Building a successful brand requires more than simply adding a logo to your letterhead or coming up with a catchy slogan. Your brand encompasses everything about who and what your company stands for, and how your customers feel about you.
Since you obviously want your customers to immediately think good things about your company when they hear your name, it’s important that you use every tool available to build a positive brand image. And even if you don’t think your company lends itself to a compelling video, chances are that video can and should play a vital role in your brand-building efforts.
Who Are You?
A survey by the Online Publishers Association showed that video, when done well, makes a noticeable difference in the popularity of a company. According to the study, almost 50 percent of people who view a video online take some sort of action, whether it’s checking out a company’s website or actually making a purchase.
That’s largely attributed to the fact that video allows business owners to get personal and show customers and potential customers who they really are. For example, it’s one thing for your company to advertise its support of the community and charitable causes in its literature. But posting a video of your CEO talking about that commitment, while the video plays images of employees and management actually working in the community, sends a more powerful message. Viewers can actually see commitment in action, reiterating that you’re a business they want to work with.
Companies today can no longer afford to be a faceless corporation behind a stylized logo. Thanks to social media, customers are looking for companies to be human, authentic and personal. They want to know the stories behind the products and services they are using. Video allows you to tell your own story and tap into viewers’ emotions, creating positive brand associations.
Sharing and Engaging
By turning investing in video production NY, companies have created materials to use at conferences, for advertising or in client presentations. However, the investment has another benefit: social media sharing and engagement. Social media has increased the desire for connections, and many people connect is by sharing things that have meaning to them. Whether it’s a funny video of a family pet doing something silly or a thought-provoking news item or blog post, people are sharing millions of pieces of content each day — and spreading the word about things they love and hate. Companies can no longer dismiss social media as a passing fad, and creating content that customers want to share is an important part of any marketing strategy.
What customers aren’t sharing are stale corporate fact sheets or lists of product features. If you want to go viral on social media and have your message shared far and wide, you need a compelling video. A well-produced video that tells a story and taps into the viewer’s emotions is far more likely to be shared on social media than a boring, talking head droning on about mission statements. Millions of potential viewers can see your video and get a sense of the innovation, pride, commitment and even fun that you put into your products and services. In other words, through video you can change the perception of your company as a bunch of suits sitting around conference tables throwing around business jargon, and create a more authentic image of what you and your company stand for.
Video also lets you engage with your customers. Few people share videos without commenting on them; viewers will post feedback on your Facebook, Twitter or YouTube profiles. When you post a video, you open another line of communication, and by responding to comments, you demonstrate an interest in what your customers are thinking and feeling, and you build positive associations for your brand. You can even further those connections by including real customers in your video, letting them tell your story for you.
Using video helps you tell a richer story, reach a wider audience and more effectively engage that audience than other forms of marketing. Whether you are a new company trying to tell customers who you are or an established company working to maintain a positive brand perception or even reinvigorate a stale brand, make video part of your brand campaign and you’ll see the brand results you’re hoping for.
Video shoot image from Flickr’s Creative Commons by CalypsoCrystal
About the Author: Communication and branding expert Lora Thaxton has nearly 20 years of experience developing branding strategies for companies in the health care, technology and food service industries. Although she creates corporate messages for a living, she can’t resist a funny cat video.