What are the best ways to use storytelling in video marketing?

1 Define your purpose

Before you start creating your video, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What is the main message you want to convey? Who is your target audience? What action do you want them to take after watching your video? Having a well-defined purpose will help you shape your story, choose the right tone, style, and format, and measure your results.

2 Follow a structure

Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. A video story is no different. You need to capture your viewers' attention from the start, build interest and tension in the middle, and deliver a satisfying and memorable conclusion. A common structure for video storytelling is the hero's journey, where you introduce a character who faces a challenge, overcomes it with the help of your brand, and achieves a transformation. This structure helps you create empathy, suspense, and emotion in your video.

3 Show, don't tell

One of the advantages of video marketing is that you can use visual and auditory cues to show your story, rather than tell it with words. This makes your video more engaging, immersive, and persuasive. For example, you can use images, sounds, music, colors, and lighting to set the mood, convey the personality, and evoke the emotions of your story. You can also use testimonials, case studies, demonstrations, and animations to show the benefits, features, and results of your brand.

4 Keep it simple

While video marketing allows you to be creative and expressive, you also need to be concise and clear . You don't want to confuse or bore your viewers with too much information, irrelevant details, or complex jargon. You want to focus on the core message of your story and deliver it in a simple and straightforward way. A good rule of thumb is to keep your video between 60 and 90 seconds long, and use simple language, short sentences, and clear transitions.

5 Add a call to action

The last step of your video story is to invite your viewers to take action. You want to motivate them to do something after watching your video, whether it is to visit your website, sign up for your newsletter, buy your product, or share your video. A call to action should be clear, specific, and urgent. You can use a verbal or visual cue, such as a button, a link, or a voice-over, to direct your viewers to the next step.