When building a brand image, it can be difficult to know where to start. Countless marketing specialists, online blogs and how-to videos suggest this, that and the other as the best brand strategy. It makes getting a grip on how you should present your brand to the big wide world a tricky task. You need a style that adheres to your brand guidelines and makes you stand out amongst the crowd. Keeping up with market trends but breaking new ground at the same time. This is where making video central to your marketing plans becomes an appealing option.
Research suggests that 82% of internet traffic will be video by 2022. This staggering figure alone outlines the emerging importance of video in the world of marketing. Whilst it may seem like deciding to implement a video-centric brand marketing strategy could be jumping on the bandwagon in a certain sense, it would be more accurate to see it as investing in the future of the marketing world. 93% of businesses in 2021 consider video to be an important part of their marketing strategy, compared to just 78% in 2015. The influence of video is growing at a rapid rate and it shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.
But video’s popularity isn’t the sole reason for its colossal potential as the core of your brand marketing strategy. From wacky animation to informative interviews to entire docuseries, what you include in your videos is limited only by your imagination. Therefore, however you wish your brand to be represented, video media is capable of keeping in step with your vision.
In order to utilise visual media as the driving force behind your company, you need to decide on how it will look as well as how it will be implemented. It can be a tough journey but we’ve got some tips up our sleeve that can act as a road map towards success. Here is our guide on how to make video the central feature of your brand marketing.
Style
Create a style guide
Decide on a subject matter and tone of voice for your videos. This consideration will be closely tied with your content strategy. Your videos need to encompass company values, bear the target audience in mind and stand out from the bustling crowd of competitors. This is easier said than done, but far from impossible. It is important that you choose a genre that your videos will stick to. Should they be laugh-out-loud hilarious, or gut-wrenchingly emotional? Drifting in the realms of fantasy, or down-to-earth and relatable? The decision is totally yours.
One valuable tip is to focus on the story that your brand is trying to tell, rather than attempting to drive sales. This will create a connection with your audience that will have them returning to your website time and again. In terms of the marketing funnel analogy, it will create lead generations and help nurture those who are already committed to the brand. More on that later…
It is also important when choosing a style that you don’t forget to consider all elements of your video series. For example, will the sound match the style of video that you have decided on? It may seem obvious, but this manner of error occurs more frequently than one would think.
If you are struggling to land on a style or format for your videos, try hosting a brainstorming session with you team and see what sort of ideas are thrown into the ring.
Think outside the box
Once you’ve got your video style sorted, tear it up and start again… No, not really! But keeping content fresh is important when helping your brand stand out amongst the crowd. It is a valuable practice to come up with new ways to use your brand’s style guide, whilst thinking outside the box. Break the mould, but not so much so that you warp your brand image. This can be achieved through a shift in the look of your videos. For example, adding an element of animation to your marketing videos is an often-underrated tool for attaining greater brand exposure.
If you are managing your brand’s very first video production efforts, then it is advisable to dip your toe in the water with video content that is short but sweet. Diving into the deep end with an entire series of long-form videos may result in you missing the mark and ultimately splurging your budget unnecessarily. Just because the video is short, doesn’t mean that it won’t make an impression. 73% of business videos have run times of just 2 minutes or less.
Look at other video-centric brands
Observe how other companies have managed with video as their core form of brand media. Just because a brand is experiencing campaign success now doesn’t mean that this has always been the case. Successful companies analyse results from previous marketing campaigns – both positive and negative – and adjust future campaigns accordingly. You can learn from the mistakes of others as well as those that you have made yourself.
Plan
Where to display your video
This is a matter that comes down to each and every brand’s particular preference. However, if you are looking to wow your audience with incredible video footage, your homepage is a good place to start. This way your video will make a big first impression on potential customers who are visiting for the first time. Dependant on the style of the video, it may sit better in the header as the hero of your homepage or on the page itself.
It is important that you don’t try to force everything you can into your videos. Remember that you are trying to tell stories about your brand, not cram sales jargon down the audience’s throats. You can always tweak your videos here and there to better suit your brand image and see what works best. Should the video play automatically? If not, what colour play button works best? What thumbnail best represents the content? All of these details may seem insignificant, but many minor differences can culminate in an influential effect on your results.
Cover all bases
Video is a media format that can be used across all platforms. Certain social media platforms may be better suited to certain styles of video. For example, Instagram only allows videos up to 1 minute in length. Social platforms like YouTube are a good place to start hosting your content, but ultimately you should look to host videos on your own site eventually. This may be somewhat detrimental in terms of rendering speeds, but ultimately it will allow you to personalise your videos in any way. Giving your video content this impression of uniqueness is exactly what you want to be associated with your brand.
Consider your target audience
Your videos making the desired impact on the target audience is everything that your campaign is based on. Due to this, the opinion of your target audience should always be at the forefront of your mind during the production process. What will appeal to them? Which platforms are they most likely to use? Which styles will resonate with them most? Research into your audience can reveal information such as which platforms are most popular with each demographic. Make sure that you are doing everything that you can to make sure your content is presented to the right crowd. As always, using SEO tactics is an invaluable tool to ensure that your videos land in front of all the right people.
Expand on the regular formats
Homepage videos that introduce your brand; social media snippets of what you offer; information videos on how to use your product. These are all very useful at the beginning of your journey but once you have established yourself as a big fish in the field, try branching out. Platforms like social media “stories” and videos embedded in emails can help you reach further afield with your video content.
You could also try alternative video styles, such as a behind-the-scenes look at your business. These give both new and established customers a chance to dig deeper into your brand story and build stronger connections. It is these connections that will bring them back to your site time and again.
Consider the customer journey
Consider how your brand will be displayed to those who are currently unaware of its existence. Product videos are a fantastic example of an introductory tool. By creating a video that explains what your product – and vicariously your brand – are all about, you can outline how everything works and what the benefits are. When considering a classic marketing funnel diagram, this style of video is what will bolster audience awareness of your company in the initial stages.
Continuing to the next steps on the funnel metaphor, your videos can build on this knowledge base by showing your brand and its values in greater depth. Formats like real-life testimonials or interviews can add a credibility to your brand at this stage of the process. With credibility comes trust and your customer relationships gain greater strength.
Video series can help streamline the customer journey. Rather than having your concept and core values displayed in a bulk of text and images, it is neatly condensed. This can allow the brand to gain familiarity faster in comparison to regular marketing conventions, if executed properly.
Benefits of basing a brand around video
Makes your company stand out from the crowd
As previously mentioned, video is fast becoming the most popular format of marketing tool. And statistics suggest that this isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. So, if it so widely used, how does video help your brand stand out? The answer is this – whilst video is becoming popular, not many companies are making it the central factor in their branding. To do so is to help your company jump ahead of the curve, so to speak.
Videos are increasingly common on product pages and sales pages, but landing pages are typically dominated by the classic text and imagery combo. According to Aberdeen this is a tactic that could massively be improved upon by implementing video. They state that landing pages containing videos have a 34% increase in conversion rates on those that don’t. This staggering statistic alone is a testament to the eye-catching, influential potential that video can bring when making a first impression.
Allows for greater variety
Thanks to the variety that visual media offers, there is the additional bonus of video footage allowing for untamed creativity. This is somewhat budget dependant, but as the Wistia series One, Ten, One Hundred shows, budget is not everything in video production.
The series follows three video crews as they go about creating soapbox ad footage with three different budgets of (you guessed it) one thousand, ten thousand and one hundred thousand dollars respectively. The series is both an interesting watch and a valuable insight into how budgeting correctly can result in added production value to your content.
Certain styles suit certain brands and these can also vary between each marketing campaign. Whatever brand image you are looking to portray, there is sure to be a style to meet your needs. For some inspiration on the matter, read our blog on 7 Types of Video Series You Can Make.
If you have any queries on how to make video central to your brand marketing, please drop us a line.
