The power of visual storytelling

8 ways to engage audiences through video marketing

Video content offers an excellent way for businesses to engage their target audience, demonstrate real-life uses of their products, and dynamically answer customer questions.

Those are just a few advantages of video marketing. In this article, we’ll discuss an additional eight powerful ways you can use video to engage, convert, and retain your customers.

1. Use social proof

Consumers trust online reviews almost as much as recommendations from friends and family. Reviews, testimonials, case studies, etc. all serve as social proof – trust signals from other consumers that your product or service is worth purchasing. 

Leveraging social proof is a common trust-building strategy and one of the best ways to do this is through user-generated content (UGC). UGC can come in many forms, but video is certainly one of the most popular.  

Video UGC content can look like a product review, product unboxing video, how-to video, or side-by-side comparison with a competitor. These online videos work so well because they’re from real customers who show a real-world demonstration of your product.

A lot of successful brands use this tactic to connect with brand advocates and influencers. For example, Hers, a healthcare and wellness brand, partnered with Adenike (@thejoyfuladenike) to deliver powerful marketing messages along with a first-hand account of minoxidil to fight hair loss in an Instagram Reel. She demonstrates using the product and gives her opinion as well as a link for viewers to purchase. Her video is a prime example of social proof. It offers authentic results and a recommendation from an industry expert.

“Consumers trust online reviews almost as much as recommendations from friends and family.”

2. Share video content on Instagram

Instagram is made for images and video, so naturally, it’s the perfect place to share video content and is a valuable tool for your video marketing strategy.

Reels and Stories are short video formats on Instagram that allow people to share clips of their lives, careers, and experiences. These formats are so effective and engaging that businesses have started leveraging Instagram video content to connect with their target audiences. 

As an example, Pumpkin, a dog insurance company, shares videos of their office pets as well as educational videos of dog breeds and health and wellness tips. In the pet niche, it’s a potent strategy that pays off in views, likes, and comments.

3. Host live “Ask Me Anything” sessions

Live videos give your brand the opportunity to interact with your target audience in real-time. Ask Me Anything (AMA) videos are types of live videos that allow your audience to ask you questions about a particular topic. AMA sessions can help you foster engagement with your audience, build brand awareness, and show your expertise. 

You can host these sessions on many social platforms, including YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. For example, Leila Hormozi, the CEO of Acquisition.com, uses YouTube to answer work-life balance questions from her 200,000+ followers.

4. Add videos to marketing emails

Email marketing is alive and well – the average person receives 121 business emails every day. With that much competition for attention, companies need every edge they can get. 

Of course, you’ve got to get users to open your emails first, so crafting email subject lines and preheader text that get people to click is the first order of business. But then, you have to keep them reading. That’s where videos come in.

There are many options for including videos, from embedding to sharing links. 

As an example of a perfect subject line, Frase uses it to announce that the email contains a video and places a simple link in the body to the 2-minute explainer video. That way, the recipient knows the email has a video component and feels compelled to open it. By using a link instead of an embedded video, Frase can prevent deliverability issues due to a large file size. It’s a win-win.

5. Create explainer videos

Have a complex product that’s challenging to explain with text and images? Explainer videos can help users follow instructions or workflows in an easily digestible way. 

Some sites have seen conversion rates increase by as much as 144% after including an explainer video. Explainer videos don’t just have to be for physical products. You can create explainer videos for software or even services. 

Wordable explains how its content tool works in an explainer video with easy-to-follow visuals and a clear voice-over.

6. Show what’s going on behind the scenes

Another reason your small business should have a video marketing strategy is that videos help humanize your brand.  Short-form videos that show what’s going on behind the scenes at your business can inspire your audience to get to know your brand, create a personal connection, and build trust.

Here are some behind-the-scenes video content ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Introduce your team members. This introduction adds a face to your brand and helps your audience understand the key roles of everyone in your organization. 
• Create short day-in-the-life vlogs. Give your audience the chance to follow your team members in their roles and see how they keep your business running in a short, engaging video. 
• Show viewers how your business creates its products. Give people a glimpse behind the scenes of your production process and help create a sense of transparency and authenticity.
• Do office tours. Office tour videos let you candidly show off your company culture, brand identity, and employees in their daily workspace.

“Short-form videos that show what’s going on behind the scenes at your business can inspire your audience to get to know your brand, create a personal connection, and build trust.”

7. Demonstrate expertise with interviews and roundtables

If you want to build trust and authority with your target audience, consider hosting interviews or roundtables. 

You can feature experts and thought leaders in your industry and discuss important topics that interest your audience. Then, share these videos on your website and social media channels. Or, you can conduct your interviews or roundtable discussions live so that viewers get to interact with you and your guest(s) in real-time for a more engaging and immersive experience.

Here’s a great example from Wix, which leverages industry leaders in SEO to discuss how to outrank the competition with blogging.

8. Share your brand story

Build brand awareness with branded videos and feature them on your About page to share your company’s mission and vision.

Brand story videos are short and directed in a storytelling format. They tell the story of your company – who you are and what inspired you to start your business. You can also include details like where you’re based/located, when your company was founded, and the leaders behind the brand.

This type of video shows your audience that your brand cares about more than profit margins. 

With brand story videos, you can increase trust, invoke emotion, and immerse your audience in your story. 

LEGO created an origin story video to communicate its core values and talk about its founders. And it does so in an animated format to appeal to its target audience — kids.

Video marketing isn’t the future — it is now

Don’t risk falling behind the competition by leaving a video marketing strategy out of your marketing budget. Given the benefits and popularity of video marketing, it’s simply one of the best ways to engage with your audience. 

Follow the tips in this article to create your next winning strategy. If you decide to tell your brand’s story, using video to engage your audience can only strengthen it.