6 Ways to Use Video Marketing to Strengthen Your Brand – Inc.
By Jacob Tanur, Founder and Creative Director at Click Play Films, a video production company specializing in premium branded content.
Video is one of the best windows your consumers have into your business. It allows them to see for themselves what you can offer them and why they should trust you. But for it to be effective, your videos need to build on and strengthen your brand so that consumers have a clear picture of what to expect and why they should come to you.
In light of the pandemic, 30 percent of marketers have indicated that they plan to increase their video production, which means it’s more important than ever to ensure the strength of your brand through your videos. That’s what will set you apart.
Let’s get started.
The first few seconds of your video are not the time for ambiguity. Your audience needs to recognize your business early on. This maintains consistency and ensures that they spend the rest of the video associating everything they see with you and your brand.
Additionally, be clear about your message from the start, whether your goal is to teach your audience, introduce a product or tell a story about your services. This reminds your audience what your business is about and keeps them hooked throughout the video. If your audience stops watching, your video will do nothing for your brand.
Before you even think about designing a video campaign, you need to identify your target audience. Generalizing your video to everyone won’t do you any good when it comes to strengthening your brand.
By focusing on the audience your business appeals to, you not only create a more focused brand but you increase the likelihood of getting through to your audience and seeing real results. Pro tip: More business helps your brand, too.
Use your videos to tell a story, whether it’s the business’s story, an employee’s story or a consumer’s story. This shows your audience that there are real people behind the logo and allows them to connect with your brand on a human level.
Putting real faces and stories at the forefront of your marketing strategy builds a sense of trust and understanding between you and your audience and helps craft a brand that appeals to people on a personal level.
Don’t just rely on yourself and your employees to sell your company. Let satisfied consumers do it for you. If your video displays real consumers who enjoyed your product or service, it lends your brand credibility and shows that you’re a business that can be trusted.
Think about it: Who are you more likely to believe? A happy customer sharing their positive experiences or the employees that get paid for every product or service sold?
You are where you are for a reason. Let your audience see that. Make how-to videos or case study videos. Give your audience real advice that they can apply to their lives to show that you know what you’re doing or show them your real results and how you got there. Make sure that your brand is associated with real expertise and knowledge in addition to good human relations.
According to a 2021 report, “94 percent of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service,” so your efforts won’t be in vain.
You need more than just a goal for your video. You need your audience to know what you want them to do. Including a call-to-action in your video shows that you are a brand with direction and purpose and gives the audience direct instructions on how to get involved with you if they’re interested.
A successful call to action will also strengthen your brand through the business it brings you. Although most put their calls to action at the end, studies have shown that calls to action in the middle of a video actually have the highest conversion rate. Play around with it and see what works best for your video.
It’s important to remember that when it comes to video marketing, standing out and being unique is important, but that in itself isn’t enough to bring in business. You need to ensure that everything you do works to strengthen and build upon your brand so that you not only gain your audience’s trust and confidence but become recognizable to them for the things that set you apart.
Remember, it’s not your product or your services that sell. It’s your brand.
