use real people with real stories.
The advantage of culture videos over ads is that they don’t need actors nor a script.
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Giving your employees a voice offers an opportunity to show a more casual and relaxed side of your brand. Sure, some of them focus on what management thinks about the company and big-picture aspects. But the most engaging culture videos tend to give the mic to the unsung heroes of your brand and to show what day-to-day processes look like.
This means culture videos can get funny and weird! It’s your chance to give a creative twist and show the quirkiness that goes on every day at your office. Maybe you can focus on office birthdays and parties or the hobbies and activities of your employees outside work… This is what uniqueness is all about!
Why is all this important?
Buyers engage with companies more with their hearts than they do with their brains.
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In fact, the act of paying for something you can’t interact with prior to purchase is, in itself, a bit of a leap of faith.
Yes, you need to provide a product or service they need to begin with. But between an unknowable generic brand and one that portraits itself through genuine, likable people, the second one will win every time. The more potential customers feel like they know the people behind the products, the more they’ll be open to buying from you. It’s that simple.
By representing your people, your culture video can also show your brand with a sense of emotion and sensibility. An effective piece of content can strengthen the emotional bond between your brand and your customers or clients.
Something for your Fans
One last point about culture videos before you go: they are a great piece of content if you’re looking to build brand loyalty.
After all, you shouldn’t only focus on attracting potential new customers! What about your die-hard fans?
Evidently, some types of businesses will benefit from repeat customers more than others. But, at the end of the day, having more people engaging with your videos online, you are expanding your content’s initial reach.
By sharing your company stories on social media, you’re starting a potential two-way conversation with your audience. Brand fandom wants to know every small and curious fact about the companies they love, and they will appreciate you sharing them!
Company videos can expand your brand’s network by spreading the culture your employees created with your customers. This is a key step towards creating a lasting brand.
Culture videos provide a window into what you stand for
A brand is more than just the products they sell or the services they provide. First and foremost, your company is a unique group of people working together, side by side, towards a common goal.
But your customers rarely get to know what it’s like to work at your company by just doing business with you! Culture videos provide a window to bring your potential customers, your workers, and your brand closer together.
By focusing your content on the aspects we’ve talked about today, you ensure your culture videos will hit all the right notes. Becoming a fantastic tool to impact your bottom line, as much as they are at humanizing your brand and bringing qualified talent over.
