Put a face to your company’s name with a founder video

Brand competition occurs in every market today. From Google and Facebook ads to sponsored tweets and Instagram posts, from the Kardashians to viral videos–everyone is clamoring for attention on the internet, making it tricky to get a word in edgewise.

Founder videos can be a great way to differentiate any brand. Featuring your founder or CEO is a great way to establish a connection between your target demographic and the heart of your brand, but it can also help define the company culture, establish the founder as a thought leader in the industry, and bring in potential talent. Don’t be another faceless brand–solidify your identity and stand out with a founder video.

Using founder videos in your marketing strategy

What is a founder video?

A founder video is just what it sounds like – a short video that features the founders talking directly to the customer. Understanding why the founder started the company and why they’re so passionate about the business can be invaluable for your audience. These videos help customers, clients, and investors better understand the brand’s story, and they create a more personal connection by attaching a face to the name, story, and company. This can foster an increased sense of trust–a huge factor in setting yourself apart from the competition.

How do I use one?

The sky is the limit when it comes to creating a founder video. It all depends on the impression you’re trying to create, and there are a lot of different directions to go. Short, direct, and heartfelt videos sharing the brand’s story make for great embedded content directly on a website and can also be pushed out via social media to give the target audience a new perspective on the company.

Don’t underestimate other less obvious ways to incorporate founder videos into the marketing strategy. Founder videos are a great way to highlight company culture and recruit new talent, announce new services and products, or even simply reach out and thank your customers for their loyalty. How you use the founder video depends on what context will impact the viewers most.

What does a great founder video look like?

There’s more than one way to make a great founder video, so we always encourage our clients to think outside the box. However, there are a few simple tips to ensure any founder video is up to snuff.

First off, keep it short and simple. Attention spans are shorter than ever, so if the video drags, viewership lags. Next, make sure the message is sincere. The goal is to create a personal connection with your customers, so take the time to craft the message, tell the truth, and maintain authenticity. Empathy will follow. Most importantly, partner with an experienced video production company like Bottle Rocket Media for a promising first step to getting your founder’s story out there.

A great example of the founder video in action is the piece we created for Centro, voted the Number 1 Best Place to Work in Chicago for four years running. With major help from their CEO Shawn Riegsecker, this video highlights why Centro is such a great place to work. Our team used a special Interrotron setup for the Centro founder video to enable our interviewees to look right into the camera. This created an intimate and authentic look. Just our style.

To learn more about how you can knock your founder video out of the park, contact Bottle Rocket Media.