If you’ve been around the block in the video marketing space, then you’ve probably heard of brand story videos at one point or another. Or maybe you've heard of another name for it like a “Business Profile” or “Our Story”. But the question is, what even is a brand story video and is your business the right fit for one? We’re going to answer all of those questions, and lay out the clear costs and benefits of having one created for your business.
Simply put, a brand story video is a short film based on the identity of your company that showcases your mission, product/service, client success, and growth over time. They can be made in different styles that match the tone of your business, and have the purpose of educating your audience about who you are, what you do, and why you’re the right person for their needs.
For example, a wallet company might open with a testimonial from the founder talking about how his family has been in the leather business for generations, and his product is the sum of hundreds of years of leatherworking excellence. It would showcase the company’s passion of creating the most well-crafted and functional wallets, with a short testimonial of an extremely satisfied customer.
Now while this sounds extremely enticing and beneficial, do you actually need a brand story video? The answer is a little complicated – and it truly depends on the objectives your business is currently facing. Not all businesses need a brand story video, but if you’re looking to achieve some of the benefits we list below, you probably do.
The costs of a brand story video are your time to film (1-2 days usually), and the upfront investment of having the video produced (prices vary). If you believe that the video will effectively communicate your message and drive sales, it may be a worthwhile investment.
The benefits of a brand story video are quite broad, but here’s some of the instant results you’ll get from having one produced:
Increased website traffic and conversions
Yep, it’s true! Having a video on the front page of your website, where a brand story video belongs, actually increases your traffic AND conversions. According to Wordstream, landing pages that have a video will convert 80% more leads. Woah! And Explainninja even cites that videos bring out a 157% higher organic traffic increase from search engine result pages. It almost feels like a cheat code, no?
Brand Authority and Trust
This is something that you probably could have guessed, but when your prospective customers are able to learn everything they need to know about you in three minutes or less, you’ve instantly given them more of a reason to trust you, believe in your product/service, and feel a personal and intimate connection with you. But this isn’t a marketing 101 class, you already know why brand image is important.
Competitive Advantage
Imagine this – you’re a new homeowner looking to have your basement finished and you are browsing through Google looking for nearby home renovation companies. You find two choices that you think are the best fit for you and as you look through the website of Company A, all you see is an “about us” section on the website that has a painfully generic text entry about how they “turn your house into a home” with the addition of subpar before/after iPhone photos. You take a look at Company B, and the moment you open their website you find a convenient video explaining their story, gorgeous tours of their past work, multiple testimonials of real clients sharing their experience, budget-friendly builds that retain beauty, and a heartfelt message from the founder showing his care for the craft. Who would you choose?
What does that company even do?
How many times have you been searching through a company’s website and social media just to find out what they actually do? For more complicated industries like international media solutions, civil engineering consulting firms, etc. it’s not always easy to make it easy to understand what you do. Brand story videos come in hand here since they look prettier on the front page than a 500-word paragraph. Matter a fact, Insivia has noted that viewers retain 95% of video content and only 10% of text-based content.
Longevity (A.K.A. Timeless Marketing)
Brand story videos are one of the few pieces of video marketing content that will never really need to be redone unless you completely change the purpose of your company down the line. Since it is an explainer that shares the general services/products you offer, your company history, and customer satisfaction, you’re creating a piece of content that can last for years to come and continue to complement you with new business as long as it stays on the front page of your website and social media.
Now that you know the advantages of creating a Brand Story Video, what it is, and what the costs/benefits are, you can make the decision to realize if you do need one. If you don’t currently struggle with any of the main 5 objectives that a brand story video will aim to solve, then you can probably hold off on having one created until you face those problems later down the line (it’s inevitable, let’s be honest).
Take your time in creating one if you choose to do so, because as beneficial as they are, they will also be the defining image of your brand and you want to ensure that it encapsulates everything you want your customers to know about you, and does so in a fashion that puts it on a pedestal as an industry leader.
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