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Compliance & Videography Tips for the Financial Services Industry

As a business within the financial service industry, you’re probably aware of the positive impact that video can have on your sales and marketing. The use of video content can help to promote your services, engage your audience, build brand authority and even increase your leads.

If you’re aware of all these great benefits, but you’re still hesitant to dive into the world of video marketing due to compliance issues, this is understandable. How do you navigate the discussion of products and services that are subject to compliance restrictions?

With the help of a professional video production company, you should have no trouble remaining in compliance while regularly creating video content that meets your marketing goals. Here are some tips that will help you do just that…

Videography Tips to Ensure Compliance

The financial services industry has been lagging behind the rest of the business world in regards to using video as a marketing strategy due to fear of violating compliance. However, this has finally begun to change over the past few years.

When it comes to publishing video content, remaining compliant can be much easier than you think. A basic rule to follow is to not do anything in video that you wouldn’t do in print or at a seminar. Stick to this, and you should be okay. Either way, the following are a number of videography tips that will help keep you in compliance.

Videography TipsSend your scripts through to your compliance department

Before putting a script into production, have it checked to make sure you’re following all rules and regulations. Although it does make the process of production longer, this is a simple step that will help ensure you remain compliant.

Don’t make endorsements

One of the benefits of video content is that it’s extremely shareable. This means that it can help increase awareness of your business via social media.

However, it’s important that you don’t endorse third party products, services or opinions by accident within your video content. Additionally, sharing or linking to outside content should be avoided as it can be taken to mean that you are adopting the opinion of that content as your own.

Add disclaimers

Make sure that you have a disclaimer up where ever you’re posting your videos. This will help inform viewers that your video content is for informational purposes only.

If you are promoting one of your products or services, then make sure you have a disclaimer that states that you are not affiliated with any ads that appear on the page that’s hosting your video (such as YouTube or Facebook) or the comments beneath your videos.

Avoid using actors

Use real employees, customers and executives in your video content so that you don’t misrepresent yourself to your audience.

For example, if you’re filming a case study about a customer that used your service, do not use an actor – use the actual customer. By using real people, you’ll help make it easier for viewers to connect with your business and you’ll build more trust with them this way.

Remember, a good video production company that has created financial service-related content in the past will be able to help you stay compliant as well.

Videography Tips to Get Your Message Across

Compliance isn’t the only challenge when it comes to marketing a financial service – getting consumers to understand what your financial service does can be quite the task as well. Consumers often have difficulty comprehending the ins and outs of a financial service due to a number of factors.

These include the financial terminology that’s often used, the complicated aspects that financial services often consist of and subjects not being interesting or engaging making it more difficult for audiences to absorb your message. This is where video comes in.

Publishing a page of text on mortgage rates will not attract the attention of your audience. Explaining it visually through the use of video will, however, give you a much better chance at doing so. The following are a few videography tips that you can use to make sure the message in your videos gets across to your audience.

Videography TipsUse animation

By animating videos or introducing animated sequences to interviews, you can help to make your narration a bit clearer. Not only can this make your subject material much easier for viewers to understand, but it provides visual stimulation that will engage your audience more and make your content more interesting.

Use typography

The information that financial service companies try to get across in their video content often contains numbers. When you have an individual speaking to the audience and spouting off numbers, it can be hard for viewers to really latch on to what they’re saying.

The use of typography to highlight important facts and figures on screen can be incredibly helpful in making sure viewers absorb your information.

Create explainer videos

Explainer videos, like tutorials, are an excellent way to describe services and products to your audience. In fact, they can be used to explain some of the more basic processes involved in your sector of the financial service industry as well.

For example, a bank might use an explainer video to explain to audiences how mortgages work. Explainer videos often use a combination of videography techniques including interviews, animation, typography, stock footage and more.

Film case studies

Case studies aren’t just a great way to show actual customers using your services – thereby increasing your brand’s reputation – but they also allow you to explain how your services work by showing how customers used them to their benefit. This is also a smart way to avoid compliance issues since you’re sharing firsthand accounts.

These are some videography tips that will help you stay compliant and that will also assist you in creating effective video content that will inform and engage your viewers.

These are videography tips that a good video production company will put to use. Make sure to work with a video production company that is familiar with the rules and regulations of the financial services industry and that has experience creating video content that remains in compliance.

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Mark Serao


Director / Producer

About The Author

Brands Mark Has Worked With

Mark’s love and passion for photography started at a very young age. His father had built a darkroom in the basement of their house and for a young Mark, the spark was ignited. He saw the magic of watching a simple piece of photo paper transform into an image right in front of his eyes and he was hooked. Right then and there he decided he needed to be involved in that creative world somehow. Not knowing exactly where or how to break into the industry after graduating William Paterson University of New Jersey, Mark felt the best approach would be to start his own production company.

Professionally, Mark has spent the last 20+ years as a co-founder of Grey Sky Films and has directed thousands of videos. He feels lucky to have had the privilege to work with agencies and clients such as Entennmann’s, Chimay, Global Beer Network, Gatorade, Propel, HTC, LG, Prudential, SONY, Optimum, Ashley Furniture, Post Foods, D’Artagnan,PSE&G and so many more.

Mark’s work has taken him around the world to so many awe-inspiring places and has placed him in every situation imaginable.

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