The Rise of Video Content: How to Use Visual Storytelling for Digital Marketing Success

The power of video

Before we delve into the intricacies of visual storytelling, it's important to understand why video content is so powerful. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report, video traffic currently accounts for 69 percent of all mobile data traffic. By 2027, this share is expected to increase to 79 percent. This boom is fueled by consumers' insatiable appetite for video content that delivers a rich, immersive and engaging user experience.

Video content is a versatile medium that enables marketers to tell their brand story, showcase products, or communicate their value proposition in a dynamic, engaging way. It fosters a sense of authenticity, builds trust, and offers a personal touch that other forms of content often can't match.

Here's how to use video content for impactful results

• Know your audience: The first step to creating compelling video content is to understand your audience. Who are they? What do they want or need? How do they interact with your brand? Knowing your audience intimately will help you create engaging content that will move them to action.
• Create a compelling narrative: Stories have a unique power to move people, and a well-crafted narrative can leave a lasting impression. Use your videos to tell your brand's story, illustrate your customer's journey, or share testimonials. Remember that a story with a likeable character, a problem and a solution will always appeal to your audience more than a simple sales pitch.
• Go for quality: High-quality video content is an indispensable factor for success. A lack of quality can negatively impact your brand and cause viewers to bounce. When you invest in quality, it's not just about the technical aspects of the video, such as resolution and sound, but also the quality of the script, narrative, and execution.
• Use video SEO: Videos need to be findable. Include relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions and tags. Consider using transcripts or subtitles to help search engines understand and index your video content.
• Promote your videos: Creating compelling videos is only half the battle. The other half is promoting them. Use all the channels at your disposal, from social media to email newsletters, to get your content out to as many people as possible.
• Analyse and adapt: Finally, use analytics to measure the success of your video content. Platforms provide useful insights, such as views, view duration, audience demographics, and more. Use this data to understand what's working and what's not, and continually optimise your content strategy.

Video platforms for digital marketing

Brands have a variety of options when it comes to video platforms:

• YouTube: YouTube is considered the giant of video platforms and is a key player in any video marketing strategy. Its huge global reach combined with sophisticated analytics makes it an ideal medium for in-depth, instructional and product-specific videos.
• Facebook and Instagram: Facebook and Instagram provide a vibrant ecosystem for bite-sized videos and live broadcasts, and are important platforms for brands looking to build a closer and more direct connection with their audience. Instagram's IGTV, Stories and Reels, along with Facebook's native video player, support various content and formats and encourage audience engagement and interaction.
• TikTok: TikTok has quickly become a new player in the video marketing landscape through user-generated content. Its focus on short, creative and trending videos makes it an excellent choice for brands looking to target a younger, trend-savvy audience.
• LinkedIn: For B2B-focused companies, LinkedIn's native video player offers a great way to share professional content, industry insights and thought leadership material. LinkedIn video ads also offer a targeted approach to reach professionals in specific industries or functions.
• Vimeo: Known for its high-quality content and a professional, ad-free viewing experience, Vimeo is a preferred platform for companies that value quality over quantity. Vimeo's suite of video tools also includes video hosting, live-streaming and video analytics.
• Snapchat: Snapchat's content model appeals to brands seeking a casual, spontaneous and personal connection with their audience. The Stories feature and innovative AR filters offer unique opportunities for creative storytelling.

Each of these platforms has its own strengths, as well as different reach and user demographic profiles. The key to effective video marketing is to understand which platform best fits your brand's goals, your audience, and the type of content you're creating.

There are different guidelines for each platform in terms of format, length, etc., which can be easily found via the Meta Ads Guide or the LinkedIn Ads Guide, for example.

Your start in video content

There are now countless editing programs or even AI tools that make it easier to create social media clips. The know-how for platforms such as Canva, Lumen5, Adobe Express Beta or Runway can be quickly and easily acquired by yourself if you invest some time.

Otherwise, the Kuble team is happy to support you, both for smaller and larger projects. We help you with the conception including a storyboard, video editing, animations and texts. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.