No doubt you’ve already heard that video content is a big deal – but what you may not realize is just how influential video can be, and where it’s most effective.
Storytelling within marketing is certainly nothing new. The concept – to create compelling stories that convey a brand’s personality or product – is traditionally used to forge an emotional connection with consumers.
People love video, and it’s fair to assume that they will spend even more time watching and engaging with video in the future. Marketers understand that video catches the audience’s attention and engages them more than text, especially because it creates emotional connections via visuals and sound. Marketers also turn to video marketing to meet consumer demands for personalization and to deliver an outstanding experience.
Last year alone, we centered 80% of our campaign development and executions around video. One example is the Shield “Northstar” project. This was a campaign driven by Shield in partnership with Chelsea Football club. This campaign sought to pick one exceptional footballer between the ages of 18 – 25 who would go to the UK and play Chelsea legends. Looking at the target markets interests, it was clear to us that video was part of the most consumed and most viral content shared. We built our campaign around creating true-view content which previewed on the targets most active social media sites. We created viral video content with football legends like Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu and Alois Bunjira which we shared in multiple WhatsApp groups and football clubs. When it came to trials, video was no exception in spreading the word and played a key role in inviting other youth to the games.
Using video resulted in our campaign reaching 120K audiences online. The hashtag generated which mostly had video content on it had an audience of 12.4M impressions cumulatively. The Shield Facebook page grew by 78.1% and engagement increased by 41%.
When creating content for a brand, it’s important to think about what people want to watch. They want stories that they can comment on and reflect on their own lives. They want instructional and DIY videos that provide value. They want videos that will shock them, that will make them want to save it and view it later, that will compel them to share.
On any social platform, in order to drive engagement for your brand, you need to first understand what your customers want from you then deliver.
