What ever the size of your business or budget, you need to make sure you’re producing video content that's building your brand awareness, encouraging shares and hopefully going viral. This means that you can often leave the straight up hard sell at the door.
We’ll look at some ways you can get started, then you can sit back and watch some fantastic examples.
You need to stand out from other brands, particularly those in the same market as you, so make your content unique. Find the thing that your company does that no-one else does, and create content around that uniqueness and individuality.
Releasing content regularly is one of the best ways to succeed, whether it’s video content or even just your blog. Consistency is vital, because once you’ve teased new viewers into your world, letting them know that they can get more from you every week/ fortnight/ month is going to be far more effective in building a relationship than saying ‘yeah, well, we’re gonna publish something else, erm, soon’. Keep your identity in those people’s minds, set their expectations, and then live up to those expectations.
Do you know which sites and social networks your audience hangs out on? You do? That’s great! Are you there, too?
Sharing content with people is a fine strategy - but if you’re sharing on Pinterest when most of your audience is on Tumblr, then you’re going to be losing out on exposure (and no-one wants that for you). Find the places where people who love you are active, and join in. Don’t just broadcast, though - remember that while many people enjoy engaging with their favorite brands on social media, if those brands are just pumping out content and not engaging, there’s no real relationship there, which leads me to…
Be personal. Show people that you appreciate them doing business with you with free gifts, offers, birthday greetings or anything else you feel is appropriate to help build the relationship between you and your existing and potential customers. Ask them what they’d like to see you making next so that they feel they’ve got a voice that they can use in the conversation. Invite them to submit reviews or pictures of themselves using the product, and the responses can only serve to help build your profile.
What kind of videos do you think your customers will really enjoy? Maybe it’s regular instructional videos that show people how best to use your product, or perhaps an interview with the designer. Behind-the-scenes videos are often popular, as the ‘making of’ films about movies have shown us.
Video is such a flexible media, and can achieve so many different things with it. Below, you’ll find nine examples of fun, helpful and interesting marketing videos. Enjoy!
1. Anthropologie
Anthropologie's fashion and home décor site has defined its mark as an expert in the fashion field with simple DIY recipes and fashion tips.
Great seasonal recipes and tips hit the primary trending topics and encourage people to share it with their friends. They end the video with a simple call to action:
2. Intelligentsia Coffee
Intelligentsia has increased appreciation for brew guides with some clever interactive online marketing. They offer free instructions for brewing a cup of coffee using different apparatus, including a DIY guide for brewing coffee in a cup.
This useful information increases customer appreciation for their product and they'll be viewed as an expert in their field.
3. American Express
American Express has found a new way of interacting with business owners by providing material on its website that helps their viewers to be more productive.
By presenting it in a news-style format, they're encouraging viewers to return for the latest update.
4. Deus ex Machina
Deus ex Machina videos promote a ‘Deus lifestyle’, like in this video from the Handmade Festival which highlights the uniqueness of all things handmade.
By focusing on the values of their customers they're forming a natural connection between the Deus ex Machina brand and this sort of lifestyle.
5. Lion Brand Yarns
Lion Brand Yarns knows that customers might not buy their products if they don’t know how to knit. So they fill this gap with plenty of 'how to' videos which attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers and potential customers.
This brand clearly understand its customers well. People usually want to give gifts that have a personal touch to their loved ones and if the giver can personally knit the item, it makes the gift even more special.
6. Arcade Fire’s Reflektor tour photos
In 2014, Arcade Fire found a fun way to interact with their fans by sourcing 4 photos of its Reflektor tour from its fan-base with the promise that the photos would appear on the rock band’s social media sites and website. The website benefitted from new content and referrals from fans. The fans earned some level of fame among their peers.
7. Disney
Disney has a blog that features behind-the-scene moments that led to the creation of certain characters and costumes.
Customers are curious to know the process that led to the creation of the final product. Creating such videos will increase knowledge of your brand among your customers.
8. Microsoft
Another good behind-the-scenes marketing video is from Microsoft. The video is targeted at Microsoft’s cutting edge tablet/laptop, the Surface Pro 3.
The process of getting a product to the consumer is not always smooth sailing and consumers appreciate knowing how much thought goes into creating the product they use and enjoy.
9. Whole Foods
Whole Foods offers good customer service and promote eco-friendly practices. They've replicated this exact model on the website, which offers helpful articles targeted at providing information as opposed to selling. In this video they focus on the people and faces behind the brand who tell the story of Whole Foods from their perspective.
I hope you have enjoyed these examples, let me know your thoughts on these marketing videos in the comments below!
