Video became a colossal thing alongside the Internet.
We have YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and a plethora of other platforms to push content. It takes skill to be noticed and/or heard above the background noise.
Fortunately, one of our team members had a chance to chat with our friends at Phat Buddha Vision – a friend of Blayzer’s that focuses on branding, videos, and multimedia. It so happened that Scott and Brennan were in a car driving back from a networking event and got into a conversation about vague, semi-esoteric marketing concepts.
And as luck would have it, Brennan had his notepad handy. Here’s a recreation of the conversation.
*Skip to the end if you want to know our thoughts on DIY video marketing in 2023.
Q (Brennan): You keep using the term “emotional branding.” What is it, really?
A (Scott): It’s really about the all-encompassing presentation. Your professional wardrobe and how you’re seen digitally. How are you representing yourself? Are you likable? Do people think of you or your products first? Are you a supplier or a brand? Where did you come from? What’s the science behind what you’re doing?
Q: You didn’t answer my question.
A: Emotional branding hinges on establishing a connection between a product or service and a brand. In the digital world, it might look like you’re just slinging products. Products are easy to find. Connections though? Not so much. One way to improve connection points is through media (like video). Video can represent an emotional connection that’s…missing…from a product or service. It’s something more.
Q: How do I use video marketing to promote products?
A: You make products feel better as a brand, no matter what they are. You (your company) need to be more appealing, and more memorable, and create more of an emotional bridge to the product than the next company.
Q: You still didn’t answer my question about Emotional Branding.
A: Emotional branding is when you create a pathway between you, your customers, and whatever product or service you’re selling. The trick is to generate interest outside of that offering, and to spark an experience within a humanizing format. You’re not just your iPhone charger – not just an HVAC company, or an online store. You need to humanize yourself. Video is a great way to support this approach. There are “need” products and there are “want” products. I feel like we found a way to merge the two.
Q: What about people that leave stickers on their hats?
A: You can wear hats with tags. That’s great! You can wear what’s hot right now. Every consumer has that right. The point is: When you walk up to someone that looks hip/cool/trendy, will you remember them if the conversation is dull and pointless? Or will you remember the casual guy who has useful, emotionally connective conversation? Let’s say you had something in common and on and on and on you went with the conversation, It sparks an interest and develops into a conversation and then a lifelong friendship is born. You should be able to walk away with something valuable, moving, interesting, and emotionally connecting – no matter what it pertains to – after meeting someone for whatever reason they entered your life. This is how emotional branding relates to everyday life.
Q: What?
A: Enthusiasm is important. The casual guy with good information is what I’d call a “nugget.” I learned something from him. It was memorable. I was impressed. I’ll remember the casual guy. I’ll walk away with something more. I have this nugget of information directly associated with Brand X and Product Y with a story behind it. Emotional branding is just that – it’s having a customer walk away with a feeling and/or an experience. You can Google an iPhone charger, but does that do anything for you? If you sell Super iPhone Chargers, will you retain customers each time Apple updates its charging ports? Will your customers remember you?
Q: And videos help with this?
A: Absolutely. You know when you’re at a party and there’s a vegetable tray with some creamy French onion dip, and you can’t decide if you want to use a carrot or turnip or celery to dip it with? Then someone walks up from the party and starts in on a story about an experience they had in a buffet line and how it moved them. Maybe they met their significant other at that moment in time. What did they eat together? Funny thing…they both reached for the carrots at the same time and magic happened. Do carrots matter? Nope…but man do I want to feel that way, too. Somehow I’ve connected that moment with carrots and French onion dip. I’ll take the carrots, please.
Q: I like French onion dip.
A: Who doesn’t? The point is that videos are an effective way to deliver and create an emotional link between your brand alongside your customer’s needs. Videos are just like that carrot stick moment. The vulnerability of sharing a story, even unrelated, is super powerful.
Q: Video marketing is important, then.
A: Yes.
Q: Where do you see this going?
A: There is a significant rise of emotional branding in the B2B sector. Going back in time, video was used as a very flat “here’s my product – here’s my price” delivery tool. And that’s fine! It worked then and will continue to work for what it’s worth. But, what makes Company X more attractive than Company Y? It’s in the emotional connection, a story – and feeling response –embedded with multimedia. I remember Zales commercials from 20 years ago. Any video should be geared toward creating a lasting relationship and impression. One-off product sales (like the iPhone charger) are one thing – a customer for life is another because they connect the dots between the feeling and the offering.
Q: You missed our turn.
A: Exactly. You need to know where you’re going and guide the customer there with emotional branding.
Video Marketing in 2023 | What to Know
We hope you enjoyed the interview.
For businesses, video marketing can be a touchy subject. They may not want to do it, don’t want to spend the money, or see any value behind a two-minute clip of your CEO talking about their grandparents founding an inherited company that’s been around for a century.
Here are a few DIY tips we’d like to share about video marketing:
- It’s as hard as you make it. Video shouldn’t be hard! The majority of the time, all you need is someone with a steady hand and a newish phone. Then push that content onto social media and your site.
- Video leaves impressions. If a potential customer/client watches your video about your capabilities, they obviously have some interest. In the marketing world, we call that a
“hot lead.” We can discuss conversion rates between video clicks, social media, and SERPs another time. - They can be fun. Videos don’t need to be a hassle. However – they can be a waste of time if you don’t plan out what you’re doing. Have a script, tell a joke, or maybe ditch the script. Be real. Don’t let production be a chore..
- Videos save time. An often missed thing about videos is that they save you – and your clientele – a bunch of time (i.e reading). Example: You’re an injury attorney. Why not make 20 two-minute videos answering the same questions your intake team is asked every day?
- Production is evergreen. If you want to market with videos, it’s important to do them right. You need that splash card, decent-to-good editing, and links to supplemental information.
- Use your videos. Publish them on your website, push them on social media, and incorporate them into newsletters. There are a lot of things you can do with videos with little effort. Example: Instead of emailing Customer X a block of dense information, just record it and send what you’d type. You might be surprised.
Bottom Line
Brennan asked Scott about “emotional branding” and came away with a lot more information than intended. The takeaway is more about the creative mindset to make grandpa’s efforts (a century of business) into an experience. That is what it takes to keep customers coming back for more.
Businesses may identify videos as costly and time-consuming. It’s important to remember that videos can perform multiple things at once and are recyclable. One shoot can turn into a dozen clips to be used across your marketing channels.
The first step to successful video marketing is having a plan. Call us or Phat Buddha Vision if you want to learn more.