Business

Video Storytelling: 5 Ideas for Videos that Tell a Story

Megan O'Neill

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People don’t share ads, they share stories. That’s the guiding principle behind Brand Camp, our week-long live education that kicked off yesterday and continues through the end of this week. We’re talking all about how to use video to effectively tell the story of your brand.

But it can be hard to get out of the habit of trying to sell with video and into the habit of telling stories. We’ve put together a list of video types—and examples—to help you get the ideas flowing.

Idea #1: Showcase your expertise

You are an expert in your field. But, since you are around it every day, it can be easy to forget that your potential customers don’t have the insider knowledge that you do. The truth is, you’ve got lots of expert information to share—and people out there that’d love to learn from you!

Try creating a video that goes deep on the subject you’re an expert in, using easy-to-understand explanations that’ll resonate with your audience. Our new Real Estate Explainer video was created with this concept in mind and can easily be customized to share your own expertise.

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Idea #2: Explain a trend

What are people talking about in your industry? If there’s already a buzz about a specific topic, you can join the conversation by creating an explainer video about it. Our Wellness Explainer pre-built storyboard can help you explain a trend of your own.

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Idea #3: Show a process

Still stuck for ideas? Try creating a video that shows a step-by-step process. It could be a how-to video that teaches your customers how to do something in your industry, or you could go behind the scenes and share a step-by-step video about how you created a specific product, or how to use it.

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Idea #4: Inspire

You can also inspire viewers to watch and share by sharing an inspirational or aspirational story. Here’s a travel example, showcasing a destination with out-of-this-world scenery that’ll really capture viewers’ attention in the news feed and think “I want to go there!” Can you think of similar ideas for inspirational content related to your business?

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Idea #5: Get personal

Finally, don’t be afraid to get personal and tell your own story. Getting to know the people behind a brand can help customers feel more connected and by sharing your own stories you can help encourage that connection. What are you passionate about? Why did you start your business? Try making a video sharing these stories.

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Looking for ideas and inspiration from a community of fellow video creators? Click here to join our Facebook group, the Animoto Social Video Marketing Community.