Joseph Chukwube September 5, 2020 Engagement determines the effectiveness of any marketing strategy. Yet, the nature of video excludes interaction and it is a challenge for marketers to create a video strategy that engages the customer.
Of course, internet users want video content from brands. But for brands to engage their customers using videos, they have to work towards the motivations for watching videos, which are predominantly entertainment and education.
The current trends in video marketing include long-form videos, influencer marketing, shoppable videos, and live videos. But marketing is more about strategy than methods.
Successful video marketing is beyond dropping clips on your social media channels. The four basic principles behind creating relatable videos for your customers are the following:
- Storytelling,
- Contextualization,
- Authority, and
- Brand personalization.
Tell a Story
These days, storytelling is a marketing cliche so it’s not surprising that some think it’s overhyped. Yet it is a powerful tool by which many marketers have recorded success.
Video storytelling is the art of creating a compelling narrative lens through which the audience views your product and brand.
For storytelling, the aim is to create an accurate picture in the minds of your customers about what your brand represents and why your product is useful. With video storytelling, you are looking to get the viewer’s utmost attention.
- The easiest way to do this is to arouse their emotions and trigger their curiosity.
- When creating video ads begin with questions as, ‘what do I want a viewer to feel after watching this video?’ This sets the flow of the video.
- And in your video, feature characters that align with your customers’ personalities and needs. I expound this in the next point: contextualization.
Contextualize your Product/Service
Use video to recreate the experience of using your product or service. Create contexts in which your product solves a problem or meets a need.
Make your audience visualize the functionality of your product in real-life contexts so that you can relate to the audience beyond the limits of a text-based product description.
This is where testimonials can also come in. By telling true-life stories of how your products have enabled other customers to solve certain problems, you create a basis for interaction with people in your audience with the same issues.
In addition, when you project your customers through testimonial videos, you send a message to your audience that yours is a customer-centric brand.
Don’t make videos about your brand alone. Make them about your customers.
Establish Authority
Exciting videos might generate leads and storytelling might boost brand awareness. But more important is the authority of your brand. And this is besides SEO authority, though that is a factor.
To establish authority, you need to position your brand as a knowledge center. Internet users are not simply looking to be entertained; they want to be educated too.
- Besides, who says educational videos cannot be entertaining as well? Make your educational videos a mixture of information and fun.
- Use long-form videos, presentations, and webinars to not just teach your customers how to use your products, but train them on various topics in your niche.
- Depending on your budget, you could feature interviews with industry experts.
The idea is to set up your brand as a knowledge platform. Brands that optimize their videos for authority play the long-term game.
Personalize your Brand
Videos have always been about consumption rather than interaction. However, the scope is changing. Internet users relate better with brands that don’t seem aloof.
Therefore, one major way to trigger interaction is to relate the video to the experiences of your consumer. But even that is missing one component, which is that interaction is two-way.
Your customers want to know about you just as much as you are trying to learn about them. And the way to satisfy their curiosity is to show off your brand personality, which is the human, organic side of the brand.
Scripted videos are good, but they don’t humanize your brand in the way that live videos and behind-the-scenes videos do. Allowing your customers to have a peek at how you work makes you gain more of their trust.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that video marketing pays. According to a survey by Wyzowl published in their State of Video Marketing 2020 report, some of the positive ROI of video marketing reported by marketers include the following:
- Increased user understanding of product or service (95%)
- Increased traffic (87%)
- Lead generation (83%)
- Increase in average time visitors spend on a page (81%)
- Reduced number of support calls (43%)
Cost-effective video productions are possible now. So, every brand, irrespective of budget, can communicate to and interact with their customers using video. As long as you apply the right principles and remain creative, video marketing provides huge opportunities for expanding your reach and boosting engagement.
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