When you brainstorm video ideas for your brand, many may think that it solely comes down to presenting the most creative, original storyline. This method of thinking will likely lead to brainstorming sessions focusing on story and little else. But, in truth, the video’s storyline should be the last aspect to come together in your company’s brainstorming sessions.
If your company is ready to integrate video as regular part of your brand’s marketing strategy, mapping out the type of content that will best aid sales while accurately representing your brand is paramount. Before the creative aspects come into play, you’ll need to assess three guidelines to attain the best video ROI. Once you have adhered to these guidelines, the available options for your video’s storyline, style format, as well as video production methods will become clearly apparent.
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Pick a Stage of The Buyer Cycle
In which stage of the buyer’s cycle will the viewer be in when they come across your video? Are they first timers who need an introduction? Have they become a lead who needs more detailed information or are they one-time visitors who are ready to convert into returning customers?
Knowing the viewer’s stage in the buyer’s cycle helps you first identify the purpose of your video and the level of detail it should provide to be clickable. If the viewer is new to your company, an introductory video is in order to give an overview of what your business is all about. If the viewer has made it to a page on your website, they will be looking for specific product details or methods of purchase. Finally, if they are a returning customer that already knows your brand, miscellaneous or behind-the-scenes video content will further illustrate your brand story and help the consumer to build a trusting connection with your brand.
Next, the stage of the buyer’s cycle can help decide on which platform you’ll want to place your video. Introductory videos will be most effective on social media and website landing pages. The likelihood is that first-time viewers have spotted your company through their social media newsfeeds or a Google search. Detailed videos about products and services are best placed within your website. Meanwhile, for those returning costumers, Instagram or Tumblr are statistically the best vehicles to offer behind-the-scenes footage of your inner-office banter, or some cute coverage of the company dog.
Calls-to-action can easily be assessed from the buyer cycle stage as well. It may be most opportune to offer a page to join the email registry if viewers are on your website, or if they’re finding the clip on social media. Your call-to-action button should direct them to your website. If they are on your YouTube account watching catalog clips of your company’s inventory, capitalize on that by making the videos shoppable.
So now you’ve mapped out the level of detail of your video, it’s placement on the web, and your calls-to-action all by simply focusing on one stage of the buyer’s cycle.
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Have a Specific Buyer Persona In Mind
Since you’ve pinpointed the level of interest of the viewer by evaluating their stage in the buyer’s cycle, it’s time to decide who you’re speaking to in your video. If you’re marketing a winter sporting goods store, for example, are you focusing on male or female athletes? Young or old? Are they experienced athletes or beginners? Are they skiers, snowboarders, or ice skaters?
Figuring out your buyer persona profile will dictate the story your video will tell. You’ll be able to tailor your video content accurately to your viewer by anticipating the necessary information that will apply to that buyer persona profile.
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Research What Is Trending
Finally, it’s time to research trending content in popular culture. Outright advertising is dead in today’s culture; you’ll want your video to stand on its own as an entertaining piece of content. It’s all about creating a video that entertains while subtly, but not overtly, highlighting a product or service.
It’s best practice to research competitors’ videos and see what has worked for them. Also, note the style format that was most effective for competitors. For example, “how-to” videos have been very popular in attracting viewership in the past year, and Buzzfeed’s viral cooking series is proof of this. If you’re advertising for a company that sells kitchen appliances, cookbooks, etc., making videos like these could be a serious crowd pleaser.
Another example is unique access content, a.k.a content that audiences would otherwise not be privy too. High-profile sporting goods brand, The North Face, has a series of mini-documentaries of pro-athletes in their element. The videos are appropriately longer in length than your average company video due to the nature of the content. They advertise their sporting gear subtly while offering top quality, shareable content.
The number one important rule to remember when creating your company’s video, which these guidelines all follow, is to stay away from attempting to attract a vast range of viewers. You want to specify who you are talking to in your clips to heighten the chance of creating useful content.
Aiming your videos at a broad range of consumers will lead to creating a video that speaks to no one. Thus, the more tailored your video content becomes, the more useful it can be to a certain breed of consumer, and the more chance it has of becoming a marketing tool that leads to significant results.
After you’ve adhered to these guidelines, it’s time to think of a story idea that fits all of them. Luckily, you’ll find your options for storylines are significantly narrowed after this brainstorming process, and thus, the best ideas are easier to identify.
