Is Your Video Storytelling Strategy Derailing Your Brand?

A recent poll found that 51.9% of marketers rank video as the number one medium to obtain a high ROI. Video marketing has taken off in recent years and storytelling is one of the best ways to convey your message.

Some of the world’s biggest brands are getting on the bandwagon. A couple of years ago, Weight Watchers put together an excellent storytelling video on YouTube. It was only 30 seconds long but it was very effective at promoting one of its new recipe books. But it isn’t just large brands like Weight Watchers that are using video storytelling. Tai Lopez is one expert that relies heavily on storytelling. He has been so successful that customers have watched over 900 million minutes of his videos.

Unfortunately, video marketing only pays off if you use it to communicate your brand message effectively. Even worse, a poorly executed video marketing strategy can derail your brand goals altogether.
This is a common issue when marketing use storytelling to grow a brand via video. A story can be a very engaging way to connect with people. However, it can be difficult to tie the story in with the brand’s message. Here are a few things to be aware of.

Check Your Ego

A couple of years ago, I saw the YouTube channel for an auto mechanic in my area. He tried telling a story about a customer having a bad experience with a competitor and coming to him because he was the best. The whole thing sounded very fake and self-aggrandizing. Needless to say, I didn’t feel inspired to visit his shop.

Hubris is not going to reflect well on your brand. You can be proud of what you’ve accomplished, but you need to express your story in a sincere and humble way. Nick Morgan, author of Power Cues, points out that a good storyteller doesn’t make the story about themselves. “Speakers don’t tell great stories because they want to make themselves the heroes” Morgan explains.

There are many ways to achieve this. You can try to praise your visitors for taking the step to accomplish something and seeking out assistance. You can also discuss some of the mistakes you have made in the past to make them feel better.

Don’t Try to Make Ad Hoc Presentations

The convenience of modern technology is a double-edged sword for marketers. Anybody can turn on their webcam, start filming and upload their video to YouTube. You can create a video in under a minute if you are committed. Coming up with a detailed, quality video that aligns with your brand goals is much more difficult.

You aren’t a college freshman making a dorm video with your buddies for your filmography club. You need to plan your story carefully ask these questions before you start filming:

• What do you intend to accomplish with this video? Are you trying to give an overview of your company’s goals? Do you hope to educate new customers about your products?

• How does my story help us meet this goal? A good story could tell customers how your product solved one of your own problems. It could be a detailed overview of some challenges that inspired you to launch your brand and help others. Your story needs a purpose. You can’t just turn on your camera and ramble for a few minutes to get your point across. An interesting story without a compelling message will not support your branding goals.

• Is my message easy to follow? You can begin a video with a clear roadmap, but it can be very easy to get sidetracked. You need to make sure that you stay on point.

Don’t wing it. Take the time to build a great script and invest in your video.

Make Your Story Engaging!

Mapping out your brand goals can be challenging. Conveying them into an interesting story isn’t easy. However, it is key to using storytelling as a video branding strategy. Without an interesting story, your video will put people to sleep and they won’t watch it. If your brand is supposed to be inviting and fun, then you can tarnish your image with a boring video.

There are plenty of ways to tell interesting stories. Here are some examples:

• Solicit stories from your customers. eBay did a great job using customers to share their experiences with the digital marketplace. The customers shared the great features of eBay that made their lives easier and the experience more memorable.

• Show the evolution of your brand over time. Lego produced an excellent movie showing people using their products for the past 80 years.

• Create an adventure! Show someone using your product in an interesting way. They can be on a voyage across the Atlantic or hunting lions in Africa.

You need a great story to use storytelling as a video marketing strategy. Do I really need to say more?