How to Use Videos to Tell Your Brand’s Story

Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women to tell the story of four girls growing into women during the American Civil War. Split into two volumes and published in the years 1868 and 1869, respectively, the heartwarming story has touched the lives of women spanning different generations.

When Greta Gerwig directed the 2019 movie adaptation, she chose a different angle—freedom. As Gerwig jumps to and fro Alcott’s chronological timeline, the March sisters explore their independence in a world that is trying to branch out from tradition.

“Women have minds and they have souls as well as just hearts. They’ve got ambition and they’ve got talent as well as just beauty. I am so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it! But—I am so lonely.”

Being one of the many retellings of the beloved novel, Gerwig still sends a new message to her audience by using detailed writing, directing, and editing. It is these elements, when used well, that strike a chord in people’s hearts, bring their eyes to water, and maybe fall in love with Jo and Laurie all over again.

We can take these storytelling principles when marketing our brand. Good, compelling content sets you apart from your competitors, builds trust among potential customers, and raises your credibility. In the same way that audiences feel triumph when Jo’s novel receives commercial success, we can help our customers feel strong emotions. In some cases, they may be inspired to honor their bodies and push their physical limits.

In Reebok’s #HonorYourDays campaign, they show how people can experience fitness at different stages of their life. Without selling their product outright, they tell a story that is both uplifting and nostalgic.

In our very first HUG event, Marketing Consultant Chhavi Porwal explains how the business landscape has changed. We are no longer waving our product around and calling for people to notice. Instead, we now aim to satisfy our customer’s needs. The perfect way to do that is to create a business strategy that attracts, converts, and delights our customers. And, just like movies, video marketing is becoming an incredible medium to start a conversation.

Video-fying Your Marketing Strategy

Last June 2020, HUG Manila held its first Zoom event, connecting with marketers all over the globe. Like the Reebok ad, videos require creativity and skill. A combination of good writing, directing, and editing, good videos are supposed to make your audience feel something.

StraightArrow’s Creative Director, Apple Hermino discussed how video campaigns are changing the game. In 2018, HubSpot published that, according to the research they conducted, around 50% of consumers want to see more videos from the brands they follow more than any type of content. In a different article, 90% of consumers say that videos help them make buying decisions.

Just as we feel more of our senses engaged when watching a film, our audiences can feel more connected with our brand and our message. And, as HUG Manila Leader and StraightArrow’s Digital Marketing Department Head, Chloe Villanueva, tackles in the event, videos can be used to educate, inform, and entertain.

Videos as Entertainment

Even when Bon Appétit has been around since 1956, their popularity (and, recently, notoriety) grew among younger audiences in 2016.

When camera operator Vincent Cross and director Matthew Hunziker published Brad Leone’s Kombucha-making video, viewers started to get interested in the faces behind Bon Appétit’s polished branding. Instead of showing the sleek videos that they have normally put out, this was off-brand—but more personal.

Slowly, Bon Appétit started introducing the Test Kitchen’s various editors, making them akin to influencers, for BA’s different videos. As the years went by, people weren’t only watching to follow the recipes; they wanted to see Claire Saffitz, Chris Morocco, Brad Leone, Sohla EllWally, Priya Krishna, Andy Baraghani and the other chefs, the same way most of us follow bloggers.

Because of their engaging videos, the company saw a 616% increase in magazine subscriptions during Thanksgiving of 2019. Even its June 2020 debacle provides learning points on how data on videos should validate and not precede the human touch.

Videos as Inspiration

Early this year, Belle de Jour Power Planner collaborated with the Huskee Digital Team to create a docu-series on different Filipino women in the business industry. Without mentioning their planners on the videos, these short documentaries highlight Belle de Jour’s mission: to empower women to live life to the fullest.

Recently, they have featured a social entrepreneur, painter, and blogger. Coming from different backgrounds, these women share how they explored different possibilities and achieved things they once thought were impossible.

Today, Belle de Jour Power Planner has a strong and loyal following of women who want to uplift and encourage each other.

Videos as Information

Virtual webinars or conferences are an easy way for people to learn more about you and about the topics that matter to them. When brands or entrepreneurs post snippets of their events online, they can be part-promotional and part-informative for their viewers. In this video below, Leveling Up’s Eric Siu and Neil Patel talk about starting their own digital marketing career.

While watching their funny banter, you may think of purchasing a Neil Patel book or tune into Eric Siu’s next episode on his podcast. As we are all staying at home, it’s now easier to join virtual webinars and interact with successful entrepreneurs from all over the world.

Relationship-building Videos in Your Sales

Aside from marketing, videos are great ways to get higher conversions, faster responses, and more closed deals. From the top of your sales funnel until the bottom, videos can improve your team’s communication with potential customers.

In emails, you’re 8 times likely to gain a higher click-through rate if there is the word “video” on your subject line. You may send your prospects a video on your business’ value proposition or a short introduction on your case study. Instead of inviting them to a call immediately, you are giving people the chance to process information at their own pace and free up your time to nurture more potential customers.

To help more customers connect with you on a personal level, selfie videos and screen share videos work best here. An example would be Vidyard’s event reminder where the speaker leaves a short video as a sneak peak of her webinar.

Oftentimes, your contacts may click on your video, set up a meeting with you, and not show up for the call. According to Outreach, 35% of customers don’t show up for most sales development organizations. By sending them follow-ups or agenda reminders in video format, prospects can retain the information better and schedule a new time with you. As they can also see your facial expressions and hear your tone, they will warm up to you quicker.

Embedding explainer videos in your emails or website pages can also help your potential customers make informed decisions way before they book a call with you. This way, none of your time or theirs are wasted. When you finally get on a call with them, you can discuss what challenges they’re facing and how you can help right away—no back-and-forth needed.

In this example, puls spent 27 seconds to tell its viewers how they can save you time and frustration when putting your household electronics together.

Instead of putting out a product demo, puls makes its visitors curious to explore their website and see what else they can offer.

Perhaps, you already have a strong following. A good way to build trust with new customers is to share how much other people love working with you. After all, happy customers are your best brand ambassadors. 

Samsara’s testimonial campaign highlights Fort Point Beer’s experience with their logistics solutions. Because Fort Point Beer doesn’t outsource their daily deliveries, they use Samsara to keep their trucks in top shape. Not only are the CEO’s emotions palpable via video, the audience gets to witness how Fort Point Beer uses Samsara in their daily activities.

If you’re also an SME, you may want to consider working with the logistics company because of their user-friendly devices.

HubSpot as Your Tool

If you’re already well-versed in using videos as marketing and sales tools, collaborating with HubSpot is your next step. During the webinar, Apple discussed how the aforementioned CRM can help marketers design webpages, blogs, and emails with video sections. With HubSpot’s tools, you can expand your video presence by embedding or uploading published videos on most-visited website pages. You can also aid your customer’s journey by adding in-video CTAs and encourage them to convert.

Once these pages are published, you may also track their performance by using HubSpot’s Analytics. As you observe how people engage with your video, you can create separate content for those who watched and for those who didn’t. That way, you’re marketing smarter.

As the event drew to a close, Apple also shared other tools that you may use with HubSpot. Wistia can be used for webinars, Loom for recorded sales presentations, Youtube for free tutorials, and Facebook Live for streaming purposes.

In a time where we are deprived of physical interaction with people outside of our home, we can take this opportunity to engage our customers’ eyes and ears with relevant, well-produced content. By leveraging tools like HubSpot, we can publish videos that help them feel as if they were dashing through the cobbled streets of 1868 New York, excited to ring home after having sold a short article to a publishing office. Exhilarated, dazed, and still hopeful. Running for the joy of it.

Interested to learn more about HubSpot?

We can help. Join the Manila HubSpot User Group or schedule a consultation with us today.