Digital videos that tell a story, used across social platforms and campaigns, are the most shared, the most commented on, the most liked and drive the most conversions.

We’ve all seen the really engaging videos showing up in our Facebook feeds in the last couple of years, perhaps even the really cool ones where you experience a 360 degree world when you move your phone around. What you don’t see are the millions of bad videos also on Facebook. Only good ones get shared enough to appear everywhere.  Social media is the primary distributor for videos and great videos are the only ones that get shared.  Videos can be huge drivers for increasing awareness, SEO and conversions. But great videos are not defined by their technical characteristics, but by the story they tell. Being able to tell a compelling story through video is where the real magic is found.

The cost of video production has come way down in the last 10 years, which has enabled everyone with a digital camera to get into this field, hoping to strike it rich.  The problem is that it is too easy to create video and it creates a false sense of experience.  There is a lack of understanding of how online consumers want to watch video and how to motivate people to take action.   Its easy to throw money at video production, but without the core understanding of your audience and what motivates them, it won’t get far.

1. Tell Your Story

Video is often the most effective way at telling your story. Video isn’t about showing off how great you are and how your product will one day rule the world. People connect with real stories and their back stories. They want to know how you got here. They want to know the struggle you’ve been through and how you overcame. They want to connect with you on a personal level and be your biggest fan.

2. Elevate Your Brand

A high quality video speaks volumes to the legitimacy of your brand. We aren’t talking about the resolution or lighting or other technical aspect. Those are given requirements for great video. We are talking about the story itself. It can’t be self-serving marketing fluff.

Video has to show the passion and vision of your organization, its people, product and cause. We must remember that most people are visual learners and people like to share what they know. It makes them feel good. This is the reason Facebook and Google are investing so heavily in this market. Video affects our emotions, it entertains us and it makes us get up and do something.  Video creates visual memories. Something your marketing fluff can not do.

3. Engage Your Audience

Video remains the most “shareable” type of media and encourages your fans, industry influencers and their social cloud of followers to share with their groups. Clear and compelling messages can spread like wildfire across social media without sounding like a sales person. This creates a huge opportunity for conversations between you, your influencers and your audience. This chance to connect build greater opportunity for awareness and action well beyond the video itself.

4. Increase Your Organic Reach

Great videos are shared, not just a few times, but hundreds of times or more which can significantly boost search engine rankings at Google. The number one search metric at Google are still links from quality websites. Great video is shared… a lot. People will talk about great videos and link to it from their own blogs and sites. These incoming links drive their own traffic and they drive increases in search engine rankings. Having a solid plan for marketing your videos in social media and too your influencers is critical to this type of activity.