Introduction
In an age where our eyes are often looking down at our phones, it can be increasingly challenging to feel connected to the world around us. Brands like Apple, Google and Shopify have been leading the way in connecting with their audiences in a way that feels genuine. As society has evolved, so too have our expectations of companies – in what they stand for, how they behave and whether they truly understand their customers’ priorities. In this context, video has emerged as a powerful tool for humanizing brands and building relationships with consumers.
The Rise of Video Consumption
According to research by Hubspot, video viewing time has reached an average of 17 hours per person, per week. This is more than 3 times what we spend eating and drinking, and it equates to almost half of a 35-hour working week!
Businesses Are Embracing Video
91% of businesses are using video as a marketing tool, and the vast majority have a marketing budget devoted solely to the medium.
Types of Marketing Videos
There are many different types of marketing videos, each with its purpose. Some of the most popular types include:
- Brand films: To tell the story of your brand and its mission, highlight the people, values, and culture behind your company.
- Demonstration videos: To showcase the features and benefits of your products or services.
- Interview videos: To showcase the opinion of experts, customers or other thought leaders on a given subject.
- Event videos: To capture the highlights of your event, showcase it’s scale and the expertise involved, acknowledge stakeholders and celebrate results. Eg. Company conference, product launch, sports event.
- NPD videos: To introduce new products or services, highlighting their USPs.
- Case study videos: These videos tell the stories of your customers and how they have benefited from your products or services.
- 360/virtual reality videos: To enable viewers to experience your brand in a more immersive way.
- Animation videos: To explain complex concepts or products, often with a light, clever/witty touch.
The best animations get to the human story, the human benefit from using a product or service. They can often lighten the weight of a complex or technical message, as shown in this Kubus animation showcasing Juniper Network’s MIST AI technology.
If you are new to using video in your marketing toolkit, a brand or company film is a great first step. It tees up all of your marketing collateral, captures the ‘About Us’ of your company, tells your story, highlights the people, values, and culture behind your brand or company – and what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Creating Authentic and Engaging Videos
To create effective and engaging videos, it is important to:
- Identify your audience: Understand their needs and priorities to ensure your videos are relevant, relatable and have impact.
- Keep it simple: Don’t try to cram too much information in. Focus on one main message and deliver it brilliantly.
- Personality: Capture your brand’s personality and values. Deliver this creatively. Humor done well can make a video more watchable and increases the chance it will be shared.
- Stay authentic: No-one enjoys being ‘sold’ to. Don’t try too hard, do be sincere, do demonstrate understanding of your target audience and do find ways to deliver your message in a creative way.
Distributing Your Videos
Once created, you’ll want to distribute your videos to their target audience. The ‘where’ will depend on the video’s purpose and where your target audience is most likely to see it. These are some of the most effective distribution channels:
- Your company website
- YouTube/Vimeo
- Social media
- Blog posts
- Influencer marketing
- Meetings
- Training sessions
- Conferences and other large-scale events
- Emails
Conclusion
Video is a powerful tool for humanising brands and building relationships with customers. By creating engaging videos with a human-centred approach, you’ll have access to content full of authenticity and personality. By distributing them to your target audience the right way, you can effectively connect with your customers and achieve your marketing goals.
Contact Us
If you would like to learn more or are considering a video project, we’d love to hear from you!
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