We’re living in a world where cats play the piano and teenagers become influencers by dancing awkwardly in their living rooms, and video content is king. Chain emails are no longer considered cutting-edge communications. Now though, it’s all about TikTok dances, YouTube tutorials, and Instagram stories. For any brands looking to target millennials and Gen Z; video content is your ticket to success.
But we know the best video content strategies involve more than just keeping up with the trends. It’s about telling your brand’s story in a way that captivates, engages, and converts your audience into dedicated brand loyalists. Video content isn’t just the future, it’s the now. So, grab some popcorn, and let’s explore how you can transform your brand from mid to viral sensation (without the awkward dancing).
The rise of video content on social media
While video content has existed on social media platforms for over a decade now, it wasn’t until recently that we saw a real surge in video content. In fact, a recent study indicated that 93% of marketers recently landed new customers all thanks to video content on social media. While static content may still have its place on social media, the power of video is undefeated with its ability to engage, inform, and convert audiences.
Why video?
- Higher engagement: Did you know that on average, video content receives 1,200% more shares than text AND images combined? Making video a key component in your social media strategy to really smash your ROE targets. The easy shareability of video content not only boosts your brand’s reach and visibility but also allows you to engage with a wider audience.
- Emotional connection: It’s a lot easier to trust a brand when you’re connecting with a human. As we know video content is a more engaging form of content, brands can utilise it to convey emotions, share stories, and build genuine connections with their audience. It is this emotional connection that opens the opportunity to build trust and loyalty even further. Both of these are vital for long-term brand success and moving customers down the marketing funnel.
- Increased conversion rates: When a high-quality, well-thought-out video can boost conversion rates by up to 80%, it’s something that needs to be in your social media strategy. After watching and engaging with video content, potential customers are more likely to retain the information and make the necessary purchasing decisions. With platforms like TikTok offering in-app shopping, the decision-making process has never been shorter or more efficient.
The power of storytelling in video content
If you want your brand to succeed, you need to do more than just sell a product or service. You need to sell a story, a vision, and a lifestyle. Storytelling is the key to video content that engages your audience and converts them into customers. The ability to connect and communicate with the audience in a way that resonates is something that just cannot be achieved in other media formats. Instead, video content allows a brand to continuously build an emotional connection that goes beyond basic product or service information.
3 Tips for crafting a story that converts
1.
Know your audience
Understanding your audience is fundamental to knowing how to tell your story. What are their needs, desires, and pain points? How does your brand story align with their goals, their aspirations and what gets them out of bed in the morning? By knowing the answer to these questions, you can begin to curate a video content social strategy that speaks directly to your audience and leaves a lasting impression.
2.
Keep it real
Sure, stories can be fictional, but not your brand story. Your brand story needs to foster trust and credibility. We are in an era in which audiences value transparency and authenticity, by showing the human side of your brand you begin to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Whether it’s done through glimpses of behind-the-scenes, customer stories, or talks with your founder, authenticity is the key to helping your brand stand out.
3.
Activate your audience’s emotions
Capture the attention of your audience by tapping into their emotions. Emotional storytelling is a great way to drive engagement, through utilising universal emotions such as happiness, sadness, or inspiration. The key is to create memorable experiences that resonate with viewers on a personal level.
Visual storytelling techniques
- Narrative structure: Every story needs a clear beginning, middle and end, otherwise it is impossible to view to be easily guided through your story. Regardless of whether it’s a product demonstration or a conversation, a well-thought-out narrative ensures that your message is communicated effectively. AI tools such as ChatGPT can be used to help start building a narrative structure and generate content ideas for your brand. When using AI tools, remember to always adapt the content to perfectly fit your brand and its tone of voice. They should only be used as a starting point.
- Cinematography and editing: Visual elements such as camera angles, lighting and editing all play an imperative part in conveying your story through video content. Nobody wants to be the bootleg video of their industry so high-quality visuals and seamless editing are necessary to enhance the audience’s experience. If you’re intimidated by the idea of shooting video content, hiring a team is always an option. At Giraffe Social we offer content creation days as part of our custom retainer builder; we’ll make your content more engaging and professional.
- Sound and music: Add even more depth to your content with voiceovers, sound effects, and music to further enhance the emotional impact and reinforce your brand story. A well-chosen soundtrack and elevate your storytelling, ensuring your content is immersive and memorable. Identifying trending audios that can be adapted to your brand story is a great way to make fun, light-hearted content that showcases the human side of your brand.
Transforming storytelling into sales
Sure, storytelling is great for building brand awareness and engagement, but we know it’s equally important to boost ROE and ROI. Especially if we want to keep the sales team off our backs. Here are some things you need to do, to drive conversion and sales:
Optimise for each platform
- Platform-specific content: Each social media platform has its own unique characteristics and user behaviours. By tailoring your video content to suit each platform, you are able to maximise its effectiveness. An example of this is that short, snappy, light-hearted videos perform well on TikTok and Instagram, meanwhile in-depth longer form content is typically more suited to Facebook and YouTube.
- Mobile optimisation: Let’s be honest, most of us are consuming social media content on our mobiles, which is why optimising your content for mobile is essential. Ensure your videos are easily viewable on a smaller screen, with clear visuals and captions to any voiceovers. Top tip: shoot your content in a 9:16 ratio for TikTok and Instagram Reels and 16:9 for YouTube.
Include clear CTAs
- Call-to-action (CTA): Whether you’re trying to get your audience to visit your website, sign up for a newsletter, or make a purchase, a clear and compelling CTA is essential. It is what instructs your audience to take the next step. We find the most effective CTAs are action-oriented, concise and aligned with your overall social media strategy.
Measure and analyse
- Performance metrics: Get valuable insight into how your audience is reacting to your video content through performance metrics such as views, engagement rates, and conversions. By understanding, what is working, and what just isn’t, you can refine and fine-tune your strategy. Ensuring your video content is consistently achieving your goals.
- A/B Testing: Don’t be afraid to experiment, telling your brand story is supposed to be fun. Play around with different video formats, lengths, and styles to help identify what resonates the most with your audience. A/B testing allows you to further optimise your content to ensure maximum impact. Allowing your storytelling efforts to translate into tangible business outcomes.
Best practices and educational resources
Leaders in storytelling video content
Creating iconic video content that resonates with the world is something brands like Nike, Coca-Cola and Leo have all achieved and mastered. By analysing and researching these leaders, brands can gain insight into different storytelling techniques, as well as ideas for creative visuals and strategy brand messaging. Look at brands that are creating iconic video content within your industry and discover what they’re missing…after all nobody can do it all. There’s room for everyone on social media.
Educational resources
- HubSpot: Visit HubSpot for a wealth of resources on video marketing including guides on creating engaging content, optimising for social media platforms, and measuring success. For any marketers looking to enhance their video strategy the HubSpot’s Ultimate Video Marketing Starter Pack is a great starting point!
- Social in 10 Podcast: Get insights into the latest social media trends, including trending video content on our Social in 10 Podcast. With weekly bite-sized episodes, you’ll be able to stay ahead of the trends and nail your social media strategy in no time.
Telling your brand’s story through video content is a powerful way to drive sales in a competitive landscape. By understanding your audience, crafting authentic stories, and ensuring your content is optimised for each platform, your brand can create video content that resonates directly with your audience and converts them into loyal customers.
Ready to share your brand story? Contact us today.
