More than 87% of your target customers want to know the origin of your brand. In fact, it’s one of the top things they consider when deciding to purchase.
Your company has a story, and you have a captive audience ready to listen.
Even after you’ve gone into detail about how your brand came into existence, you can still create other tales that depict your products or services at work.
Herein lies the beauty of video storytelling.
Whether it’s a documentary-style shoot of your behind-the-scenes operation or a fictional narrative you create to showcase your wares, this marketing format allows you to take your creative chops, and your profits, to a whole new level.
Today, we’re sharing five ways that storytelling can transform your existing outreach strategy from bland to bold, and why it might be the missing link in your conversion optimization.
Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in.
Why Video Storytelling Matters
Have you heard of Intuit?
Unless you use QuickBooks, TurboTax or Mint, you might not recognize the brand name.
If you do, it may be because you viewed one very special ad campaign that first debuted in 2018. The campaign, which featured a mix of digital and television media spots, centered on a four-minute video that brings to mind the best Pixar films.
The video, titled “A Giant Story” features a robot as its main character, representing the various programs under the Inuit product suite. It might sound like a stretch, but it was a wildly successful one.
In the first week, the video garnered 16.8 million views. Of those, one in three viewers stayed to watch the entire video. Now, those total views top 21 million with more than three million unique views on Facebook alone.
Yet, views are one thing. Dollars are another, and they begin with brand positioning.
The video campaign raised Intuit’s brand recall by 26%, brand awareness by 17%, and favorability ranking by 27%. By the time the fourth quarter of 2018 rolled around, Inuit was looking at a 17% increase in revenue, with its annual earnings up 15% from 2017.
The takeaway? Videos convert. And, they can breathe new life into your tired marketing efforts. Here are five ways they accomplish this feat.
1. It’s Personal
We live in a digital era where customers have access to anything they want with the click of a smart screen.
Yet, even as AI sophisticates and bots threaten to take over, customers still crave personal connection. According to research, 90% of consumers are more willing to make a purchase from a brand that offers a personalized experience.
Sure, you could establish this connection through the written word. From ancient love letters to blog posts, people have been using language to bond for centuries. Yet, the video will always be more personal.
Whether you feature real people, animation, or a combination of both, you’re not rattling off statistics and droning on about a list of technical features. Rather, you’re taking the viewer on a fun and interesting journey, and learning is a natural byproduct.
It doesn’t take much for corporate branding to veer into monotonous, dry territory. Even if your brand is straight-laced and caters to the C-suite, you can still use videos to portray your message in a unique light. If a financial software company can figure out a way to achieve a creative spin, anyone can.
Try It For Yourself
You don’t have to have an MFA in Creative Writing to create a compelling narrative script. You don’t even have to weave a fictional account at all. Start by introducing the people behind your company.
Tell what they do and how their roles impact your mission.
Or, share the story of how your company was born. What were the driving forces behind its creation and how did you feel watching it launch?
Upload the video on your “About Us” page and share it across your social media channels. Doing so will put a face to your name and pique the interest of casual browsers and serious buyers alike.
2. It’s Persuasive
Scientists reveal that effective storytelling triggers a three-step response system in our brains. First, we’re made aware of a situation, then we’re aroused to do something and finally, we act.
One recent study highlights this chain reaction.
Two different study groups watched two different videos. The first tells the story of a father is struggling to connect with his son, who is dying of cancer. The other is devoid of a story and instead shows a father and son walking into a zoo together.
Of course, the study found that engagement levels were higher with the first video. But, that’s not all.
Researchers cited that the people who watched the first video had a 47% higher level of oxytocin in their bodies compared to those who watched the second. This is the human chemical linked to empathy.
In a second experiment with the same groups, the researchers gave every person money, telling them they could spend it on anything they wanted. Those with the highest levels of oxytocin were more apt to donate their money freely.
The takeaway? Engaging videos make us aware of an issue, stir us, then convince us to act. Imagine how that could translate in your advertising efforts.
Try It For Yourself
Incorporate visual storytelling anywhere that you want to persuade a prospect to act. This might mean uploading one on your sales pages, blog posts, social media feeds and more.
Leverage videos to convince your viewers to take the next step at the end, whether that’s downloading a PDF, signing up for a trial or joining your e-mail list.
3. It’s Attention-Grabbing
Want to hear a depressing statistic? More than 50% of content that’s created online falls flat, failing to get the shares, links, and traffic that creators hoped it would generate.
For the most part, web users are ignoring it, because the online market is replete with options and analysis paralysis is real.
One way to stand out in your space and grab that elusive viewer’s attention? Turn your lengthy blog posts and copy-heavy web pages into dynamic and interactive videos, instead.
When you do, resist the urge to launch into a diatribe full of industry-speak and complicated jargon. Tell a story, and you’ll grab their interest from the onset.
Think about it. Which are you more likely to view? “Five Reasons Why Our Organic Baby Food Is the Best” or “Baby Maggie Discovers Peas”?
Try It For Yourself
Where it makes sense, incorporates videos featuring short stories, biographies, and case studies into your online content. They’re especially relevant in blog posts and e-newsletters, as these tend to be less formal avenues for distributing information.
You can use a personal anecdote of your own, highlight customer stories with permission, or even make up a fictional tale to get your point across. If you go the latter route, make sure you express to your viewers that the events are not true.
4. It Helps You Outpace the Competition
What’s the one component that could give you a leg up on the competition and help you outpace your peers? The answer could lie in storytelling marketing, specifically using video as a medium.
You know that a video is a powerful tool in your sales arsenal. Others in your space? They might not be as quick to embrace it.
This is even true if you’re in a more straight-laced industry that’s long eschewed the use of creative advertising formats. While you might be tempted to follow suit, don’t.
This leaves more room for you to make an impression with your video stories, and by doing so, you could expose a new audience to your brand, taking their attention (and dollars) away from similar companies in your niche.
Need an example that even the most austere business leaders can get a little creative and leverage video storytelling in their outreach campaigns?
It’s become a popular tool in the accounting sphere, with creators using video to explain how elements including bank reconciliation and long-term asset depreciation are critical to business operations.
Try It For Yourself
Research your competitors’ web presence. How have they leveraged video storytelling? If they are, how can you improve and expand upon their efforts?
Consider how you can use the power of storytelling to set your brand apart. What does your target market want to see and learn about and how can you exceed those expectations?
5. It Builds Trust
When it comes to deciding to make a purchase, trust is more important as a price for the modern consumer. In fact, 73% of consumers claim that transparency trumps dollar signs.
What does this mean for your brand? Authenticity is more important than ever before. Even with so much data at their fingertips, today’s buyers have a keen sense of smell and they can sniff out a skunk blindfolded.
If your advertising campaigns feel too gimmicky, too flashy and too high-level, it won’t take long for your target audience to figure it out. To prevent this, seek genuine connection and credibility at every turn.
One way to do this? Let others speak for you. As a business leader, of course, you’ll tout the benefits of your products and services. Instead of taking the stage yourself, invite satisfied customers to come up to the microphone.
Personal testimonials, exclusive reviews, and word-of-mouth advertising continue to reign supreme. As 84% of people trust online recommendations as much as personal advice from their family or friends, this is one step you can’t afford to miss. Create videos featuring this feedback and share away.
Try It For Yourself
Convince your audience to trust your brand by sharing videos from satisfied customers on your website and social media feeds. From anecdotes about how your product has helped them to a rundown of your offering’s best features, there is a wide range of talking points.
Always requesting written permission first, use these to convince on-the-fence prospects to make a move in your direction.
This can even be an ideal way to incorporate influencer marketing, though it’s important to keep the focus on sincerity. Make sure the message remains transparent and genuine throughout. Even if you attach a familiar face to it for likes, that’s not enough to prove credibility, as the proof is in the delivery.
From Stories to Sales: The Role of Video
Ultimately, the aim of any marketing effort is to get your content in front of the eyes that need to see it the most. In today’s era of always-on connectivity, this isn’t easy to do.
It requires that you format your message in a unique way, leveraging underused resources including video storytelling to stand out from the competition, build buyer trust and persuade audiences to act.
A great brand story doesn’t just tell a tale. It’s a personal invitation to go on a journey, one that you hope will culminate in a path to purchase. There are some elements you cannot convey with text alone, and that’s where videos shine.
Are you ready to jumpstart your video marketing campaign by introducing storytelling features into your content? We’re here to help.
Our visual communication platform enables you to create, upload and share your unique videos with those who want to see them the most. When you have a story to share, we’ll make it a cinch to get the word out.
Register for a free trial today to take a look around. Then, start brainstorming and turn “Once upon a time” into dollar signs.
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