The art of storytelling is no longer purely reserved for paperback books and trips to the cinema – it is now an absolutely vital aspect of business marketing too.
Every new venture, product announcement or commercial initiative should tell a story. If it fails to do so, there’s simply no chance of building an engaged audience, and zero audience means zero return on investment.
Video marketing remains one of the best ways to tell business stories. They can be short, sharp affairs that provide quick product overviews or longer explorations into the inner workings of an organisation – whatever they are, the inclusion of a narrative is absolutely vital if you’re to stop people reaching for the ‘back’ button.
In this post, we’ve got six ways you can tell the story of your business by using video content.
1. The Customer Journey
Who’s going to watch a customer testimonial if all they do is sing the praises of your product or service? Put some personality into such videos by telling the customer’s story, instead.
How they achieved success, what their future plans are and their reasons for choosing you as a supplier can be turned into a fascinating story with a compelling beginning, middle and end.
2. Fiction
Just because you’re doing this for business doesn’t mean you can’t get a little creative now and again. For example, don’t be afraid to develop a fictional character that represents you company or – if they’re up for it – a fun little self-written production by the staff.
Light-hearted entertainment in the form of a video produced by you will go an awfully long way to proving that you’re not just a faceless, boring corporate entity.
3. Interviews
If you want to create a sense of anticipation about a forthcoming product or company announcement, interviewing the people involved before the big unveiling is a great tactic you can steal from Hollywood.
Think about how often you’ve seen directors and actors talk excitedly about a forthcoming movie. That excitement rubs off on audiences, and you can do the exact same thing with your existing and potential customers.
4. The Hero’s Journey
Brand awareness is often best driven by personal, human stories. If you have a member of staff who has risen from a shy, new employee to a role within the management team, or a customer service exec who went above and beyond the call of duty to make a customer’s day – you have a brilliant story on your hands.
Firstly, ensure the person in question is comfortable with being featured, and provided they are, hold a brief Q&A with them that delves into the decisions they made and experience gained during their journey.
5. Documentary
Documentary-style videos are great ways to tell the story of your business. They can relate to anything within your organisation, too – be it a certain department, overview of an installation process or fly-on-the-wall piece that covers a customer’s first week with your product.
Such videos are at their best when they follow the tried-and-tested method of combining behind-the-scenes footage with narration and interviews with key people.
6. Behind-the-scenes
Everyone loves a glimpse at the inner workings of a business. What goes on behind those closed doors?
You’re undoubtedly proud of your team and the work they undertake, but if customers only ever see the end result, you’re missing a golden opportunity to tell the story of what goes into every product you sell.
Grab a camera, and film the day-to-day operations of the business. The footage you capture may seem routine to you, but to outsiders, it will be a captivating insight into something with which they’re entirely unfamiliar.
Summary
Storytelling is inherently fun, and if you combine it with video marketing, you’ll produce content that will offer significant longevity. More importantly, you’ll be left with videos that demand a greater share of the audience and, as all marketers know, more eyes on content means more potential leads.