How to use video marketing to build your brand

It’s no secret that video marketing has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Video marketing is an important brand building tool, helping you to smash your marketing objectives and draw customers into your funnel. Video content marketing can be used virtually everywhere; on your website, within your email marketing campaigns or on social. In fact, video generates 1200% more shares on social than both text and image posts combined!

Yet, while not every video you create will go viral (sorry, guys!), there are some sure-fire ways you can use video marketing to build your brand, lure new audiences and captivate existing brand loyalists and keep them coming back for more.

Leading men’s fashion brand, Politix, has been using video marketing in recent years. This has enabled them to tell brand stories and maximize their reach and frequency, as they shift their media mix to favor digital over traditional channels, according to Renee Kitchen, Marketing Manager at Politix.

And they’re not the only ones! Despite the impact of Covid-19, digital video ad spend is increasing every year in the US, while traditional channels suffer, according to eMarketer.

Secrets to success; how Politix uses video marketing

Kitchen told Vudoo how video marketing helped Politix build “stronger” brand experiences and connect with consumers on a deeper level.

“Our campaigns are always about storytelling”, Kitchen says, explaining that video helps tell the brand’s story, giving customers insight into who they are as a brand. Video is the ideal platform for the brand, as it allows consumers to understand how products look in real time.

“With video, customers can actually see how the garment moves and looks in real time, without having to read slabs of product description text.”

Brands can harness the power of interactive video in this immersive format and embrace creative storytelling and role play like never before. This, in turn, will help users connect with brands (and each other) more immediately and on a deeper level.

How to capitalize on the power of video marketing

Video teaches brands to show, not tell, Kitchen says. It’s a medium that is easy to consume, with the power to simplify even the most complex of concepts in mere seconds.

“We’re living in a more impersonal digital world today,” Kitchen says, adding that many people in today’s world crave “connection and personality”. She insists video can help bridge those gaps, resulting in more authentic connections between brands and consumers.

So, now you know that video content is a no brainer, but how can you harness the power of clever video marketing strategies? Here are Kitchen’s top video marketing secrets for success.

Understand your customer

Kitchen believes it’s crucial to “get to know your customer”. She recommends brands find out who their customers are and how those customers interact with their brand. For instance, if customers are engaging with a certain aspect of a brand’s content, they should focus on creating more of that content.

“We identified that our customers were highly engaged [with our] video content. And now that’s just a part of our marketing ecosystem. And it’s always a part of our campaigns and how we define each new marketing season”.

It sounds like a simple concept, but, far too often, brands fall into the trap of creating content that they think their audiences will like, rather than the content their audiences actually want to see. Analyzing reporting and video insights will help you further refine your video content marketing approach.

Have a strong brand identity

It’s not always easy for brands to convey their identity and their brand personality. Therefore, Kitchen stresses the importance of knowing “what you’re standing for,” as a brand. For Politix, a brand that has been around since 1975, maintaining the heritage of the brand and grounding its brand positioning is critical, according to Kitchen.

Video marketing establishes a definitive brand identity, Kitchen explains, pointing to brands like Gucci, who use video marketing extensively to illustrate what the luxury brand stands for.

In fact, it’s that authenticity that pushes consumers to choose one brand over another; a staggering 86% of consumers feel authenticity is a key factor when deciding which brands they like.

A confused brand identity, on the other hand, doesn’t inspire confidence. It looks messy, inconsistent and might cause your customers to mistake you for another brand or worse; forget about you altogether!

Don’t skimp on the details

Finally, Kitchen highlights the importance of planning the finer details of your video marketing production. For instance, she suggests making sure that “all of your branding is up front” within your video. This will maximize brand awareness within a short time.

She also reminds brands to “never forget a call to action”. A call to action can be easy to forget in the whirlwind of production, but it’s a crucial detail within your video marketing strategy. It will anchor your video content, provide a point of reference and facilitate easy and direct conversion with your brand.

Ultimately, Kitchen feels that brands should “figure out a format that works,” and stick to it, whatever that might be. She believes interactive video can certainly be helpful in reducing friction for the customer. “Being able to click and just buy is so important. The less clicks … the easier you’ll get that purchase through,” she explains.

If long-form video content works for you, stick to it! Whether it’s interviews, interactive video or storytelling, keep testing and learning and create more of the unique content that works for you and fits into your overall brand strategy. The results are sure to follow!

Renee Kitchen is the Marketing Manager for Politix, where she has been for two years. With over five years in the marketing industry, she has worked across an array of major retail brands, from Coles to Target and now the Country Road Group. She now focuses on developing creative and innovative marketing strategies for the menswear brand that are implemented across a variety of channels.