Creating video ads for your brand is one thing. But venturing into the world of branded videos, where your company’s values shine, positioning you as an expert, and nurturing trust among your consumers, it’s a whole new ballgame.
Branded videos become a potent weapon in your video marketing arsenal when done right. Now, you might be wondering, where do you start? Well, you’re in luck because that’s precisely what we’ll explore in this comprehensive guide.
Let’s journey through the various styles of branded videos, the benefits to your business, and how to engage the art of branded video production to set your brand apart from the competition.
What’s a Branded Video?
A branded video is different from your standard sales pitch. It’s a story-driven showcase of your company’s vision, mission, and values. Instead of airing ten product ads at the same time, branded videos educate and foster a sense of trust and brand awareness.
Branded video content serves as a means to promote a particular message or mission while maintaining a subtle company presence. It’s characterized by authenticity, entertainment value, typically brief duration (usually under 60 seconds), and a focused approach to your core audience.
Benefits of Branded Video Content
In a world where marketing noise is louder than ever, branded videos offer an opportunity to present genuine stories, connecting with your audience on a profound level. Here are five advantages:
- Deliver an Experience: Unlike disruptive ads, branded content creates connections by sharing relatable stories that leave a lasting impression.
- Tap into Emotions: Emotions significantly influence buying behavior. Brand videos use emotional storytelling to guide viewers toward purchasing and nurturing long-term brand loyalty.
- Show Your Brand’s Personality: In a marketing landscape dominated by promotions and sales pitches, branded videos highlight values and humanity. It’s a story people can relate to.
- Win People’s Attention: Branded content stands out by focusing on emotionally charged storytelling, which resonates better with your audience.
- Establish Trust: Branded videos humanize your company by delving into your goals and aspirations, creating a more profound sense of trust among your audience and compelling them to take action.
How to Define Your Brand with Branded Video Production
Video production can be a maze of moving parts. From fine-tuning your storyline to perfecting your clips through editing, creating a video you adore can take weeks. To ensure you’re armed to the teeth for creating top-notch videos, here are six must-know tips:
Understand Your Target Audience
Kick off your production process by understanding and fine-tuning your target audience. Think of it this way: without a defined viewer persona, you might not hit the right chords, no matter how inspiring your content. A profound understanding of your audience impacts crucial video specifics like narrative style, format, length, and more.
Start by conducting surveys or market research to sketch your ideal viewer persona. Remember, understanding your audience is paramount for delivering targeted, relatable content that yields desired results.
Define Your Video’s Goals
Once your target persona is clear, leverage this insight to decide your video’s purpose. Clarifying your goals upfront is critical to minimize unnecessary edits or reshoots. Establishing the plans for your branded content helps cover other crucial details, like budget and production requirements.
Outline what you want to achieve through your branding video in the initial stages. Possible goals include brand positioning, building awareness, credibility, trust, generating buzz, funneling marketing, lead generation, or audience engagement. While nailing down your goals, set a realistic budget to organize shooting equipment, creative resources, and talent.
Craft Relatable Stories
Video storytelling champions the show-don’t-tell approach. You want to offer viewers a unique perspective on your brand and connect with their emotions to create a positive impact. This is where the timeless wisdom of making content relatable comes into play—videos that make viewers feel seen and heard. Instead of being self-centered, shift the spotlight to your audience. Unveil the problems you aim to solve for them and the “why” behind your work.
Choose Your Color Palette and Theme
Picking a theme and color palette in the pre-production stage is another critical tip for producing stellar videos. A well-suited color scheme sets your video apart from the ocean of content flooding social media daily.
Create a Storyboard and Setup
Your video production journey is incomplete without a detailed script. Think of the script as the blueprint for your video, where you meticulously structure your thoughts and create a chronological sequence of ideas. Start by sketching a rough outline to organize your thoughts, then flesh it into a full script. A well-crafted script comprises an attention-grabbing hook, the meaty core content, and a compelling call to action.
- Once your script is set, transition to creating a storyboard. This adds order and clarity to the process.
- If you’re shooting the video, the next step is the setup. You must prepare your equipment and the shooting location to ensure top-notch content creation with minimal disruptions.
- Whether you’re shooting with a professional camera or a smartphone, set the right parameters like ISO, aperture, white balance, frame rate, and shutter speed.
- Use a tripod to ensure your camera remains stable throughout the shoot, with your choice of tripod depending on your camera type.
- Position your lighting equipment correctly to achieve balanced lighting during shooting.
A well-executed setup can make all the difference in the quality and appeal of your video, so don’t compromise.
Accommodate Silent Viewers
One often underestimated consideration is catering to viewers who watch videos with the sound off or cannot otherwise hear the video. Since many mobile viewers consume video content without audio, it’s crucial to elevate your video production efforts to reach these individuals.
A practical solution is to include embedded captions or subtitles in your videos. You can also design videos with stylized text to grab attention, employing typography where animated, bold text appears on-screen in sync with the spoken content.
An alternative approach is relying more on visual storytelling, minimizing using words to convey your ideas. Doing so makes the background score more about setting the mood, making minimal difference to non-audio viewers.
Conclusion
Video redefines the game for marketers and brands, offering a powerful medium to connect with their audience. You can make a more substantial impact with branded videos, creating brand awareness and fostering meaningful connections.
Keep this comprehensive guide handy as you venture into branded video production, so you can craft persuasive videos that make a memorable impact and foster genuine engagement.
