Choosing the Right Background Music for Your Event Video
Covered in this post—
Why Music Matters
5 Things To Consider When Choosing Music
Mood, Temp, & Pacing
Turn Your Event Footage Up To 11 With MCP
Look across the spectrum of great video content and one thing is likely present – music. Choosing the right music can transform otherwise mundane footage into engaging content that will make your audience look for more. That being said, the process of choosing music for video content isn’t like adding toppings to frozen yogurt, strategy is needed, otherwise you might miss the mark.
This is especially true for content related to events. So much time and energy is spent on planning the shot list and getting the right footage, but adding music is the final step in the overall production process, and it is one that cannot be overlooked.
The challenge is that there is an endless amount of options to choose from, and when video plays a key role in your event’s marketing strategy, you can’t afford to get it wrong. Before we jump into the deep end with how to choose the right music, it’s important to understand that this is an imperfect science. Audience preferences shift, making it very difficult to hit a home run every time.
But with the right approach, and a little knowledge of how music is interpreted and viewed, you can set your event up for success.
Why Music Matters
Music affects the mood, style, and audience interpretation of a single piece of content. It can even help guide the viewer down the intended marketing path when paired correctly. This is only possible because music moves us, quite literally. We are drawn to music, and in many ways, it is the heartbeat of event video footage.
Now, we understand that a video production company saying that music is the heartbeat of video content might sound a bit out of place, but take a moment and hear us out. There is no denying that the video content and visual elements are the star of the show, but imagine you are hearing a band playing out of rhythm. Without any additional context, you likely know exactly what we are talking about. It doesn’t matter how great the band looks, if the music is off, the show will suffer.
Audiences pick up on things that are simply out of place or don’t quite match, and from a marketing perspective that can be the downfall of otherwise great video footage. Rather than take shots in the dark, hoping something resonates with the audience, having a game plan in place, and working with a professional production team, can help you flip the odds in your favor.
5 Things To Consider When Choosing Music
Here’s the rub – there are millions of songs to choose from in thousands of genres and niches. Narrowing down such an overwhelming amount of options can seem like a daunting task, but there are steps you can implement to help streamline the process.
Not Any Track Will Work
The first step isn’t really a step at all. It is more of an acknowledgment that you can’t force a square peg into a round hole. A song that works great for a TikTok video promoting your event, may not be the best option for a corporate video that will be used as evergreen content moving forward.
This isn’t to say that you should always go against the grain. The more important aspect is to know when it is right to jump on the bandwagon, and when it is time to bail out before it is replaced with the next track getting its 15 seconds of fame.
Determine How Video Will Be Used
Understanding how music will be used is perhaps the most challenging aspect that no one talks about, as it dictates every step that follows such as artists to consider, tone, and more. A single piece of video content can be utilized in a variety of different ways, from social sizzle reels to corporate training videos making the process more challenging.
By earmarking specific pieces of content for different marketing channels you will immediately have a better process for selecting the right music. This is where it can pay huge dividends to have a trusted partner in the process. Video production companies live in this space and have a clear understanding of which types of music should be paired with a particular platform or marketing channel – and perhaps more importantly, which music to avoid.
Audience Matching
Once the process of flagging content for specific use cases has been completed, the real work begins. Matching music to the intended audience is generally the first stop on this train, and plays a critical role in how the video will be perceived.
Demographics are usually the first thing that comes to mind, and it is an easy parallel to understand because most event marketers work around them day in and day out. That being said, it can be an unforeseen pitfall when pairing music and event footage.
That statement might go against everything you are taught, but the simple fact is that social platforms like Instagram and TikTok are bridging the gap and exposing audiences to music from around the world. Choosing a song from the 1980s for GenX business professionals might hit the mark, but it can just as easily limit your choices and ultimately ROI.
Mood, Tempo, & Pacing
So if age-appropriate music isn’t the route to go what is the right path? Our preference, and what we have seen work with incredible reliability, is to focus on mood, tempo, and pacing rather than a predetermined list of chart-toppers. This opens the door to a wider range of options, that can match the energy of your event, and the type of footage being taken.
Drone videography is a perfect example of this. You wouldn’t match a slow-paced song to adrenaline-pumping footage from a drone racing above a music festival crowd. The video and music should have a similar rhythm, otherwise it will feel out of sync to the viewer.
Artist Selection
Artist selection is a component that can be easily overlooked, but it ties to more than just the music itself. In today’s world, it can speak to political stances, affiliations, and a whole slew of other issues that we won’t dive into in this article. Sticking to just the marketing aspect, the artist can emphasize company branding, how you want to be viewed in the industry, and more.
A great choice for Chicago-based event marketers is to select local artists. We are lucky to have some of the greatest musicians in the world right in our own backyard, and they can add a specific flavor to video footage that highlights everything that makes the Windy City magical.
Turn Your Event Footage Up To 11 With MCP
Sourcing, earmarking, and selecting the right music for your event videos is an essential part of the production process, and it is one that can truly help your organization stand out from the crowd. With all of the moving pieces, it can understandably take valuable time and resources to get it right the first time, but the return on investment is immediately apparent. Removing the burden is as simple as partnering with a trusted videographer and video production company.
At Mark Campbell Productions, we have worked with event marketers across Chicago over the past three decades. Over that time we have developed a process for sourcing and selecting music to fit any type of marketing strategy and event footage. If you are looking to take your event’s video content to the next level, connect with our team and get a custom quote.