Five Tips for Making a Holiday Video for Your Business

The holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means! Businesses are pulling out all the stops to hitch their marketing content to the good cheer bandwagon (sleigh?).

One of our favorite things about the holiday season (besides eggnog and presents) is that more companies than usual feel comfortable taking creative risks in their videos.

If you’re already a regular over here at the Wistia Blog, odds are you’ve bought into the idea that creative videos and business go together like latkes and applesauce (or sour cream).

But one of the hardest parts of producing business video is getting into the habit of taking risks.

That’s what’s so amazing about the holiday season! Seasonal cheer ushers in more enthusiasm for creative approaches, and ROI seems to take a backseat. The result of this mentality is usually an uptick of funny, sincere, human, out-of-the-box, holiday videos.

So when you take the time to produce your holiday video this season, we urge you to see it as a stepping stone. Whether you’re relaying info about downtime, reminding your customers that your product makes the perfect gift, or simply aiming to delight your faithful audience — take a risk. And hopefully, you’ll learn a few things about your company’s voice and your audience that will keep the momentum going in the new year.

When you get started, here are five handy tips to guide your holiday video production process.

Bring your team together

There’s nothing like a group shot to encourage camaraderie and lift people’s spirits. Your most faithful customers will appreciate seeing the people behind your business, especially the ones who don’t usually appear in your customer-facing videos. Try to think of concepts that could include multiple people, then use the following guide to help your teammates achieve their very best takes.

Let your personalities shine

More creative video concepts often include subjects who are willing to loosen up a bit. This is your chance to show your customers who you really are, so put yourself out there, and encourage your teammates (or your boss) to follow suit. The results will be memorable. We promise.

Use the right tunes

Background music can make all the difference when you’re trying to evoke an emotional response from your audience. In this guide, you’ll learn how to choose the right song, experiment with different sounds, and avoid sonic elements that compete with the human voice.

Make it a musical

If you’re feeling extra daring, try your hand at a music video. Here at Wistia, our creative director happens to be a singer-songwriter, so we often find ourselves singing or lip-syncing in our videos. The holidays prime your audience to embrace musical efforts, so carol away! All talents are welcome.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, Dan breaks down the behind-the-scenes processes for a few DIY music video concepts in the blog post below.

Try on a new look

If your business’s videos tend to look the same, try jazzing them up a bit with a new style. The shot sequences in the following blog post might inspire an entirely new concept or aesthetic that you end up using for future videos. There’s no better time to experiment with something new and shiny.

Best of luck festive risk-taker. If you’ve got a holiday video, please share it with us in the comments!