Almost seen as a ‘dirty’ word, video was only appropriate for weddings and special occasions, and only the big advertising agencies making commercials for the well-known, big brands. Shot on film, they were made by film directors commanding huge fees. The best commercials emulated cinematic storytelling as a way of elevating brand stories. It was elite, expensive and inaccessible.

Today, every company is ‘the brand’ with everyone being a multi-purpose publisher. It’s accepted as fundamental to most marketing strategies and with film long gone, video is now king. The earlier inaccessibility of TV commercials made by filmmakers, has given way to the authenticity of video and a multi-channelled media landscape. The beauty of video is that it can be published everywhere simultaneously; via streaming platforms, linear TV, social media, websites, via news portals and any other channel available.

With various styles and approaches to video storytelling in modern business, it requires lots of mastering. Here are some key strategies for elevating your brand awareness with video:

• Define your brand’s unique story. Make it a compelling narrative that communicates your brand’s mission, values and competitive advantages.
• Make branding consistent. Various styles of videos achieve different goals. It’s important to maintain a consistent visual style in colours, fonts and logo placement to reinforce brand recognition.
• Make sure the messaging is consistent across all video distribution channels.
• Remember when focused on brand awareness vs. performance media, it is important to have high production values by investing in professional writers and video producers. High-quality visuals and audio really enhance viewer engagement.
• Have a diversified mix of video content. Explore different types of video content to find which ones are appropriate and drive the most engagement. Try testimonials, brand anthems, product demonstrations, behind-the-scenes footage and educational videos to name a few. Tailor it to match your target audience’s preferences.
• Don’t forget SEO. Use relevant keywords in video titles, descriptions and tags to improve the discoverability on search engines and video platforms like YouTube.
• Always include a clear call to action that encourages viewers to engage with your brand.
• Leverage social media and tie the storytelling to a pain-point that your brand is solving. Make it so that your brand videos are shared and distributed for free, from your enthusiast users: the ones that make them feel something.
• Empower your social media manager or team to authentically engage with your audience.
• Measure and analyse performance and invest in paid advertising on relevant platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram depending on who your audience is.
• Harness user generated content (UGC). Encourage your customers to create their own videos highlighting their experiences with your products or services and share. This builds trust and authenticity.
• Maintain consistency. Building brand awareness through video is a long-term endeavour. Consistently produce new video content to maintain audience engagement to see the full impact on your brand awareness over time.

By implementing these strategies you will effectively elevate your brand awareness using video.