It’s getting so cliched to call them the testing times, these days. We all have been hearing and reading about this pandemic and getting frustrated day by day. Kudos to those who have been holding up during these tough times and who are rebuilding their businesses. Times are really testing. But there’s no use of telling it ourselves all the time. I am sure many of us must have found new ways to shatter the hurdles and break the shackles.
Many of us would like of erase this horrible year from their life. The year 2020 started off with a positive note. The economic tangles had begun to unwinding at least in India. Inquiries were flowing in and businesses started getting new orders. But then suddenly, the lockdown came in as a cracking blow. It shook us, the business owners. Before we could do anything, the time started stretching month by month. But then that’s a told story. I know it’s easier said than done. But we are the business owners. We had proved ourselves different than others on the day we formed our organisation. That’s what business owners do. They risk everything in order to be a part in running the economy. And yet they have to pay heavy price for being different, always.
These are the times one can call the forbidden era. People of the world have been forbidden from doing many things – breath through a mask, wash your hands, don’t touch things, don’t shake hands and most importantly don’t travel. With so many restrictions, the business community is fighting against all odds and continuing with their businesses. These changed circumstances have changed the way we do business. If the customers can’t come to visit you, you are going to the customers. If newspapers can’t be distributed, you are reaching to them on digital platforms. Social gatherings are forbidden, social media is still available. If you can’t invite people to check out your showroom and products, you have videos at your disposal.
More than necessity, desperation is the mother of invention. The pandemic of COVID-19 has provided us with opportunities to find new opportunities. Obviously, business owners and marketers have explored many new avenues to take their brand to more and more people. And all we can see is a cascade of videos on every social media platform. Practically, everyone with a smartphone is making a video these days.
But again, video for branding and marketing is something that should be done thoughtfully and strategically to gain the maximum results. Video can sit in the driver’s seat of your marketing strategy if used them correctly. The best part is people are used to watching videos and we have faster ways of distributing them.
Corporate video & Ad Film/TVC were two major forms of videos we used to make 15 years ago. Those were the times when video was a small part of your marketing efforts. We are in 2020 and especially in the time when meeting with people is the most forbidden thing. Obviously, video has become the most effective way of communicating with people.
So, in the new era what are the forms of videos we can go for to get the desired output?
Testimonial Video:
What do the people who have already bought your products/services feel about your brand? If you have delivered what you had promised them, then they are bound to talk good about you. Encash that. Get their testimonials done. They are the genuine brand ambassadors of your business. We often come across the testimonials shot by the customers themselves on their mobile phones, with blurred pictures, bad lighting, over/under exposed videos, distorted sounds and a lot of background noise. People, this is about your brand. Think of your brand value. Get a professional videographer to shoot these testimonials. They make everything look good on the camera – frame, high picture quality, good sound quality with less noise. Plus they know how to edit it well. Your testimonials look watchable and people love to enjoy them.
Experience Video:
Like testimonials, customer experience videos are equally effective. People talk about the whole organisation or brand in the testimonials. But in a customer experience video, the buyers or consumers talk only about a particular product or service. They would explain their experience while using the particular product. This way you can incorporate a customer actually using the product while filming their interview. These can be different videos or you can combine all of them in one video. Here you can have a storyline about the benefits of your products/services and intersperse these experience videos. It’s an attractive way to engage your existing customers as well as spark the interest of your potential customers.
Unboxing Video:
It’s a very popular way of introducing your product. These type of videos work only with the products. There are many channels in YouTube that show the unboxing of a product like a mobile phone or a computer or a washing machine, etc. The channel owners are the experts in their respective fields. They have a huge audience and unboxing is their job. This way you can take your products to millions. There’s another way. You can make an unboxing video of your products from the selected customers and share it with your potential customers on your own YouTube channel. This gives a detailed idea about the products and their benefits.
Training Video:
When you generate a Lead Funnel, you need a strong lead magnet. There’s nothing like a free something. Imagine you are giving a free training about some valuable service and reaching to your potential customers and generating leads at the same time. You can get a proper training video done from someone professional. Training videos can also be used in the CRM where you can share it with your existing customers to keep them engaged.
Webinars:
Even our children are learning through webinars. Suddenly, the word webinar is as common as a suji cake. Everyone’s doing it and many are really getting benefitted. It’s free. It’s effective. It’s direct. That’s the best part. You can hold a meeting and record it for future reference. You can share some important training in a webinar to your potential customers who were not a part of the webinar. You can address many through a webinar and this live video can also be your lead magnet where you can sell your products. Many have been doing it consistently and gaining buyers or leads.
Motion Graphic Video:
Motion graphic videos or animated videos are the ones that are created with the help of images and text graphics. These videos should be short and crispy because you can’t bear only images and texts for a long duration. These videos are made to convey facts and figures to your customers. You can announce a new product or service through a motion graphic video like a very engaging slide show.
Explainer Video:
These are used to explain a service which is intangible. You can show a product but you can’t show a service. A good explainer video can describe the nature, features or benefits of the services. These videos are made with the help of caricature or doodle animation. There are different ways of doodle animation. White board animation is a very popular way of an explainer video. It’s like drawing caricatures on a whiteboard live. This type of videos unfold like a story or a case study.
Product Demo:
Many times audience don’t understand the usage of your products only by looking at it. A nice demo video where the applications and usages of your products are demonstrated in an interesting manner really helps. These product demo videos are shot in a live action video format. The features and applications are explained in a voice over narration or you can also involve an anchor who’ll explain the product. It would be great if you involve someone with the authority on the product category, for example a chef to explain a blender or an beauty expert to demonstrate a hair trimmer.
Product Training Video:
When we bought a microwave from IFB, we didn’t know a thing to operate. The trainer was supposed to come, but he was taking it long. In those desperate times I searched YouTube, but couldn’t find any training on how to operate a product. A nice product training video can help you in both B2B or B2C cases. We have done a range of training videos for our client on the machinery they have installed at their manufacturing facility. This enables all the future operators to understand the operations of a particular machine.
Short film:
When all the above mentioned videos are from non-fictional category, a short film is a pure fiction. As the name suggests, it’s a short story told in a way of a video/film. Imagine you get a story written to promote your brand/products and share it across all social media platforms. People like to see entertainment. They love stories. They don’t mind you selling your brand through a story and the most important part is they recall the same short film by your brand name.
Influencer:
There are many influencers across social media platforms. They are the experts in their own domain. They are the one who have lakhs and millions of followers who listen to them. In short they have their own audience. You can ride on the wave. You can promote your brand/product through such influencers. The videos automatically are seen by those millions and your brand reaches to them. Influencers can start from as low as 5k subscribers to any number. They charge as per their number of subscribers/followers.
Covert branding:
We see a film and we suddenly see some character using a particular brand and he/she even announce that they are using a particular brand. It’s not coincidental. We all know that. It’s a strategic move. We can associate with a film/music video/serial/gag and promote our brand/product. It stays forever. I have heard that the great producer director Subhash Ghai had shot with both Coke & Pepsi bottles in the hands of their characters for the movie Taal. Finally Coke came onboard. But even after two decades we have the film in front of us with the same branding.
Corporate Video:
And we come to our good old corporate videos. They’ll never go out of fashion. It’s a brilliant way to put your brand, strength and corporate values in front of your audience. The duration of such videos can be a bit longer as compared to the other formats. It can go to 3-5 minutes or you can keep two versions – a long and a short one. It’s a combination of live action videos, motion graphics, text, voice over.
TVC:
Television Commercials are those short and snappy advertisements we see on TV. They are short in duration and smart enough to explain everything. They are told in a humorous or sentimental stories. Sometimes, they are made in an animated format, just announce something or offer something.
Now, almost every format mentioned above can be made during these times with minimum requirement of shooting. People had made commercials using home cameras and even the actors had shot separately at their own homes. They were the tough times, the forbidden times. Even though restrictions are slowly eased by the government, it’s our duty too to be safe. So, we can go for such formats of videos to reach out to our customers.
You can check for the more information and samples of such videos on www.onemileaheadfilms.com
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