When people think of showreels, they usually think of them as videos for people working in the movie industry only. And to be fair, showreels are indeed commonly used by actors, directors, and filmographies.
But a showreel has its place for all types of businesses or services as well and is now becoming a standard in a company’s video marketing strategy. After all, a showreel’s main purpose is to show and present your products in an engaging and clear way to your audience.
It gives them an idea of what your company can offer, and highlights your abilities and skills. All of this could greatly benefit any company or brand.
A great showreel, just like other types of video marketing, can help build brand awareness and get the attention of your potential customers. Looking to create one? Let’s dive in to find out more.
What is a showreel?
A showreel is a short video that shows your previous works, projects, or products. Unlike a product video that highlights one product, a showreel summarizes all your previous works. It’s essentially a portfolio or a resume that you’ll use to make your company stand out and attract new customers.
Unlike a static portfolio that is on your website, your showreel is in video form. Your customers won’t need to scroll through loads of images, instead, you’ll compile all your best work in a short and digestible video.
What kind of company should use a showreel?
Any kind of company or brand can create a showreel. An example is people working in the creative field, such as graphic designers or ad agencies. They can use a showreel to show their best design works, and hopefully convince more people to hire them.
Another example is event planners. They can create a showreel to show their previous projects, to give potential clients a glimpse of what they can do for them. A showreel is especially helpful in this case since videos can encapsulate the event experience better compared to a still photo.
Another is service-oriented businesses, such as cleaning services or home-repair companies. They can use a showreel to show before and after videos to demonstrate their skills and abilities.
Finally, companies can use a showreel to simply showcase the products that they have. Some examples are mobile game studios or cake design shops.
Below are some more examples:
- Animators
- 3D modelers
- Advertising or marketing agencies
- Production companies
- Mobile app studios
- Fashion designers
- Interior designers
- Wedding planners
- Gardening services
- Painting services
- Salons and barbershops
What are the best practices for creating a showreel?
1. Pick only the best stuff
It’s tempting to include all your products or works in the showreel. After all, you want to show everyone your hard work. But showreels don’t work that way. Think of them as a commercial for your company. You’re not going to include every single product item you have right? You’ll only show the best of the best.
Pick the items that best showcase your skills and have the highest chance of impressing your potential customers.
2. Place your wow pieces first
A human’s attention span only lasts 8 seconds. Make sure to put your most impressive products or works first. If you worked with a large brand or a celebrity, put that first as well. You need to get your customer’s attention right from the start. Also, if your customer doesn’t finish the video, at least they saw your best work first and are hopefully convinced with that already.
Adding such images to a video is easy. In fact, most video editing programs allow doing so. Some tools are online, so you don’t have to install anything on your computer for video editing.
3. Don’t make it too long
Even if you made a lot of impressive work before, no one will want to watch a long video about it. An ideal range is between 1-3 minutes. It should be long enough to properly show your work but short enough that people won’t get bored while watching it.
4. Use appropriate music
Music sets the mood for videos. Remember though that your music should complement but not overpower your video itself. Select the music that will best fit the emotion or direction of your video, as well as something that fits your branding.
5. Think of your branding
Always include your branding assets such as logo design and slogan in the showreel. This is so your potential customers can easily identify that the products or works that are in the showreel are from you.
Use your brand’s style or aesthetic in the showreel as well. This includes typography, color scheme, and music. For example, if you have minimalistic branding, consider using black, white, or silver colors, and use sans-serif fonts in the videos. You can also use a more mellow piano background music as well.
Alternatively, if you have younger and more fun branding, you can use more vibrant colors such as yellow or orange. You can also use more graphic or animated transitions in the videos as well.
6. Always include a CTA
Whatever video you create, it’s crucial to include a call to action or a CTA. The people who watch your videos must know what to do next. Use words like “Sign up now” or “Get started today” or add a link to your website at the very end of the video.
7. Make sure you have a clear direction first
Be clear on what you want your showreel to be about. Do you want to showcase your best products? Or showcase a specific service that you offer? By having a clear direction and focus, you’ll be able to start planning a showreel that effectively communicates your company’s message.
8. Create a storyboard and script
It’s important to create a storyboard so that your showreel flows together properly, and forms a coherent story. At the same time, you’ll be able to plan what footage, animations, or other graphic elements are needed to create your video. If you have voice-overs or text appearing in the video, make sure that you create a script for it as well.
9. Keep it up to date
While you don’t need to update your showreel each time you have a new product or project, it’s important to keep it updated every so often. You don’t want to have a potential customer see and inquire about a product in the video that you don’t offer anymore, right?
Wrapping Up
Creating a company showreel might take time and effort, but there are lots of benefits as well. It will help build your brand identity, increase brand awareness, as well as showcase your products or works in a much more engaging and shareable way. We hope the tips above help you. Happy designing!
Author: Faviola, SEO Content Writer at BrandCrowd.
