Being immersed in the digital age, the goal of any organization is to create the greatest possible impact on the user. Right now, one of the most powerful tools you can have is an institutional video: imagine how many words a video is worth if an image is worth a thousand.

This type of audiovisual product allows to publicise your institution, its values, objectives, activities... in an original and simple way, being innovative in capturing the attention of the target audience and differentiating from the competitors.  

But how long should my video last? The answer is simple: it depends on what you want to do, what you want to convey with it and what you are looking to finally achieve. Therefore, it is necessary to ask questions such as, for example: is it a video talking about the history of the organisation? Who is it aimed at? What relationship do you have with the audience? What video style are we going to use? What message do we want to convey? What does the competition do? and a full length etcetera. However, although there is no rule on length, videos are getting shorter and shorter. Normally they never exceed 5 minutes and the trend is that the ideal duration of an institutional video is between 60 and 120 seconds, that is, between 1 and 2 minutes.

Why have an institutional video?

If you drew up a cover letter in which you would capture all the information you wanted to highlight, there would probably be a very long text that would take quite some time to read. On the contrary, institutional videos can contain the same information, but present it in a dynamic and interesting way and transmit the message more quickly and effectively.

This type of audiovisual product can be fundamental to enhance and reaffirm the image of your institution, achieving a much greater impact than the one that would be achieved only with written language. When these videos are eye-catching and properly made, we manage to keep the attention of potential customers, while encouraging them to remember us before others. In addition, they can be used both internally and externally (both offline and online, through channels such as Youtube, Vimeo, or social networks). In this way, its impact is much greater than that of an image or a text document. 

Advantages of having an institutional video

• Has a strong visual impact

A video always has a greater impact than an image or text, due to the ease of consuming the content, since the user only has to give it to play and watch it. In addition, by using music and moving images you can broadcast much more than other media. This is why it is more likely that the user will remember it for a while, as it has caught their attention from the start. The first impression you make will be decisive in achieving your goals, so it is advisable to take care of every last detail of your institutional video.

• Can provide greater differentiation

With the saturation of brands and organisations that exist today, differentiating yourself from the rest is the first step towards success. A video allows you to relate more directly to your target audience, as well as convey more than you could achieve with text or a static image. In this way, you can explain first-hand the advantages you offer with respect to the competition and provide examples and even testimonies of satisfied people. With your video you can highlight and explain your strengths and those values that distinguish your institution. 

Try to answer the following questions in your video:

1. What is our added value? What do we do that others do not?

2. Why continue on our website after watching the video?

3. Why pick on us?

4. Do I have anyone satisfied who wants to recommend me?

• Conveys more confidence

The fact that the receiver sees you express yourself through video in a close and transparent way increases their confidence in your institution. Showing yourself by this means makes you feel more comfortable by creating an illusion of closeness in the user. By seeing you on the move and talking one-to-one you can get a better understanding of the message you are conveying and awaken positive emotions in the audience.

• Has multiple possibilities of use

You can upload the video to a platform like Youtube or Vimeo and share it on your website and social networks. Another quality is to convert it to different video formats depending on what you need each time. By uploading it to the internet you can see the results of acceptance of the video by users and potential customers.

• Improves the SEO

Videos uploaded to YouTube tend to rank very well on Google, so it can be easier to get better results with a video than with a website, even if we use the same keywords it will be easier to rank it.

In addition, videos on a website reduce the bounce rate, as they keep the user viewing content on the site for more than a minute and consequently improve SEO. Another action that can also help is to share the video on the social networks of your institution, this will capture the attention of the user and allow them to understand their activity effortlessly.

What should I consider to create an institutional video?

Thanks to the use of new technologies, the recording and editing process is more economical than a few years ago, so investing in an institutional video is more accessible and you could even create several videos for your institution. If you want to make the most of the advantages that videos offer you, you could hire a professional to help you get the most out or join courses where you learn the basics to create an attractive and differentiating video.

First of all, you must be clear about what you are going to produce and, for this, it is advisable to take into account the following:

• What do you want them to know about your institution? 

• How do you imagine the video? A script or storyboard is usually made and what is to be shown and how written.

• How long will it last? Time matters, it is not the same a 30-second video as a 3-minute one.

• Who is going to see it? Consider who your target audience is and how you can talk to them.

• Will it require speech or interviews? If the answer is yes, you might want to consider hiring a broadcaster or a journalist.

• How are you going to make it known? If it will be in physical format (cd, USB...) or online, to determine the weight of the file, as well as the encoding and other features that must be taken into account.

What are you waiting for to differentiate yourself with your institutional video? With more than fifteen years of experience in the audiovisual world I can help you create your institutional video of professional quality, according to your profile and the needs of your institution. Contact me and know all the courses that can help you create your video!