When distilling it down to the core essentials, the most important pillars for a business are often seen as
- Leadership: Providing vision, direction and motivation.
- Finance: Financial management and sustainability.
- Operations: Maintaining efficient processes for delivering products or services.
- Marketing and Sales: Attracting and retaining customers.
From all the different types of businesses and various pillars that might define their components. Marketing and Sales are always prevalent simply because brings in revenue.
I’ve been working on the Marketing and Sales pillar of all kinds of businesses –small to medium businesses, government, marketing agencies. And here’s the big takeaway: just like in life, it’s consistency that wins. Those big, flashy efforts might get attention, but it’s the steady, reliable actions that truly make a difference. My father from the fitness world would call it discipline.
Sales are the lifeblood of every business, and trust from customers is built by developing a strong brand.
While promotions can drive sales by highlighting products or services, lasting success often comes from customers genuinely liking and trusting the brand. People tend to buy from brands they feel a connection with, rather than simply chasing discounts from unfamiliar names.
No matter how attractive a promotion might be, if a brand lacks recognition or trust, it becomes difficult to convert that interest into a sale. Promotions alone rarely sustain long-term success without a trusted brand behind them.
Social media its a channel where you can communicate a good balance of promoting your services/products and developing your brand. It’s not about posting random videos all the time but very intentional. Usually the best strategy for that is creating a yearly plan of content.
- Promotional Videos will help you to get Sales by showcasing your products or services.
- Brand Story Videos will help you to develop your brand.
- Brand Story Videos will educate inside-out your organisation on What you do, How you do it and Why you do it.
- Brand Story Videos will help you to differentiate from others by articulating what makes you different.
- Brand Story Videos will help you to increase the perceived value of your brand.
I have an Optimized Hybrid System that I’m implementing with my clients to help to maximize the value of video with their Brand Story Videos and social media videos, and I would like to share it with you. In the contact section you can Book a discovery call and let’s talk about it.
So let’s talk about Brand Story Videos
By definition, a Brand Story Video is a marketing tool that aims to convey the history, values, and essence of a brand in a visually engaging and compelling manner. It’s a form of storytelling through video content that helps establish an emotional connection with the audience by sharing the brand’s journey, purpose, and unique qualities.
Brand Story Video can be a powerful tool for building brand awareness, establishing trust, and fostering a sense of community among customers. It’s a way for brands to communicate their identity and values in a format that’s easily digestible and shareable in today’s visually-driven digital landscape.
How can I use a Brand Story Video?
It can live directly in your About Us section on your Website. You can use it on your social media and YouTube channel. It will be your communication tool for everything, even as your video business card at the end of all your emails. It’s like your pitch elevator with steroids.
In short, a Brand Story Video will help you to
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Increase the perceived value of your brand.
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Differentiate you from others. What makes you different.
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Educate your customers on
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Who you are,
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What you do and
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Why you do it.
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What it the structure of a Brand Story Video?
Visualizing a Brand Story Video in 5 Acts
Act 1: Origin and Evolution:
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Introduce the brand’s founder(s) or the individuals who started the brand.
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Share the story of how the brand came into existence.The brand’s beginnings, highlight the inspiration, challenges, pivotal/key moments or individuals who played a role in its creation. This could involve sharing anecdotes, archival footage, or reenactments that depict the brand’s evolution.
Act 2: Values and Mission:
The core values, mission statement, and global purpose of the brand. It aims to answer questions like “Why does this brand exist?” and “What does it stand for?” This helps viewers understand the brand’s philosophy and what it aspires to achieve.
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Present the core values that define your brand’s identity.
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Explain your brand’s mission and how it aligns with these values.
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Use anecdotes or real-life examples to illustrate how these values are reflected in your brand’s actions.
Act 3: Unique Selling Proposition:
What sets the brand apart. This could include showcasing the unique features, benefits, or qualities that make the brand’s products or services distinctive.
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Showcase the unique features, products, or services that set your brand apart.
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Demonstrate how your offerings address specific customer needs or problems.
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Use visuals to highlight the value your brand brings to customers’ lives.
Act 4: Customer Stories/Impact:
Stories of how has positively impacted customers’ lives can be included. Real-life testimonials and user experiences can add authenticity and credibility to the brand’s narrative.
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Include testimonials or stories from satisfied customers who have benefited from your brand.
Act 5: Evolution to Present:
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Discuss how your brand has evolved over time in response to changing needs or trends.
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Highlight any milestones, achievements, or growth your brand has experienced.
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Use visuals to show the brand’s progression from its beginnings to where it is today.
Also, we can use the Hero’s Journey as a template for stories. Joseph Campbell popularize it, and there’s an animated TED talk that I like a lot that explains it. Distilled into four parts, you can apply them to your own story.
Storytelling:
PART 1 – Call to Adventure (The ordinary world)
PART 2 – Mentor Helper, Crossing the umbral, Allies / Enemies
PART 3 – The Big Test, Transformation, Reward
PART 4 – The Return, Atonement (Satisfaction from suffering the test)
How do I start?
In my experience for a cutdown video of about 1-2 minutes for social media, it works very well if you consider answering the following questions:
- Who are you and what is your position?
- What is COMPANY NAME and where is it located?
- What makes you different?
- When was it founded and what was the goal/purpose?
- Who are your typical clients?
- What are you passionate about?
- What can you tell anyone who is watching this? (remember, you’re talking to your target audience)
Another quick questions might be:
- What is your business?
- How did you start it?
- What is your CAB (Characteristics, Advantages, Benefits / Differentiator)? / What makes you different?
- How long have you been doing this?
- Where would you be without “The Product/Service”?
The main idea is that your audience gets to know you. To the point that familiarity and trust is created between you and your target audience.
Remember:
I have an Optimized Hybrid System that we are implementing with our clients, helping them with Brand Story Videos and social media videos that we would like to share with you.
Book a free consultation in a discovery call and let’s talk about it.
