Telling Your Brand Story Through Video: A Guide

With video content accounting for over 80 percent of internet traffic, it is clear that it is a medium that cannot be ignored. But how do you create a video that effectively communicates your brand message and connects with your audience? What even is a brand message? How do I write a Brand Story? That's what we're here to help with.

What is a Brand Story?

A brand story is a narrative that communicates the value, purpose, and personality of a brand to its target audience. It's the emotional connection that a brand creates with its customers and it's the way it differentiates itself from competitors. A Brand Story should be authentic, memorable, and relevant to the audience and it should be told consistently across all marketing channels. The goal of a brand story is to evoke emotion and to build a strong, lasting relationship with the customers.

How to Develop Your Brand Story

Here's a simple step-by-step outline and some tips that you can use:

1. Know your brand: Start by understanding your brand's values, mission, and personality. Ask yourself what makes your brand unique and what sets it apart from others in your market.

2. Understand your audience: Who are your target customers? What are their needs and desires? What are their pain points and how can your brand solve them?

3. Look at your history: What is the history of your brand? How did it start and what challenges has it overcome?

4. Highlight your brand differentiators: What are the unique aspects of your products or services that set you apart from your competitors? Some examples of this could be your quality, your innovation, your customer service, or providing a more personalized and customized service or solution.

5. Emphasize your brand values: What are the core values that drive your brand and what impact do they have on your customers? Things like honesty, transparency, being customer focused, serving your community, or even something like fun and playfulness, bringing joy and levity to your customers' lives.

6. Use storytelling techniques: Turn your Brand Story into a compelling narrative by using storytelling techniques like character development, conflict resolution, and emotional appeals.

Applying Your Brand Story to Video

Here's just a handful of examples for you:

1. Customer testimonials: Showcase real customers sharing their positive experiences with your brand to create an emotional connection with your target audience.

2. Behind the scenes content: Give your audience a glimpse into the process and the people behind your brand to humanize your business and to build trust.

3. Product demos: Showing off your products or services in action to highlight their unique features and benefits.

4. Brand films: Creating a long-form brand film that tells the story of your brand, its history, and its impact on customers and the world.

5. Influencer collaborations: Partner with influencers who share similar values to your brand and who have a following that aligns with your target audience.

Creating Captivating Video

When visuals and sound are used effectively, they can create a powerful and memorable brand experience that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. Your visuals should be eye-catching, relevant, and in line with your brand's overall aesthetic. They should also support the story being told and add to its impact.

Sound, on the other hand, should be carefully selected and used to enhance the mood and the tone of the story. It should be used to create a sense of drama, suspense, or humor depending on the type of story being told.

Successful Brand Storytelling Video Campaigns

Let's take a look at some successful brand storytelling video campaigns:

1. Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign: This campaign used humor to tell the story of a confident and charming man who used Old Spice products to smell great and to win the hearts of women everywhere. This campaign revitalized the Old Spice brand.

2. Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign: This campaign told the story of the joy of sharing a Coke with friends and loved ones. Videos featured friends and family enjoying Coke products together accompanied by a catchy song encouraging people to share Coke with the ones they loved.

3. Nike's "Just Do It" campaign: This iconic campaign leveraged the power of storytelling to connect with athletes and inspire them to push their limits. The iconic "Just Do It" slogan and its accompanying videos showcased the grit, determination, and resilience of athletes from all walks of life.

What stands out to me about each of these videos and what made them so successful is that they weren't just selling a product; they were selling a lifestyle. The person you could be if you added their products to your life. With Old Spice, you could be the kind of man that lands all the ladies. With Coke, you could have meaningful relationships full of depth and love. And with Nike, you could push beyond your boundaries to achieve greatness if you simply chose to just do it.

Conclusion

By combining authenticity and consistency, you can create a strong and memorable Brand Story that differentiates you from your competitors and connects you with your target audience on a deeper level.

If you're looking for more resources on how to develop your Brand Story, check out Donald Miller's book, Building a Story Brand.

Creating a captivating video that tells your Brand Story is no easy task, but with the right strategy and the right team, it can be done. If you're looking for help with your video project, reach out to the team at Arc Branding.

Good luck and happy storytelling!