Have you ever gazed out the conference room window on a Tuesday morning as your boss droned on about last year’s marketing campaign and the sales team’s never-ending whine about “needing more leads”?
You find yourself filled with existential dread – your hopes and dreams in rips and shreds as you cast your ambivalence toward a clear blue sky.
Do trees experience self-loathing, you wonder. The birds are chirping, you think to yourself – who told them to be happy?
Suddenly you snap to just in time to hear Brad from content ask: “But how do we build trust with customers?”
Oh, Brad.
Customers are skeptical – even the desperate ones are too smart to “trust” a brand …
Viewers are busy – even the ones who need us get distracted before checkout …
But swimming in your deep thoughts, inspiration beckons …
What if we could build our brand (and trust) through video?
What if our video marketing content got more than 14 likes (plus Brad’s mom)?
Out the window, you look again at all the little buildings and little cars and little people on their little phones.
What if, you dare to think, Hackstone was right – that humans do have feelings? What if a branding video could fill the god-sized hole in our business?
In this article, we’ll gently guide you toward answers and away from your existential crisis.
When it comes to building trust and building a brand, video marketing is the backbone your business so desperately needs. Not just any video — strategic, authentic, and engaging video content that convinces people you’re the real deal (and not just another brand begging for clicks).
We’ll give you the golden rules of brand messaging through video plus four tips for incorporating video into brand content in a way that builds credibility.
First, here’s why you should care.
Is Video a Good Marketing Strategy?
Video isn’t just another content format; it’s the reigning monarch of brand engagement. The human brain processes images much faster than it processes the written word. And visuals can improve learning by up to 400%. That’s right — watching a well-crafted brand video can make your audience smarter (and let’s be honest, some of them could use the help).
But here’s the real kicker: people don’t just watch videos. They feel them.
The secret sauce of effective video for brands is the ability to trigger emotions — joy, nostalgia, even FOMO. A text-heavy blog post might get skimmed (ouch), but a powerful video? That’s the stuff people remember, share, and obsess over.
And the data backs it up. Over 80% of consumers say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a brand’s video. Meanwhile, the average human attention span?
Somewhere between that of a goldfish and a hungry toddler. And yet people will happily watch a 60-second video if it’s compelling.
Video makes people pay attention.
Video makes them remember you.
And video makes them curious.
If you’re not brand-building through video, you’re just yelling into the void while your competitors steal the spotlight. Here’s how to not let that happen:
3 Golden Rules: Brand Messaging Through Video
Authentic video content will build trust with customers. Nobody will buy into a faceless corporation (or a cringey sales pitch). Follow these golden rules and you’ll be one step closer to not asking weird questions like if trees experience consciousness:
- Tell A Story: Ditch the soulless corporate jargon. Your customers don’t care about your corporate mission statement. They care about why your brand exists and who is behind it. Enter the brand cornerstone video: a beautifully crafted piece that tells the world why you matter. Here’s a perfect example of video storytelling.
- Show A Problem + A Person: Customers trust other customers. Capture real testimonials (here’s one) with real stories (not paid actors reading a script that sounds like a bad infomercial). The formula for a solid testimonial:• Problem: “I had [insert relatable struggle].”
• Solution: “This brand did [insert magic solution].”
• Results: “Now my life is perfect, and I’m considering naming my firstborn after them.” - Be Well-Rounded: Video isn’t a one-way street. Do you want people to engage? Start talking with them, not like you’re a corporate intern forced to reply to comments. Just like any other aspect of marketing, a brand video should be part of a well-rounded campaign – think strong calls-to-action, landing pages, re-targeting, and such.
Imagine a year from now you have customers who see your brand as a living, breathing thing that makes their lives better! Cue: Birds singing more loudly outside the conference room window.
Here are a few tips for consistency as you craft brand-building through video.
Existential Crisis? Meet Video Marketing.
A great brand film or brand video campaign is like a spiritual retreat for your business: You (and most importantly, your customers) really find out who you are.
Here are a few quick tips for incorporating video into brand content:
- Show Real Humans. Not AI-generated avatars, not actors reading from a script written by a committee — actual people (i.e. not Brad) who represent your brand, flaws and all.
- Storytelling Over Selling. Nobody wants to be force-fed a sales pitch. Craft narratives that resonate — make people laugh, cry, or just feel something. We’re big on humor in commercials but that’s just us! If you’re, for example, in the business of prostate cancer (such as here), don’t crack jokes, just have your experts talk over some non-descript string music.
- Develop A Signature Style. Whether it’s dark humor, cinematic storytelling, or a distinct visual aesthetic — pick a vibe and stick with it. (Also pick the right music for video to match your vibe).
- Stick To Brand Values. If your product or service is well-known for innovation, don’t suddenly start being boring and churning out derivative content. Likewise, if you’re somewhere in between serious and silly () pick a lane and make it yours!
Final Thought: Don’t Be Boring. (Seriously.)
Video marketing is your brand’s secret weapon, but only if you do it right. Be authentic, be strategic, and – above all else – be interesting. The internet is full of forgettable content. Don’t let your brand be part of the noise.
At Hackstone, we challenge ourselves to make every video campaign “unskippable.”
Every channel is over-saturated – even a great product can wind up a sad little boat adrift in a vast ocean of content. But you don’t have to stay there! Call or email our team today and we’ll bring you back from the existential ledge and into the world of successful video marketing!