Why Your Business Needs Branded Videos

But what exactly is branded video? 

It is a kind of sponsored video hosted online that is not overtly commercial for the paying brand. It is a relatively new form of advertisement. A Forbes report says that companies spend 118 million dollars annually on branded content. 

Branded video content shows a company’s mission, vision, services, or products. It can be a collaborative effort between two or more companies. A study compiled by Go-G states that there are 2.4 billion views on branded content per month. Branded video is here to stay. As mentioned, branded videos subtly promote their products or services. It is a creative way to give customers new insights by showing just enough. You may assume that branded video content is a unique way of selling by storytelling. 

Here is why you need to have contents that are not a typical advertisement. 

Advertisements are everywhere. Beginning from our newspaper dailies to YouTube ads, advertisements are just unavoidable. Think about the multiple ads we skip on YouTube, the Facebook ads we ignore daily. But we have to admit; there is some branded content we’ve shared and even downloaded. Branded content gets more attention. It creates brand recognition. 

Branded content has made new in-roads to our media channels without making a noise. Branded content speaks about the product in such a narrative to connect to people. It brings relevant messages that the audience wants to hear.  It helps gain brand recognition. Brand content performs reasonably well. Nielson announced that brand recall was 86% for branded content and only 65% for regular ads. 

Some statistics. 

Nielson found some standard features in all good branded content. They are- unique, good narrative, and consumer-focused. Where can we put our video? Will it boost our customer-base? These are questions every entrepreneur asks. You should also know where your viewers will watch your branded video content. A study by Polar says that people view 55% of branded content on cellular phones. Making content that is phones and tablets friendly will mean more views and shares.

Branded content plays a crucial role in brand building. So you should make sure that your brand content is engaging. Connect with the audience like never before with good brand content. Give them original content. 

No one likes to watch repetitive narratives. Customers always lookout for what is fresh and new. But at the same time, there is nothing more engaging like an updated version of an old story. They want to be a part of pioneers, trendsetters.

We should make our products and services worth the watch. 

So how should a branded video look? Meaning, how do you differentiate between an ad and a branded video? The focus of brand videos is brand building. Take your customers through actual life scenarios with your product. Help them understand the inspiration and motive behind the brand. Branded videos do not put the products at the forefront. It is more about how you connect with the audience.

But of course, marketing is about selling your products. Branded videos seek to first show before sell. The strategy here is to enhance people’s awareness of your brand. Remember the moving Story of Sarah and Juan Low by Extra Gum? We all went bonkers for the couple’s cute love story, didn’t we? The main driver of that story was the bubblegum. But little did we know about the gum until the video reached its happy ending. Plus, there was the added pleasure of Elvis Presley’s famous ‘can’t help falling in love’ number. We can decipher that Extra Gum is about quality and originality. That was indeed a creative strategy.  Likewise, there are thousands of branded videos out there pulling the heartstrings and intriguing people’s conscience with smart and creative content. Have you come on board yet?

Put your focus on storytelling.  

You can build creative narratives around your brand to connect with the audience and make your company an international phenomenon. The content you make depends on the average age group of your audience. For younger viewers, you can also make heartwarming plus educational videos. Help them learn about real and pressing issues. 

All of us want as much views as possible because that’s usually the first step for any consumers before they buy a product. With that being said, it’ll be wise to collaborate with partners and influencers. Better to work smarter than harder. You can engage skeptical buyers with the perfect brand video content. Focus on quality information and entertainment.

LifeIntent says by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. Brand videos are a powerhouse. It also says that consumers are asking for more videos. More than 50% of the consumers liked a brand video before they made their way to their store, both online and offline.

Final thoughts.

Video traffic is expected to make an up-hill increase by 2022. Social media is gaining advantage. Leverage these social platforms from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, you name it. Yes, good quality brand videos take time and money. But it is all the more necessary to stand out in this digital age. Get the help of experts and mobilise your resources if you’re serious in making one.

‘Think outside the box’ the overused cliché is overused for a reason. If you want to deliver extraordinary content, you have to think outside the box. Do your research, get influencers. Collect data on customers’ buying behaviours, which websites they spend most of their time and so on. Make hypothesis, make analogies. Do not overlook any details while making a branded content. It could be a make it or break it factor for your brand. With consistent efforts and delivery, you’ll get good investment returns.