Why Your Branding Video Is Not Also Your Recruitment Video

Why your branding video is not a recruitment video. Business man with umbrella walking on tightrope in air

For most businesses and organizations, a figure like “8% of your income should go to marketing” is daunting to hear, especially if you’re just starting out or have small margins. As a result, it can be tempting to stretch every dollar you have and put all your eggs in one basket.

In the video production world, that often means we see companies deciding to produce one marketing video and use it for several purposes. Branding videos are frequently used as recruitment videos – which isn’t terrible, but it isn’t ideal.

Below, I’m going to cover the difference between branding and recruitment videos and talk about why you’re better off investing in two distinct videos.

The Branding Video’s Call-To-Action Phrase Isn’t Effective

Your branding video is supposed to tell the story of your organization. It ultimately explains why customers, clients, students, and donors should choose you as a brand over other offerings on the market. These branding videos can come in many shapes and sizes – voiceovers, testimonials, animations, etc. – but they will always include a few key elements. The most important of these elements is the call to action.

Branding videos have the goal of getting more leads and directing prospects through your marketing funnel to “make the sale.” In other words, if you’re creating a school branding video, then the video urges viewers to enroll. If you’re promoting a product, then the video will direct the viewer to learn more about the product on its sales page.

Long story short: someone looking to apply for a position at your organization is not looking to hear a sales pitch for the product or service. Certainly, they might be interested in watching the branding video to get a better feel for the organization’s story and mission, but the call to action is meant for customers and clients, not job-seekers.

If the only marketing video you have is a branding video, then job-seekers are left with significantly less relevant information and motivation than they need. 

Recruitment Videos Are Produced With Job-Seekers In Mind

It’s not the branding video’s fault that its message isn’t effective for recruitment. Recruitment-specific videos exist for a reason. Job-seekers are looking for much different information than potential customers; they want to know why it would be so fulfilling to work for your organization, not why they should enroll as a student or buy your product. 

Many organizations tend to ignore this disparity between the two messages, but you could be losing out on a significant amount of potential hires who might have otherwise chosen to apply because of a video that was made with them in mind. You might be thinking, “If they watch the branding video, they’ll still learn about my organization’s mission and be inspired to look for a link to apply,” but that’s not always the case. Being forward about your desire for them to apply and making it as convenient as possible to do so is the best way to gain new applicants.

Not to mention, recruitment videos will include very different perspectives when it comes to elements like testimonials. A recruitment video might have inspiring first-person narratives about how working for that organization has changed someone’s life, while a branding video might include testimonials from past customers about their satisfaction with the products.

Higher-quality talent is also more likely to apply when they see that you’ve invested in a recruitment-specific video. You’ll be able to target exactly the types of applicants you are looking for through your messaging as opposed to pulling in anyone who sees your branding video. You can include testimonials from employees who work in the same field in which you’re hiring or a message from the CEO speaking directly about the type of hire that would fit the organization best.

Invest in Better Talent Upfront With a Recruitment Video

The difference in message between a branding video and a recruitment video is significant enough to warrant investing in two separate videos. Job-seekers might be interested in the branding video, but they’ll still need further prodding to apply from a video tailored to their questions and needs. You might even find that having two separate videos improves your data collection and analysis when you’re attempting to evaluate just how effective your branding videos are in your marketing funnel – the numbers won’t be as skewed by views from job-seekers.

If you need further help in determining whether you need to produce a recruitment video, contact Monzo Media Productions.

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