Story-telling has always been a powerful part of connecting with one another, and so it has become the crux of powerful advertising as well, seamlessly translated to video marketing. Yes, companies want to sell goods and services, but they also seek to build connection and loyalty with their community of supporters to sustain livelihood and to see growth.

Every New Year, we see people sharing their stories from throughout the previous year – their highs, their lows, and what they expect for the year to come.  We assess what has occurred in our lives and think about how it will be or could be in the future. These are deep and meaningful stories we use to guide our lives, decisions, choices and actions.

Video Marketing has proven to be the most effective way to tell a story, convey information and evoke emotion. So, for 2018, let’s take a look at all the many timeless ways you can share your stories with your community of supporters, customers, clients and friends with video marketing:

Behind The Scenes – Tell an Everyday Story

Transparency is more powerful than ever. In an age where online forums, automated systems and bots are some of our main options for help and assistance, it can be especially meaningful to see real people and real operations behind a business. This is exactly why video marketing is such a successful marketing tool.

With less than a day of filming you can gather enough B-roll to create a series of short videos that each gives a quick peek at a day in the life of your business.  Show new and existing customers what goes on inside the company, and build connection and loyalty while you’re at it!

Employee Bio – Tell a Personal Story

Use video marketing to tell a story of one of your employees, or various employees in different departments or at various levels within the company. This is especially useful if you or your team members work directly with customers and benefit from establishing a more personal connection.

There are so many creative ways this can be done with video marketing, and there are so many unique stories that come directly from people’s individual backgrounds, experiences and insights. These stories make for incredible, unbeatable pieces of video marketing content.

Testimonials – Tell a Success Story

I feel like people read the word “Testimonials” and instantly think, “Snore! zzz.” But, video testimonials are consistently ranked as one of the most effective tools, crucial to any video marketing strategy.  They are hands-down one of the best ways to make a serious impact on a viewer and potential new customer.

Watching another person’s story (a person who was in the same shoes as the viewer at one time, seeking a solution), seeing their faces and expressions, hearing their intonations as they tell their story – well, the impact that can make on a viewer is invaluable to any business.

Charitable or Fund-raising Work – Tell an Emotional Story

You should always utilize video marketing to encapsulate company or corporate charity or fund-raising endeavors. Video is so successful at creating emotions like excitement, motivation, struggle, triumph, victory and much more.

Tell a story about an issue, struggle or mission that is meaningful to your organization. Bring your viewers on a meaningful journey with your video marketing content.  Unite them with your mission, share successes with them and build deeper engagement with your supporters all-around.

Culture Initiatives – Tell a Unique Story

Videos that focus on culture show the uniqueness of a company, and the values that bind their employees, customers and community together.

Focus on positive values and agendas that are pervasive throughout your organization – things like environment, health, connection, standards and more. Show the values that keep your company and its people motivated toward success.

Storytelling is an ancient art that not only persists today, it excels! Storytelling is something that is not going away. Video marketing is built upon leveraging personal story-telling and connection across digital devices.

Now we have more ways than ever to produce video and get it seen, particularly on websites, social media, video hosting platforms, mobile apps and much more.

So, start 2018 by planning your best stories to tell with video marketing this year, and watch your community and company grow stronger with every story you tell!