Video content is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to reaching your target audience and driving conversions. 

However, creating videos that stand out from the crowd and effectively communicate your brand’s message requires a strategic approach and can be challenging. 

In this article, we’ll share key insights and tactics to help you create compelling, effective video content that truly stands out and resonates with your audience.

We’ll also quote some of the top marketing minds from the latest SXSW Festival. These will include ideas and insights currently shaping how your brand should approach video.

So, let’s get started.

Show, don’t tell: Focus on creating experiences over descriptions

One of the most important things to keep in mind when creating video content is the importance of showing the product in action instead of incentivising or urging people to buy. 

No customer cares about your product and its fancy features; that’s a misconception we see most video marketing agencies make; people only care about what it can do for them or what they can achieve with it.

So, rather than simply describing your product or service, focus on demonstrating its value through compelling visuals and storytelling. Here are a couple of ways you can achieve that. 

Make your videos relatable so that your audience identifies with them

Making your videos relatable to your target audience is not all about mentioning or highlighting notable features your product or service has. 

It is a process that requires you to learn about your target audience’s pain points and then derive unique use cases of how your product can solve those pain points. 

That way, you’ll be able to create a more in-depth video covering what your product can do for your customers and what they will gain from it. The result will be a video that touches on their emotions, and they will identify with it on a core level. 

Watch this example we’ve created for Crews.

You can see how the video details all the problems the audience might have. This helps people relate and identify with the video. 

So, you need to ask yourself some key questions:

• What problem does your product or service solve?
• Why did you start your company in the first place?
• What pain points were you trying to solve?
• What are the top three things people usually complain about before buying?
• If you are in a competitive market, what specific aspect of your product would make people buy from you over the competition?

You want them to see specific use cases of your product that matter to them so they can relate to your video and clearly see the value of your product. Doing this helps you promote your products and create a better first impression, which can increase adoption and sales.

While you’re at it, you need to keep the target audience in mind. Because in B2B, people often forget that they’re ACTUALLY targeting companies but individuals and decision-makers working at those companies. And so, those are the people you should speak to. 

Eric Berman, the founder and CEO of Hawk Media, says it better: 

“…And I think it’s because they forget that there’s an individual making that decision. And who is that ICP? what do we need to do to target that person? … it’s, you know, who’s making the decision? What’s the emotional reason they’re making that decision? Why are they hiring so quickly? Why are they getting on one password? Like, what, what is that person’s pain point?”

Take close-up product shots.

Taking close-up shots of your product is an excellent way to showcase your product’s features, details, and benefits to your audience. 

Instead of simply telling, showing your product up close, allows you to give your viewers a better understanding of what they can expect from it, and how it can improve their lives. 

This is even more effective if you’re an eCommerce brand or if you sell physical products that people generally need a real-life experience with before purchasing. 

Close-up shots highlight the quality, design, and craftsmanship of your product. It allows you to recreate the brick-and-mortar store experience that people couldn’t get otherwise, and it helps you build trust and credibility with your audience. 

Also, close-up shots can create a sense of desire and excitement among your audience, making them more likely to purchase. Think about the sleek product unboxing videos and the impression they create. 

As well, by taking the time to capture your product in detail, you are showing your audience that you care about your product and are committed to providing them with the best possible experience.

Show the lifestyle people will experience after using your product

This also falls within the realm of letting your audience see the benefits of your product in action instead of telling them, making claims, or making it difficult for them to envision and fully understand the benefits. 

Showing the lifestyle people will get after using your product requires you to recreate your product’s experience with real-life scenarios. In other words, it allows you to create a visual representation of the lifestyle that your product can provide. 

The main value of this approach to video marketing is that it helps your audience to better understand how your product can fit into their lives and how it can solve their problems or make their lives easier.

It allows you to provide a tangible representation of your product’s outcome that they can relate to and aspire to. This can create a stronger emotional connection between your audience and your product, ultimately leading to higher sales and greater customer loyalty.

Another reason you should do this is that it helps you differentiate your brand from your competitors. 

By highlighting the unique benefits of your product and showcasing how it can improve your customers’ lives, you are creating a strong brand identity that resonates with your audience. 

This can help you stand out in a crowded market and attract more customers looking for products that align with their values and lifestyle.

Be bold in your marketing strategy.

Both B2C and B2B audiences are often bombarded with a lot of marketing messages, making it difficult for any single message to stand out. To make an impact and capture their attention, you need to be bold, creative, and innovative in your marketing approach.

Here are a couple of ways you can achieve this. 

Create videos that stand out in a crowded market.

Being bold in your video marketing strategy means taking risks and doing things your competitors are not doing. It means being willing to push boundaries and challenge the status quo and be different. 

The competition is getting fiercer and fiercer as we advance. This means that many companies are struggling for attention, and you can’t all be the same in the eyes of the audience. 

“…a few years ago, you had Atlassian, and you had maybe two others. And now, every day, we see new companies pop up, and they’re bold, and they’re bright, and they’re trying to, you know, build their own brand. So it becomes more important than ever to differentiate.” 

Melissa Rosenthal, Chief Creative Officer of ClickUp.

There are a lot of ways you can set your brand apart. For example, while everybody is focused on creating marketing videos that only mention their product’s merits and urge the audience to buy, you can work on fun, user-generated social videos that help you connect with your audience at a core level. 

We think ClickUp does this well. Basically, their strategy is to create fun social media videos for non-sales purposes, which helps them be different and create familiarity for their brand. Here is what Melissa Rosenthal, their Chief Creative Officer says about that. 

“…like social is just such a huge organic opportunity to build brand to create funnels, we do it in a lot of interesting ways. We have a lot of different initiatives that kind of all tie in to social, …, like we really believe in people as channels. We’ve set up an internal influencer program, where we film our employees talking about both their jobs, the company, you know, more ICP focus things, but things that will engage and encourage people on LinkedIn to want to know more about clickup.”

This is a great way to build a community around your brand and get your audience involved in your video marketing efforts. 

Also, you can show people that your company is about more than just selling by creating video materials that humanise your brand and show the audience that you care about making the world a better place. 

Take Apple, for example. The company doesn’t just concern itself with creating tech products and only making millions of dollars. They’re also heavily invested in campaigns to fight climate change and improve our lives on Earth altogether. 

Case in point, On June 1 2017, Tim tweeted: 

The decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was wrong for our planet. Apple is committed to fighting climate change. And we will never waver.

Doing so lets you differentiate yourself from the competition and make a lasting impression on your audience.

Another bold video marketing strategy that can make you stand out and win the audience’s heart is to work on collaborative projects with another company in your niche. 

Partner with another company or thought leader in your industry to create a joint video that showcases your shared values and expertise. This can be a great way to expand your reach and build new relationships within your industry.

Instil quality branding throughout your videos

Another reason to be bold in your video marketing is that it helps you establish a strong brand identity. And having quality branding throughout your videos is the key to building brand awareness, establishing credibility, and connecting with your target audience. 

Taking a bold approach to producing your marketing videos helps you create a consistent and memorable brand experience for your audience. In a nutshell, it’s all about devising and incorporating unique, unprecedented brand visuals and verbal identity into your videos.

You will have to be consistent and intentional about it. The result will be a strong brand identity that creates a sense of familiarity with your audience. But better, it makes you a unique and disruptive brand in your industry, making the audience more likely to remember your brand and engage with your content. 

Hook and leave a lasting impact on the audience

With so much content available online, it’s just so easy for viewers to quickly lose interest and move on to something else. You most likely see your viewers quit your video before reaching the end of it or bounce. 

Your video also needs to grab your audience’s attention with an enticing hook, establish relevance by highlighting why viewers should care, and then create anticipation and build excitement for what’s to come.  Here is how you can achieve this. 

Make the first 15 seconds compelling.

We’re living in a fast-paced world. People have shorter attention spans and are quick to lose interest if you can’t keep them immediately captivated by your content. You risk losing your audience if you fail to make your first 15 seconds compelling.

In fact, the first 6 seconds of your video can make or break its overall performance. And according to Brent Anderson, the Global Chief Creative Officer for TBWA Media Arts Lab in Los Angeles, the first 6 seconds do break it. 

“…specifically as advertisers, we put all of our passion, all of all the care and the craft, we fight so many fights internally and then with our, with our clients to protect the work that we believe in. And then we offer it up to the world. And we have six seconds. Six seconds better be good. People are skipping if you’re in advertising, I mean people are skipping your life’s work in six seconds. It’s bleak….”

That’s simply because that’s the period where you have the best opportunity to grab your viewers’ attention and keep them engaged throughout the rest of your video.

So, how do you go about nailing those first few seconds in your videos? 

We believe the best way to do this is to create a hook that’s both attention-grabbing and relevant to your content. Perhaps you can use an intriguing question, a fun or relatable story, a bold statement, pain point reiteration, an audience callout, a surprising statistic, etc. 

Here is an excellent example where we focus on the audience’s pain point in the beginning to create excitement.

Whatever it is, it needs to be something that really speaks to your audience and gets them excited about what’s to come. 

People shouldn’t watch the video and feel like it’s just another piece of marketing material. The first 15 seconds must set them up for an intriguing viewing experience.

Next, think about how you can visually engage your viewers in the first 15 seconds as well. You can consider creating stunning visuals or animations, showcasing your product in an interesting and unexpected way.

Here is a good example we produced with an attention-grabbing opening scene that hooks the viewer and immediately sets up the narrative.

While you’re at it, be sure to keep things concise and to the point — your viewers don’t want to sit through a long introduction (15 seconds) before getting to the good stuff.

Tell a story

People love to hear about and learn from other people’s experiences regarding things they care about. That’s why telling stories works like a charm to hook your audience into engaging with your video and taking your desired action at the end. 

Storytelling is a powerful way to create a hook in your videos because stories are fundamental to human communication. 

Humans are wired to respond to stories as they connect with us emotionally, help us understand complex information, and allow us to make sense of the world around us.

Here are some tips on how to effectively tell a story in your video:

• A clear structure: A compelling story should have a beginning, middle, and end. Start with an attention-grabbing opening that sets the scene and draws the viewer in. Then, build the middle of your story with details that create suspense, emotion, or tension—end by bringing your story to a satisfying conclusion that leaves the viewer feeling fulfilled or inspired.
• Create relatable characters: If you fail this, people will bounce out of your videos. Characters provide a point of connection for your viewers. So, it needs to be characters they can relate to, empathise with, or root for. Make sure they have clear motivations and goals that drive the action of your story.
• Use visuals to support your story: Visuals bring your story to life and create an emotional impact on the viewer. Together with your production team, storyboard imagery that supports the themes or emotions of your story, and consider using animation or graphics to add visual interest.
• Keep it concise: While stories are fun and powerful, don’t lose sight of your video’s length. Ensure your story is concise and to the point so it doesn’t drag on or lose the viewer’s interest.
• Have a clear message: Make sure your story has a clear message or takeaway that viewers can walk away with. This will help ensure your story resonates with viewers and leaves a lasting impact.

Here is an excellent story-driven video we’ve produced, for example.

Share your videos and be active on social media platforms

It’s no surprise that everyone uses social media today. It’s the single most important place where people look for advice and reviews about products or services before making a purchase decision. 

According to the 2022 GWI Gen Z report, 46% of Gen Zers rely on TikTok to find product and brand information, while 69% use Instagram. 

So, having a strong social media presence is essential to make an impact. This means actively engaging with your followers, responding to comments and messages, and sharing your videos across various platforms. 

One way to be active on social media is by leveraging your workforce or people as channels. The premise is simple: you’ll only have to empower your employees to create content on platforms where your audience spends time, which adds up to your overall brand reach. 

“I like to think of people as media channels. And I think more and more companies are able to leverage their own employees to speak and have a voice and have a platform that all of a sudden starts to funnel back to the actual brand.”

Melissa Rosenthal, Chief Creative Officer of ClickUp.

By consistently promoting your brand, your product or service and engaging with your audience through the people working at your company, you’ll be able to build a loyal following and drive conversions over time. 

Work with WKV to create videos that stand out.

Let’s face it; it’s a crowded market. Basic videos that all look the same across businesses don’t cut it anymore. You need to stand out and engage with your audience. 

At We Know Video, we understand the importance of creating bold, impactful videos that capture your audience’s attention.

Our team of expert video marketers will take on your needs and develop projects that make your company relatable to your audience. We can help you stand out in your industry and create strong branding throughout your videos to ensure consistency and recognition.

Our team will work closely with you to craft videos that effectively communicate your message and align with your brand’s values and goals.

Talk to us to learn how we can help you achieve your video marketing goals and stand out in a crowded market.