5 Steps to Create a Great Employer Branding Video

 There are so many compelling and even irresistible reasons for businesses, both small and large, to develop employer branding videos, with the more adventurous perhaps even developing their own employer YouTube channel. With 4G being rolled out this year, smartphone usage approaching 50 percent, and 5-inch screens set to become the smart-phone standard, just about anybody who is anybody (including job seekers), will be ravenously consuming video content in 2013. And it is up to employers to feed the new, more discerning, lifestyle and culture conscious job seeker  with high-quality employer branding video content so they can learn about and engage with your organization. Because, in 2013, job seekers are not just drawn to jobs, they are drawn to cultures. If you want to attract top modern talent, you must also exhibit your company culture.

One of the best ways to do this is through a great employer branding video and below I have set out 5 steps to help you do this effectively:

1. Set an objective

From all the advice that I have read on the web, setting an objective is the logical starting point for your video. What is the purpose of your video? Are you trying to attract talent to fill a vacancy, to follow you on twitter, to join a talent community, to resource a specific initiative? An objective will help to influence decisions throughout the development of your video, to ensure it stays on message and that you are able to measure the effectiveness of your campaign. If you want your boss to invest in employer branding videos, you’ll need to show potential and actual ROI. Employer branding videos now need to have purpose.

2. Define your audience

This was mentioned a lot in the employer branding video advice I read. Just like with any marketing campaign (and this is a campaign with an objective), you need to establish your target group for your message. Are you targeting a certain profession, industry, skill set, attitude, country, location, seniority level, etc?

Once you know your target audience, this will influence the design and development of your video, making the end product as attractive as possible to your target audience, thereby maximizing ROI.

3. Be authentic

This was another recurring recommendation for branding videos. Make sure your message is authentic and matches the reality of your business. If you just focus on the fun and positive sides of the business and this does not truly reflect your environment, the new hire could feel misled and ultimately depart and you could also face a social media backlash. Try and use your own people in the video – and not just the camera lovers. Try to encourage involvement from a cross section of personalities and backgrounds to show the authentic make-up of your business.

4. Short, rich and concise information

How long should your video be?

Well, according to statistics presented on videobrewery, 20 percent of viewers click away from videos after 10 seconds, a third by 30 seconds, 45 percent of them by 1 minute and almost 60 percent by two minutes. Also, people are more likely to share a video that is less than 15 seconds over a video that is 30 seconds to 1 minute. Desktop users will happily watch a 2 minute video while mobile users will happily watch a 4 minute video.

Based on these statistics and the advice I have found on the web, the ideal employer branding video should be 2 minutes or less in duration, to the point and very informative.

5. Create impact and action

The most effective employer branding videos invoke some kind of emotion, be that wonder, surprise, intrigue, joy, laughter, etc. For example, some interesting research  from the BPS shows that if you are a brand that is expecting to meet resistance from your target audience (e.g. your brand has become tarnished in some way with a particular group), humor can help overcome this resistance to your marketing.

Having made your impact, the point of the video is that impact turns into action, e.g. increased inquiries or application rate, which you should monitor. This then allows you to measure your video effectiveness rate against your initial objectives. If you can’t be bothered to do all this, or don’t have the skill, you can, of course, hire a professional, but if budget is a constraint, why not get it developed by a top level film/advertising intern?