The State of Brand Storytelling
Video marketing is the single best way to reach your target audience and get them engaged with your product or service. Why, you may ask? The answer is simple. Storytelling. Telling a story allows a brand to approach a consumer in a non-transactional, non-confrontational way and tell them about themselves.
In today’s day and age of social media and streaming services, consumers do not like to be advertised to. They do not like commercials or informercials. Instead, they want to engage with brands on their terms and they want to interact with brands that share their own values and lifestyle qualities. Think back for a moment on the past few years and the brands and tactics that have truly broken through on a cultural level.
They haven’t been blatant advertisements. They have indirectly sold products, sure, but they have done so by telling a story of each brands overall positioning.
How to Use Video Marketing?
When done right, video marketing and video production can elevate a brand and connect them with their customers and their audiences in ways never before believed. But how? The task in and of itself can seem quite daunting at the outset. However, by enlisting the help of a seasoned video marketing and video production expert, you can ensure that the proper steps are taken that allow you to maximize your budget and marketing efforts.
Step 1: Define Your Audience
Every customer is different and it is impossible to market to everyone. As such, it is imperative that you decide who you are trying to reach with your video. Ideally, you will get as granular and as defined as possible. People are not monoliths and, as such, you should try and get as specific as possible with your buyer persona.
For instance, if your company is B2B, what department is your target audience? Are they the decision maker? Or do they rest a little further down in the organization and report up? Is it a small-to-medium size business or an enterprise?
Are you targeting moms? Suburban moms or urban moms? Older kids or younger kids?
As you drill down on what your exact customer looks like you can then figure our
Step 2: Identify Your Channels
Back in the day there were only a few places where a brand could place a video for wide consumption. Once the internet came along brands began placing their television spots on their websites, occasionally YouTube, and called it a day. However, with the emergence social media there are so many options to reach customers.
Niche platforms are aplenty. Larger platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allow marketers to segment and target their distribution to extreme detail.
As such, it is imperative that. along with understanding your buyer persona, you also understand the channels in which you will target them. After all, what use is producing video content if nobody finds it?
If you are targeting a B2B audience, logically it makes sense to use LinkedIn. If you are targeting consumers, Facebook and Instagram may be a good option as well. Pay special attention to these platforms and the types of content that converts, as well as the content that does not.
Step 3: Identify the Type of Video You Want To Make
Social media platforms allow brands to target a wide-variety of audiences and follow up with them based on their interaction with the content. As such, it is very important that the video reflect the mood of the buyer at the time they are interacting with the brand.
For instance, is this a first introduction with the brand? If so, then a brand video is probably a good idea. Brand videos do a fantastic job of telling the viewer who the brand is and what they stand for. Think of it as a a video marketing initial hand shake.
As the audience moves further down the funnel and becomes interested in buying you can introduce something like a product video. These types of videos can showcase what products or services you offer and their value propositions.
Further down the funnel, show your potential customer a testimonial video of your existing customers touting your products/services.
Lastly, once your customer purchases, have a series of how-to’s in order to ensure that they remain happy, informed, and within your product and purchasing ecosystem.
Step 4: What is Your Video Marketing Story?
YSo, you know your audience, where they live, and the type of video for the moment. All you need now is to woo them and sweep them off their feet! Simple, right?
Wrong!
This is what separates the winners from the losers, unfortunately. The great brands understand that what makes great video marketing is not a surface-level description of their company or products. Rather, it is an understanding of the core-tenants of what makes their brand special and unique.
Nike doesn’t sell shoes. They sell a very unique lifestyle. Just Do It.
Apple doesn’t sell hardware. They sell a unique point of view. Think Different.
At Venture we have a phrase that we like to use that explains this:
You’re not just doing what you’re doing.
This means that in order to find your story you need to find the underlying theme that goes beyond the core description of your business. For instance, you may be an accountant, but what does being an accountant do to help the world and society? Does it help people reach financial security? Does it help them navigate the confusing maze of their finances?
There is certainly nobility in that. And therein lies a story that can be the foundation for hooking your viewers.
Video Marketing Is the Future
The data is clear that video marketing is the best way to engage audiences and keep them within your marketing funnel. By identifying your story and targeting the correct customer on their unique platform you can ensure that your message will resonate and convert.
Storytelling has always been the best way to reach an audience in a genuine and non-confrontation way. A video is the single-best way to tell a story. Allow Venture, the Denver video production company be the partner to help you tell that story.
Contact us today.