Creative Video Storytelling for Brands. How does it work?

Our top creative minds in the online video industry say that it is storytelling that most engages people these days and that is what we have always done.

We encourage our clients to focus on telling a great story to their audience and highlight how the product or service can improve the lives of their customers. A great story usually emerges when we meet over a coffee and simply have a chat. Cameras are in the background and their presence easily forgotten. The questions are flowing and so are the answers. The connection and passion of the storyteller are the main ingredients that I am looking for in my interviews (chats).

We end up with valuable footage that goes through some strategic planning. Clever questions that we ask dig out a story concerning the problems to be solved while making it entertaining and interesting for the audience.

Here is some advice for those who would like to go ahead with making their own videos.
1. It is better if the interviewer IS the video director to keep the connection alive. Research is important and the more they know your audience, your campaign goals, and your distribution points, the more successful your video will be.
2. He or she will know how to work with the footage and put it in a structure that fits what the audience need to know, to understand and most importantly, how to inspire them to take action. Strategy is a core element that is necessary for a great story.
3. Don't let your core story idea get watered down through the use of too many extra elements in the video. The simpler, the better. Unnecessary animation or after effects can only distract. Use them only if they help with understanding a concept. Make sure your brand (logo) is discreetly visible during the video. Use the full size logo only at the beginning and at the end.
4. Try to isolate one idea and communicate it clearly. In order to be effective the video has to address only one of your target audiences at a time.
This will help brands figure out the most compelling way to tell an engaging, clearly defined, shareable story across digital platforms.

We are approaching the last third of 2013, and have added some exciting developments to our online video advertising business that promise to deliver a better marketing experience for businesses and consumers alike.

Any questions about storytelling or about Tuatara’s video structure? Let us know in the comments!

Note: In my bio video, I introduce you to a short history of advertising. Because it was created for live presentations, is is longer than the videos made for online viewing.

How does video help when selling is not your piece of cake?

Some people like buying but not being sold to.
Some business people have products or services to sell but do not like selling.
So how does video help? How to convert viewers into leads, and leads into clients or customers?
I will not go through what does not work or what is not successful enough to cover the advertising costs or time involved. I will just introduce you to the tactics we developed and have used successfully for a number of years.
These tactics helped us ‘sell’ every video we made to every client we had, without actually selling.

How? We do not SELL. We TEACH.

People LOVE learning.

1.     The first thing to teach prospects is “WHY they are in the situation they are in”. While you are in an industry you have a passion for, you also have stories to share. So, share a story of how a client of yours was BEFORE you helped them achieve what they wanted, a time when they were in some sort of pain, fear, challenge, etc. People tend to remember not what they’ve been told, but what they’ve seen.

2.     The second thing to talk about is the positive change, the TRANSFORMATION. Show them the HOW. Explain how they can achieve what they want to achieve with your help or assistance and that removes the fear of the unknown, SHOW them what’s possible. Explain step by step in what way your solution will change their life. Before your prospect is ready to take a ‘risk’, they want to SEE a model of success and how you are doing it successfully.

3.     Call to action. A smart video will empower the viewer to make a decision. By the end of the video, the viewer should feel that they’ve got it and they can clearly see the benefits.

Fine details that a professional video director would not miss, would make a video like this a success. A video placed where the target market is looking, would help!

Here is an example of such a video. Target market: supermarkets.

 

Do we actually learn anything from “How to” or “Instructional” videos?

‘Instructional’ or ‘how to’ videos and video tutorials are a marketing tool. They are used to present how to use products or explain details and benefits about services in an easy and interactive way and inspire the viewer to use that product or that service.  In this very interesting way viewers engage with the greatest effectiveness. 

 

How to Frame a Picture: Taping the Back  

 

What is more, these types of videos catch more attention to websites or social network fan page.

Watching the online videos of experts, artists, inventors and innovators talking about their work or showing, demonstrating how something works, is entertaining and at the end of the day you have learned something. But do we actually learn from all of them?  Here is a new study led by professor Shana K. Carpenter of Iowa State University which was published last month May 2013 in the Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Participants were shown one of two short videos of an instructor explaining a scientific concept using two videos – one that is articulate and another one that is not eloquent. Participants who watched the articulate video thought they would remember much more information than participants who watched the other one. Of course. We had no doubts on that.

However, there are good reasons to believe that these videos can be vehicles for genuine learning and what business owners and marketers are interested in, INSPIRATION – so that the viewer feels compelled to use or buy the featured product or service.

We know now that well-made videos are better the others, so when you choose your video service provider, look at the work they did before.

Creating content for ‘how to” videos:

A ‘How To” video uses a more subtle, casual, or friendly sales message and it is by far the best technique for YouTube videos. People don’t want to watch just another commercial, they want to be entertained or educated.

A quality how-to instructional video is a great way to attract attention and market your brand without shouting at people to buy.

Have a look at your brand and product line. What are some very basic things that people do with your items?

If you sell clothing, consider an instructional video about how to organize a wardrobe or how to know your size. If you sell biking equipment, have on your website a video explaining how to clean and lubricate a chain. If you sell collectibles, have a video explaining how to spot fakes or how to identify makers.

A good ‘how to’ video just has to be:

·         informative,

·         clear,

·         short and,

·         if it is possible, a little entertaining doesn’t hurt.

In a world in which we want and need to be learning all the time, they're excellent tools to have in our marketing planning.

Contact us and ask for an instructional video for your company if you’d like to have a professional one.
P.S. Nine ‘HowTo’ Videos Gone Horribly Wrong

 

Losing prospects? Chances are that you're not ...

...communicating well enough.

"As the internet shifted from text to video, I cringed. I prefer to read”, someone said.

But how other than with the power of video could we have seen today how life flows INSIDE a space ship?

I had never heard about Commander Hadfield before and I do not think of space ships very often. But now, after watching a couple of videos of him, I feel connected at a level that would not have been possible from only reading a text.  

From text alone, I could probably move on to my daily activities and easily forget. With video, this is not the case. The story stays with me for longer and at a deeper level.

Video works on the same level in business, especially at the prospecting stage.

Having a video sent to a lead before the first meeting  which introduces you and your company and another after the meeting showcasing the benefits of your product or service, will help the viewer connect at levels that cannot be achieved with text alone.

Now that I ‘have met’ Commander Hadfield, I would like to wish him a warm welcome home!!

Camelia Petrus, Producer and Director at Tuatara Pictures                                                                   

We recently moved our base of operations to Helensville, about 50 kms north west of Auckland, to a rural property, while maintaining an office in the city. We can do all post-production work at the new location, in a more relaxed and creative environment. We wish all our clients, present and future, a great new year for business and personal endeavours and, in keeping with our enhanced working conditions, intend to commuicate much more frequently and effectively with our friends.