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Our Top 4 Tips for Better Brand Video in 2023!
By now we’re all aware that video is the most powerful tool in your toolbox when it comes to capturing that ever-elusive audience – whether it’s new clients, customers or stakeholders. Here in Canada, we have a social network penetration rate of 89 percent, making us one of the world’s most connected online populations. So as we move into the new year, it’s a great time to take a closer look at your social media presence and consider how your brand video content is performing, and how you can keep it consistent and engaging – but most of all – drive results for whatever outcome you’re looking to achieve.
To help you maximize the impact of your brand videos and even go viral, here are our top four tips for crafting better brand video content in the upcoming year.
Tip 1 – Choose your Channel
When it comes to crafting great brand video content, the number one thing you need to consider is your audience. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook all have their own unique demographics, styles, and creative constraints, so it’s important to take some time to research, and choose the platforms that are most suitable for your brand and your goals.
A few stats to help you out. If you’re looking to reach a younger demographic, TikTok is an excellent choice – the social media juggernaut is now the #1 app among Gen Z, or 18-25 year old consumers. But don’t count it out if your ideal customer doesn’t fall within those demographics – 1 in 5 adults over 35 are now TikTok users as well, and growing.
If you’re looking for a more professional and long-form video presence, YouTube may be better suited for you. With 1.7 billion monthly users, YouTube is the world’s second most-visited website. Sports, kids, music and gaming content thrive on the platform, as do how-to videos.. With a third of all internet users watching a tutorial video each week. That being said, the vast majority of YouTube’s viewing audience is between the ages of 18 & 34, skewing slightly male. Keep that in mind when planning content for this channel.
Instagram is the top social media platform for ROI, engagement, and lead generation for sharing marketing videos – and its stories or reels features can also be great for creating fun, short videos that quickly engage with users. Instagram has a wider audience reach, with most users falling between the ages of 18 & 44.
And finally, the mother-of-all social networks – Facebook. Great for reaching a broad audience, Facebook is the most popular social media network for men and women aged 35-44. If you’re looking for a slightly more mature audience – this is the place to be.
Tip 2 – Keep It Short
In the age of digital media, attention spans are shorter than ever. Consumers are used to receiving a lot of information quickly, so you should make sure your brand videos are concise and to the point. Shorter videos will also help you reach more people, as people tend to prefer watching shorter clips over long ones.
Every network has different ideal lengths for video engagement, but one thing is crystal clear – when creating a video, be sure to focus on one message or idea and make sure it’s communicated quickly and clearly. Don’t try to cram too many points into one piece; instead, spread out your content across multiple shorter videos if needed. Keep your video short and sweet, and don’t forget to include a call-to-action at the end to drive conversions.
Tip 3 – Figure out your Funnel
Creating a sales funnel is an important part of any marketing strategy. A sales funnel is a way of visualizing how your customers move through the buying process and can help you better target them with the right content. When it comes to video content, using different videos at different stages of your sales funnel can maximize engagement and increase conversions.
At the top of your funnel, use videos that focus on building awareness and introducing your brand and product. You could create a brief promotional video or even a fun animated explainer video that gives potential customers an overview of what you’re all about.
As prospects move further down the funnel, you can use videos that focus more on driving conversions. This could include customer testimonials, product demos, or educational content that dives deeper into your product and its features.
Finally, at the bottom of your funnel, you could focus on using videos to drive repeat purchases and loyalty. This could include special offers, discounts, and rewards programs. By tailoring your videos to each stage of the sales funnel, you can effectively reach your target audience with the right message at the right time.
Tip 4 – Go Live
Live videos are a great way to engage with your audience and show off your brand’s personality. They’re also easier and faster to produce than edited videos, generate more engagement, and allow you to get more content out quickly and consistently. People are also more forgiving of imperfections on live videos because they know the video is being produced in real-time. You don’t need to worry about lengthy editing processes or finding the perfect soundbite; just hit record and go!
There you have it! Our top 4 tips for better brand videos in 2023. We know that creating content can be overwhelming, and we’re always here to help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or start a conversation with us about your next brand video project! And good luck with those 2023 goals! If you keep these four tips in mind when crafting your annual campaigns, you’ll be off to a great start.
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Let’s Cut the Cheese
How to Battle the Cringe in your Communications
One common mistake communicators make is in their overuse of the ‘earnest’ in content. This often comes across as that ‘this is cheesy’ feeling we all know so well when watching a piece of video or reading a story.
My 15-year-old son has a better term for it. He calls them ‘Cringe’ videos. Consisting largely of people being overly earnest and generally just trying too hard, a Cringe video is recognizable by its ability to make the viewer feel uncomfortable.
While in some cases making your viewers squirm can be a good thing, most clients we’ve worked with are aiming to inform and educate rather than shock and awe. If you’re looking to get your message across in 3 minutes or less it’s probably best not to make your audience wish they’d never looked.
What exactly is it about a piece of media that causes this feeling? And how does it cross the line from being authentic to overly earnest?
We spend a lot of time thinking about this type of thing at Double Barrel, because ultimately we want to produce the most effective video we can for your organization. In that spirit we’ve put together a list to take into your next video production process. Voila!
HOW TO CUT the CHEESE in your communications
- Hire the best talent you can afford. Nothing makes your viewers cringe more (and ultimately does more damage to your brand) than rough camera work, bad audio, editing, graphics and lighting. When choosing your team for video production make sure they have top-notch talent filling all of these roles – it’s critical to producing a professional end product.
- Pre-screen your talking heads. Spend some valuable pre-production time to choose representatives from within your organization that come across relaxed and professional on camera. While any production company worth their salt will be able to get the absolute best out of whomever you provide to speak your company’s message, if you start with the best – you’re guaranteed the best. It’s that simple.
- Avoid the urge to over-script. The role of a communications professional is to ensure that company messaging is coming through loud and clear. However, if people are being scripted within an inch of their lives and are not allowed to speak in their own voice, unless your talent are master communicators and VERY comfortable on camera, scripted lines will not come across as natural. This will cause exactly what we’re trying to avoid with your audience – CHEESE. While it’s fine to provide talking points, you’re always better off to do the work in pre-production when it comes to selecting talent, and then trust them to do the rest.
- Don’t overstay your welcome. While a picture is worth a thousand words – video is definitely not a medium where a thousand words is necessary. We constantly strive to have our clients let the visuals tell the story – but the knee jerk reaction to video communication is to have as many people on camera talking as possible. This leads to bloated run times in your final piece which allows more opportunity for the cringe-factor to encroach. Be ruthless in the edit suite. Don’t let anyone say one word more than they need to.
- Use humour only under supervision. Some of the most cringe-inducing videos are the ones where people head in with the best of intentions – to make their audience laugh. Unfortunately badly written and filmed comedy is akin to a frat house movie – and nothing will alienate your audience faster. At Double Barrel we’ve traipsed into the genre of comedy for a few projects, but only when they’re written and performed by people with the chops. If you feel humour is the best vehicle for your next communications project, get in touch and we’ll help you build a killer comedy team.
~ Roz Allen is a Producer & Director at Double Barrel Studios
