The Story-Selling Revolution: How Smart Brands Use Video to Build Real Relationships
Video marketing has transformed over the past few years. In the not-too-distant past, all it took was a 30-second product demonstration video shared on YouTube by a brand and they could reap massive rewards. But with consumers becoming savvy to such regimens, champions of video marketing realized that a serious shift needed to happen.
Those winning at video marketing today understand that people do not want to be sold to, yet they do want their stories to be told. Those in charge of successful brands know how to create video segments that people actually want to watch, absorb, share with others, and remember well after the end credits roll.
No More Product Videos
In the past, videos created for promotional purposes have been 100% focused on the product in question—with price points, pros, cons, and so much praise told in the easiest of fashions. These focus videos come across as sterile—transactional; people absorb them as consumers instead of human beings with empathy, struggles, and dreams.
When people had fewer options to entertain them—and were less forgiving to promotional initiatives—such stern regimented videos worked effectively. But now, with streaming services and social media at every turn populated with user-generated content, any professionally-produced promotional video has direct competition.
Thus, many promotional videos are skipped, ignored, or blocked as they come across as intrusive or invasive; people can sense that a video is not for them but for someone else trying to sell them something.
Empathy Goes Long Distance
Brands that realize how to shift their priorities have discovered that empathetic storytelling binds audiences more effectively than feature-driven messaging ever could. Thus, character-driven storytelling with practical approaches championed by successful brands use video to tell narratives that truly resonate with audiences’ ethical considerations and realities and dreams in ways that matter.
For instance, those who support this line of thinking appreciate that people buy things based on emotional impulses and subsequently justify their purchases scientifically. Therefore, if something feels good in the moment—especially a positive feeling related to a brand—then down the line buyers see themselves aligned with a group purchase even if nothing was purchased in the first place.
When working with sophisticated networks offering native video ads, advertisers can sell their wares disguised as integrated content streamed with little-to-no indication otherwise. This allows marketers to learn from brands that successfully communicate without overwhelming audiences.
Today’s audiences want information-related approaches championing universal concepts—no matter age or social segmentation. Storylines about breaking the impossible, doing the unachievable, creating one’s changed state versus old state through time, creating relationships based on longevity or a changed purpose are accessible topics for all.
Value First and Then Ask
More often than not, the best champion of a given video is a brand with no overt asking involved; there’s so much given in terms of value first that little-to-no one minds giving of their time or monetary resources later. This means educational endeavors teach others what they can do on their own; entertainment value creates laughter or inspiration; informational campaigns help discern decision-making options.
When people know that value comes first—and appreciate it—they’re more willing to comply later down the line after they’ve received free value with little-to-no strings attached.
Character Construction in Brand Videos Creates Connection
Character development is significant; people connect best emotionally when they see others do it first through powerful storytelling. Be it a true customer lauding from whence they came (and perhaps where they’re going) or employee advocates lamenting from the heart (for good or bad) through an associated product, credible characters allow audiences to sympathize learn-from with ease.
This works because instead of focusing on features, they’re showing how features matter for real people’s lives through identifiable narratives that transcend cultures and time. The best character-focused segments are realistic instead of over-the-top; perfect characters come off as manufactured—people connect through failures just as much as successes.
Nesting Dolls: Series and Specifics Within Platforms Mean Most
Many successful brands go beyond just one series; instead, they champion characters and storylines over multiple episodes. Audiences start to get invested in people they love (or hate) when they’re part of greater series and this also creates anticipation for new segments if the deeper storytelling is generated and taken seriously enough to explore with quality textural narratives over time.
Different platforms have different audiences with different realities; brands must recognize how they’re different based on what’s offered. For example, short vs long on certain social media versus YouTube are expectations—stories need to be tempered instead of flung at every audience option only repurposed through their channels later for minimal effort.
The key component is that branding remains similar enough based on messaging and/or graphics from platform-to-platform so branding stays stable while adapting storytelling technique appeals through tonally appropriate video length or production efforts accordingly.
Shared Stories: Community Building Gives Value Online
One of the best ways for a marketed narrative to grow beyond proportion is by creating shared experiences out there for audiences to buy into the big picture across commonality. Inherent narratives created by audiences through brand integrity connected through theme or product purchase are valuable because they engage proactive responses—but people want to see others like themselves doing likewise—and social proof is everywhere these days online.
User-generated content opportunities that champion their stories through brand theme or product go a long way; this is not limited to testimonials; instead, it’s showing how things turned out well—or otherwise—because of proactive measures by companies/brands—or how certain things are given so well that positive enthusiasm when turned around goes even further than average testimonials could suggest. A video of a person telling their story goes much further than a professional testimonial attempt because these are real people focusing on real people who really need real efforts because social proof has become increasingly lacking these days without proper avenues to level the playing field.
Breaking Down Importance of Response Assessment Measurement
On top of everything else complicating video measurement efforts are those received per views—and what’s required is less basic “gotcha!” numbers—views/clicks/response numbers instantaneous right here right now—but more essential for retrospective findings down the line about how people feel days/weeks/months from now about smaller interactions becoming bigger over time through cumulative efforts.
Completion rates—how many people watched it all the way through—is far more important than how many watched it quickly; if retention drops off toward the end it’s bad news for everyone—for branding efforts or interest loss/generation. Narrative shares are great psychological valences; comments can champion emotional sentiment better than statistical relevance—and importantly—recall from audiences who don’t want inundation show trends better than those who are avidly waiting for whatever’s been suggested without taking time to care about what’s been presented before them!
The most important statistic for any brand/story purpose down the line is customer lifetime value as opposed to percentage response rates based on first impulse offers that help anybody unless manipulated otherwise after time!
The bottom line is everything is about story-selling now—and not just from a capitalistic perspective—but how practical connections beat out emotional ones down the line—it starts first with well-executed effort where there’s no ulterior motive at play at all!
