The Power of Authenticity In Your Video Marketing
Shane Yeager
When an entrepreneur is working in a startup, they want to launch their company as fast as they can to begin to grow a competitive edge (and understandably so). But, many startups make the mistake of launching advertising content before they are clear in the brand messaging they want to convey. Often times, this pre-mature content is lacking in narrative, the most effective way to relate to your audience. Video content that is aiding in the branding of your company should be honest and exciting and have a powerful story to engage audiences. Regardless of what business you are in, you need to break through the copious amounts of video clutter, in order to stand out.
So, how do you build authenticity?
Showing your audience the real side of your company is a great place to start. Video marketing is not about trying to manipulate someone into buying what you are offering or make your product look more lavish than it really is (no one wants to be part of a Fyre festival disaster). Instead, it's about advertising your business to customers who are in need of your services. Be true to your target market, don't try to sell a product intended for the middle class to the 1%. Be genuine to who your company is and who your company wants to attract.
In this day and age, it's easy to dole out a couple thousand dollars and get yourself a high-quality, flashy video. But, as high-quality video is no longer hard to come by, you need to rely on more than just ornate b-roll to get you views and peak interest. Color correcting your video and shooting in 4K are no longer your biggest obstacles, getting someone to click on your video and watch it for its entirety has become your primary impediment. Authenticity will capture attention and retain it. People want to watch videos that feel genuine, where it doesn't feel like a company is trying to be something they're not. Combine your knowledge and passion for your product with beautiful cinematography (which can be produced by an experienced production company) and your views will skyrocket.
While social media makes reaching your target audience fairly simple, actually getting a potential customer to click your website, read your blog post, watch your ad has become increasingly more difficult. As the average attention span has decreased to a mere 8 seconds, you have to hook your audience in that time and be able to prove that you are a reliable company with a brilliant service. A pristine website, a credible video, and good reviews are all ways to build authenticity and to keep consumers interested.
Marketing experts are quick to praise the benefits of better search engine rankings causing organic traffic. Optimizing your website for both authenticity and credibility puts you on the fast track to refining it for conversions.
To ensure your videos are authentic and gain more traction, views, likes, and comments, the following marketing tips should apply:
- Sell your product for what it is, and explain why it is so groundbreaking, instead of trying to make it something it's not
- Check out what's trending and what your audience is watching
- Use SEO friendly titles and descriptions
- Use a call to action button
- Create a well-crafted and coordinated promotional campaign to support the video release
- Optimize your video’s performance by creating two versions of the video and do A/B tests to see which of the two will engage and convert potential viewers to a sale
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