People find stories more memorable and compelling than a long statement of facts. So it makes sense that marketers are learning how storytelling is one of the most effective marketing tools that can be applied to any content – blogs, videos, even infographics. When your message is packaged in a story, people are more likely to remember it, which explains why folk and fairy tales from hundreds of years ago are still prevalent in every culture today.
As easy as stories are for us to consume, they are difficult to create, especially when you’re a marketer. Some people are natural storytellers, but this doesn’t necessarily translate into creating successful explainer videos. Here are a few storytelling tips for video marketing:
Cater to the Audience
This is key for any marketer, but essential for those making videos. Though the brain science of storytelling also relates to marketing, it’s important to remember that you’re not writing Moby Dick or filming The Godfather. While you can get creative, remember that your message needs to resonate with your audience and your goals. You want your video to be memorable and impactful, but it needs to also relate back to your brand. Always end your videos with a call to action, whether that means signing up for a newsletter or watching another video.
Keep it Simple But Use Sensory Words
There’s no need to build an intense climax in a marketing video – a simple story will do. You don’t need to increase complexity and use industry jargon to add value. However, you do need to make sure every word you use has an impact. Sensory words make our neurons fire, according to a study from NeuroImage cited by The New York Times. Words like “perfume” and “coffee” make the olfactory cortex light up, while odor-neutral words like “key” don’t. In other words, carefully using simple language can affect your audience in a more fundamental way than big vocabulary words. By combining sensory words with metaphors in your video, you’ll activate more of the brain senses – which means your audience will connect with your video and brand more.
Integrate Social Media
Marketing stories no longer exist as standalone pieces of content; their stories continue online. People can share and interact with your video content on social media and blogs. Rather than telling a straightforward story, you may want to consider how your viewers could contribute, suggests the Guardian. You can do this by integrating a hashtag and having customers interact with your brand by sharing their experiences. By monitoring social media you can discover how people are discussing your content when they share it.
Work With Experts
To ensure you’ll get the animation and script quality you want, it’s a good idea to outsource the work to a talented agency. A professional agency will also offer a fresh perspective on your products and services that you may not have thought of. They can help with the script process – translating your product and services into a relatable story – or help produce the actual animated video.
At the end of the day, your explainer video should connect with audiences on an emotional level. They need be able to understand your products and imagine them fitting nicely into their lifestyle. Sure screencast, how-to videos, and webinars are great and informative, but they don’t translate the same emotional connection as a story within an explainer video does.
If you’d like to understand more about how stories affect our brain, download a free copy of “60 Seconds, How to Tell Your Company’s Story & the Brain Science that Makes it Stick” today. You’ll learn more about the brain science behind videos, how stories and metaphors affect our brain, and how you can use these valuable techniques to connect with your audience throughout your marketing strategy.
