Image films are exciting marketing tools. Through the combination of image, sound, and text, they unfold an effect on your target group that is second to none. However, there is a lot to consider when creating it. Because your image video can only achieve its goal if it is planned and implemented correctly. How does that work? Let us explain to you in a few simple steps …
What is an image film?
An image film is a video that gives a short and concise portrait of a company, a brand, or a product. This video pursues the goals of branding and brand loyalty. So it’s less about the direct sale and more about the image, the external impact, and perception.
All possible audio-visual means are used. Some companies with large budgets even rely on movie directors for their image campaigns. That shows: The image film is not just about advertising. It’s about a story, about emotions and dramaturgy. The cinematic plays a much larger role than in normal advertising.
In the end, an image video should represent the essence of the company, brand, or product in a positive way, so that it sticks with the target group. This is usually achieved through storytelling, which is the ideal approach for any image film.
5 steps to a successful image film
1. The right preliminary considerations for your campaign video
Before you continue planning, you need to make a few preliminary considerations. These include questions that generally (should) come up in every briefing for every marketing measure. Regardless of whether you only use the briefing internally or involve external service providers: It is worth discussing the following questions in detail …
How big is the planned budget?
For which channels should the image film be produced? Website, YouTube, Social Media, TV?
Do you want the video to be produced internally or externally?
Would you like to shoot scenes yourself or should you work with existing material?
What exactly do you want to achieve with the video? What do you expect from it?
What exactly is it supposed to be about? The company, a product, a specific brand?
How are the responsibilities distributed in this project?
Who is the Target group of the image video?
All these questions are just basic considerations. You only have an indirect influence on the specific idea on which your image film is based. But they are absolutely necessary to set the course for the project.
2. The Golden Circle: Find your core message
The Golden Circle is a marketing concept by Simon Sinek, author, and management consultant. This is a diagram that divides marketing activities or communication into three circles: why, how, and what. The why forms the core, surrounded by the how and in turn surrounded by the what.
For Sinek, the why is at the center of every company – and therefore also at the center of marketing measures. Appropriately he says:
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”
For your image film, this means: Use the power of why. Whether it’s a company, brand, or product, peel off the layers of what and how and get to the core. Because there you will find the message that holds a real story – and thus the basis for a convincing image film
3. The right form of presentation: real film, animation, stock material?
Once you have made the preliminary considerations for budget, idea, and core message, you can think about the form of presentation. You shouldn’t set them lightly. Rather, it results from the various components.
Because with a small budget you will probably not be able to implement a large-scale film production. On the other hand, you may also have a product that is not so easy to represent (e.g. IT applications, software), which is why animation makes sense.
Depending on the budget and objectives, working with stock material can also make sense, provided it is selected and integrated correctly. In this way, you save on costly filming and at the same time receive high-quality image material.
Overall: Various factors such as budget, core message, and preliminary considerations dictate the choice of the form of presentation. This is never an end in itself or arbitrary, but always follows these parameters and is subordinate to your message.
4. Storyboard: the screenplay for your image film
In order to define the exact course of your image video, you need a screenplay, also known as a storyboard. You can do this e.g. B. easily create in Excel or with a table in Word. Depending on the situation, you can also draw it by hand or, of course, implement it in design programs.
This storyboard should contain all the concise points of the image video. This includes columns for images, text, and sound. This is where you create the exact timetable for the further implementation of your image film. Of course, during the course of production, you will still have spontaneous ideas that deviate slightly from the script. But the basic content should already be fixed, so the common thread is given.
It all depends on the right dramaturgy. When you want to talk about your why then naturally you tell a story. And every story needs a basic level of dramaturgy. Don’t worry: You don’t have to study Aristotle’s theories of drama to create an image video. Still, you should at least take a few basics to heart.
Every story needs some form of change. You find an actual state that is not ideal. This is the nudge that your product or business takes to improve. Explain in detail why you are doing this. Finally, you close your video with the fact that the actual state has now been changed to an ideal state. So much in a nutshell. If you want to learn more about the exact steps in storytelling, just read our article on it.
So when you create your storyboard, the whole story should be fixed with images and text. Of course, you can still vary individual words or images afterwards. However, the dramaturgy itself should be clearly conceived, remain untouched, and always be pursued. In doing so, you take into account all preliminary considerations regarding budget, target group, and core message. This is the only way to create a compelling image film that really conveys your message.
5. Last but not least: the implementation
As exactly the implementation fails, of course, depends on the effort and the video type. Accordingly, it is difficult to give general advice. Above all, it is important that you always ensure that the content is implemented exactly according to your storyboard.
Once the video is ready, you should test it. First, show the rough cut within your company and collect anonymous feedback on it. Your employees may still have ideas and input to enhance the video before it is widely published. A demonstration in front of a test audience is also conceivable, depending on the effort and size of the campaign.
Carry your message out emotionally with your image video
Image videos are a good way to anchor the essence of a company, a brand, or a product in an emotional way in the memory of your target group. Properly implemented, such films promise a long-term effect and thus contribute to branding and brand loyalty. If you heed our 5 tips, then you are already on the right track to successfully implement your video.
