Adding music and sounds to your corporate video can be the difference between it floundering into obscurity online or going viral. And it’s not just about throwing in any old tune and hoping for the best – you have to think just as carefully about what sounds you are going to include and where you going to put them as you do about what you are going to say.
If you are spending money on developing a good corporate video that is going to sell your product or promote your company, then it makes sense to put a little of your budget towards sound.
Music and sound can:
- Reinforce your brand message and dictate how the viewer sees your company.
- Help change the pace of your video – blocks of silence can be perceived as slowing things down while music can carry a viewer through a particular section, even in short corporate videos.
- Bring the concept of your corporate video together so that it’s seen as a memorable whole rather than a bunch of edited clips.
Common Music & Video Mistakes
Music is a great idea but there are couple of mistakes that businesses always tend to make. First they choose a music track or type of sound that annoys a lot of their viewers or doesn’t fit well with their brand. What you think sounds great and sums up your corporate ideal might drive the next person around the bend. That’s why you need to spend some time getting it right.
The second and potentially more problematic issue is using music that is copyrighted. Unless you have permission to add the track to your corporate video, you are opening yourself up for a law suit. While most large businesses know this because they have their own legal teams, small and medium size business often think they will get away with using Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On without permission.
They might be right. That is until the video goes viral. When that happens you could be paying over the profits your corporate video has made to the person who owns the music.
Getting a Video Production Company Involved
The best way to ensure that the music and sound for your video is up to scratch and enhances rather than detracts from your message is to employ the services of an experienced video production company like TallBoy. Not only will they be able to handle any licensing issues, they can give an artistic focus to the kind of music that is likely to work. This is the sort of question they will be asking:
- What type of music best sums up your brand?
- Do you want something uplifting with a crescendo? Or music that is a little more reflective?
- Do you want a particular type of music like hip-hop, soul or rock?
- What sort of mood do you want to create? How will it help you deliver your message more effectively?
- What actually fits well with your brand?
If you’re not an expert in how a piece of music can influence a video, the good news is that most production companies nowadays not only have a library of usable music but can tailor their sounds to meet your needs. Get it right and your viewing public will be more engaged. Get a perfect combination of music, sound and messaging and you could see your video go viral and reach a much larger number of people.