Viewing audiences relate to story arcs as life itself is a story with a beginning, middle and end. That means that video production centered on a relatable narrative can successfully engage viewers. Tell stories with your commercial video production, albeit in 30 second spots or less, and you’ll steer your audience toward your online footprint for conversion. This article is all about Storytelling in Video Production: How to Engage Your Audience.
Why People Relate to Stories
The average person relates to story arcs as they are typically centered on a relatable narrative. People also respond to story characters that overcome hurdles. Use your video marketing as an opportunity to detail how your value offering enhances your audience’s life or challenges at work and they’ll respond with meaningful interest.
Video marketing is a canvas for the artful presentation of your value proposition in video form. Present your product, service and brand in a manner that showcases the value provided and your target customers will identify with your company.
Focus on Context
The setting of the story that communicates your product or service’s value is especially important. Green screen backdrops make storytelling in video form that much more captivating. Weave in contextual components that reinforce the value offering and also make the message more relatable to your viewing audience and the content will prove indelible. A message that resonates with the viewing audience becomes much more likely to result in sales.
Hone Your Storytelling Technique
It is often said that the manner in which a story is told means more than the actual story itself. It is also commonly said that audiences care more about how a comedian or singer delivers punchlines and lyrics than the actual meaning of those expressions.
In short, form matters just as much if not more than function in the context of communication. Recognize this indisputable fact, hone your storytelling technique for an artful presentation and your viewing audience will respond with vigor.
Shift the Spotlight to the Customer
Take a moment to reflect on the last commercial you watched that was primarily focused on the business itself as opposed to its customers and the problems that the company’s product or service solves. An egocentric commercial or other ad that shines the spotlight on the business will help amplify branding components but might not feel relatable. The bottom line is customers relate to fellow customers including fictional customers portrayed in video marketing content.
The focal point of your video marketing should be on solving customer problems through artfully presented content that your audience can identify with. Tie in branding elements along with other information about your company in subtle ways throughout the content and the viewing audience will gain an understanding of what your business is all about while simultaneously learning about how its value offering makes their life or time spent at work that much better.
Stories Present Conflicts and Solutions
The purpose of telling a story is to communicate the importance of overcoming problems with the use of the business’s service, product or other solution. A supposed story lacking such a hurdle isn’t much of a story at all. Recognize the fact that people are solution-oriented, tap into their desire to overcome hurdles presented at work and at home, present your company’s approach to solving those problems within story-based video content and the message will sink in.
Though presenting conflict and drama can feel inherently negative, it is necessary in the context of video marketing storytelling. Briefly introduce the hurdle to overcome along with the ensuing drama then quickly shift to how your value offering solves that problem. The majority of the video should be focused on communicating the solution to the problem so your viewing audience can walk away with a sense of accomplishment.
More importantly, presenting your value proposition in the form of a story puts your solution on display in somewhat of a covert and indirect manner that proves much more persuasive than an overt, brand-oriented ad without a story arc.
Stories Present Conflicts and Solutions
A brief drama centered on a heroic feat is one of the best storytelling techniques. A hero that solves a problem at the last second or in a particularly creative way is relatable as everyone is tasked with challenges throughout daily life and work that require creative solutions. Portray the hero using your value offering to solve the problem and your audience will relate to that story arc, possibly even creating an emotional connection that steers them toward conversion.
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