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Video is quickly becoming the preferred tool for most marketers to connect and reach new audiences.
Branding videos are undeniably effective – including landing page video increase conversion rates by more than 80%and just mentioning the word “video” in the subject line of your email increases open rates by 19%.
For me, a great video can spark curiosity, make me ask questions, or even make me feel emotional.
But what separates the big brand videos from the ones that fail? Here’s a look at what makes video marketing successful and five examples of brands that have succeeded.
Content
What is a brand video? Any video that promotes your brand.
What makes a successful brand video? Any video that reaches the target audience and causes the desired reaction.
For example, if I just launched a new brand of outdoor clothing, my target audience might be people who are interested in camping or other outdoor activities. My desired reaction is for potential customers to visit my website or social media pages.
As a result, my video should focus on what my product does, not what my product is. This could mean creating a short video of hikers exploring a new trail or campers camped out by a lake, all in my clothes.
I would not show prices or talk about specific product lines; I would just show my equipment as it is used in real life situations. At the end of the video I would show the company name and website.
Then I measure the reaction. Has my visitor count increased? Have users left comments on social media sites or sent direct messages? If yes, then my video was successful. If not, I have to go back to the drawing board.
There are not two marketing videos are the same. Some target awareness, others drive conversions, and some focus on providing information.
However, regardless of intent, all great videos share five key characteristics:
I know — there’s a lot to consider when planning your brand video and overall video marketing strategy. If you need help getting your ideas off the ground, try HubSpot’s free AI video tool Snippet creator.
Goal: Increasing brand awareness.
Video can help your business reach new audiences and attract new viewers to your social media pages and website, which is probably why “increasing brand awareness” number one the reason why brands use video.
Take this video from Tasty, a Buzzfeed brand:
Ultimately, Tasty’s video isn’t meant to sell products (at least not directly) — instead, it’s simply meant to entertain new audiences and, ultimately, increase Tasty’s brand awareness.
The video works because it’s fun. It’s silly, fun to watch, and provides a small but welcome diversion. Yes, it mentions Tasty, but that’s not the focus of the video. Instead, the ad provides viewers with a starting point to learn more about the food and recipes — which just so happen to be on the Tasty channel.
Goal: Stimulation of new sales.
Consider how you could create entertaining or informative videos with the sole purpose of increasing brand exposure.
Ultimately, brand awareness can foster trust and increase brand valueso it plays a key role in your company’s bottom line.
To make this point, here’s a video that I think is a good example. This video highlights Kate Hudson’s company, Fabletics:
Although at first glance it may look like a bit of a random video Kate Hudson running through the Aspen Wilderness is actually an effective example of a video intended to increase sales without appearing like, well, an advertisement.
For example, while the video features Hudson in a range of workout gear from her Fabletics collection for October, it also includes an exclusive interview with the celebrity discussing family, nature and growing up in the mountains.
Add in the beautiful Aspen backdrop and viewers might be fooled by the video’s true purpose: to sell Fabletics clothing.
Ads that don’t look as ads are becoming more common.
This ad works because it uses Hudson’s well-known name and combines it with a popular clothing category: Sportswear. Show both in tandem and I’d say you have a winning ad formula.
Goal: Growth of the social media community.
Did you know that they are four of the top six channels that global consumers use to watch video? social channels? Ultimately, many marketers use video to drive traffic to a company’s social pages.
Consider, for example, this #ShaveItOff video from partner Gillette The McFarlands:
While the video is undeniably fun to watch, it also serves a powerful purpose: to send some of The McFarlands’ 2 million followers back to Gillette’s own social channels.
Best of all, the hashtag #ShaveItOff can be found on Gillette’s Instagram page, ensuring viewers can find the brand regardless of their preferred social channel.
Social media is one of the fastest growing platforms for selling products. This is thanks in part to a concept known as “environmental shopping”.
Unlike intentional shopping, where customers search for a specific product or service, ambient shopping occurs when users are scrolling through social media or watching streaming services and come across an interesting product.
This video works because it shows famous TikTokers doing exactly what their audience expects them to do — only this time they’re pointing to a partner’s product page.
Goal: Customer education.
Video can be an incredibly effective tool for education. This how-to video from HubSpot Marketing dives into a game-changing technology that’s transforming the world of e-commerce for small businesses: AI tools for turning text into images.
Many people learn best through visual content, which is why video can be a phenomenal tool for educating prospects and even customers.
Think about how you can incorporate educational videos into your own content strategy in unique ways—for example, you might include video demonstrations for interested prospects or how-to guides for new users of your product.
HubSpot is a well-known source of free and comprehensive content.
Of course, our ultimate goal here at HubSpot is to create new connections with customers, but this video shows the power of giving away something of value for free to help drive a reciprocal relationship.
Goal: Building brand authority.
Similar to the reason above, the fifth reason why brands use video is to build their brand authority about the subject and demonstrate expertise.
Ideally, this means your brand will come up when people are looking for help on a specific topic. After watching your videos, if viewers feel like they’ve gained a unique insight, they’ll trust your brand more and explore other offerings.
Consider what happens when I search “How to run vlookup” on Google. When I click on the video section (since I prefer learning about vlookups through visuals like videos), Microsoft is the first two video results:
In this example, Microsoft demonstrates its brand expertise when it comes to its Excel product — and, by extension, everything related to technology and data.
This provides Microsoft with a good opportunity to demonstrate its brand authority and at the same time attract new visitors to its website.
When I search Google, I rarely get to the 2nd page.
Most of the time I click on one of the first five results, and at most I go down through the top 10.
Why? Because higher ranks are associated with greater authority for a subject, product or service.
Microsoft succeeds here because it (still) takes the top 2 spots.
The video will get you noticed. Branding videos have tipped the scales — potential and current customers move closer or farther away depending on how well you package and convey your message.
My best advice? Don’t lock yourself into one branding approach. Different videos have different purposes. Some are designed to generate interest, while others drive new sales, and still others want to build a community or build authority.
What’s important isn’t replicating what other brands have done, but defining a goal for your video and then measuring how successfully your video achieves that goal.
Take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing to learn more about how you can create a powerful video marketing strategy for your own brand.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.