When it comes to brand storytelling, Tampa businesses often already know who they are, whom they serve, and why it matters. To get the most from video storytelling for business, however, it’s critical to take it a step further. Your story may be unique, but it needs something more to spark genuine interest from your future customers.
That starts with marketing videos, but doesn’t end there.
Today’s customers live in a world where they can’t even believe their eyes. One of the easiest ways for bad actors to lie to them is through video. That makes video marketing a double-edged sword: Even though it’s undeniable that video is the most sought-after content, marketing videos that build trust must go the extra mile.
Every brand “tells” stories. Strategic brand messaging proves them.
Video Marketing For Business Transforms Abstract Promises Into Credibility
It all goes back to a core marketing concept – crucial, but easily overlooked.
Social proof.
Like the name suggests, social proof is evidence for your brand’s claims. It uses tangible, verifiable facts to eliminate doubt – by demonstrating to your future customers that others “just like them” succeeded after working with your brand. In selling, social proof is the most powerful evidence there is.
The fastest way to guide someone from “totally new prospect” to “committed brand supporter” is to use social proof, in the form of video, to meet them where they are and help them take the next steps. Unfortunately, the majority of Tampa companies still approach social proof the old-fashioned way.
Most companies have a few text-based customer testimonials on their website. A few call out their review score on Google Reviews or Yelp. But they are missing out on the power of social proof to make a human connection. That comes from video marketing content – because video is the next best thing to being there.
Here’s how social proof and different types of video unite to achieve your brand goals:
1. Testimonial Videos
Text-based testimonials are easy to miss. Videos tell the full story.
Ideally, you’d build a library of testimonial videos that cover every customer avatar and every use case. Then, you can direct leads to the right testimonial video for them using channels like social media and your email list. The more leads see themselves in your testimonial-giver, the easier it will be for them to make that first buy.
In the world of brand storytelling, Tampa enterprises often have a plan to collect reviews, but they almost never extend their reach further. Testimonial videos don’t happen by accident: You need to know which customers are thrilled, approach them at the right time, and make it simple to capture the video.
We admit – it’s not easy for most companies in Tampa to do this alone.
Once you have the right follow-up in place, Paper Jacket ensures you’re ready to roll camera for your eager testimonial-givers. Many of our clients have found safe, legal ways to roll testimonial videos into the loyalty program they already offer, so they can readily identify and collaborate with enthusiastic customers.
That genuine appreciation for your brand comes through best in video – and brings other buyers to your door. With testimonial video production, Tampa businesses can set themselves apart from superficially similar rivals.
2. Case Study Podcasts
Millions of people all over the United States listen to podcasts every month – about 158 million, to be precise. Just over a third of Americans listen to eight podcast episodes or more each week, and nearly a quarter enjoy 10 hours of weekly listening. All in all, nearly 50% of Americans consume at least one podcast per month.
If you want to reach adults with disposable income, podcasts are the way. They’re portable, easy to consume, and – most important for brand messaging – they foster trust. Podcasts give you time to position yourself as a reliable advisor, and your audience gets to know you in turn.
With a case study podcast, you can spend anywhere from twenty minutes up to a full hour diving deep into a customer’s story. By interviewing them, you enable them to tell their story in their own words. And as a direct participant yourself, you can provide the necessary context that helps the audience see your brand in action.
The catch: Maybe you’ve never even thought about podcasting, let alone “case study podcasts.”
We get it. You might see podcasts as something done by hobbyists in their basements. Or by Joe Rogan. Or both. But podcasting is more accessible to savvy Tampa business leaders than ever before, and Paper Jacket’s formula means your content gets distributed on both video-first and audio-first platforms, doubling your reach.
3. Behind-The-Scenes Content
You want prospects, leads, and even your current customers to learn more about you.
But you don’t want to put them to sleep with boredom on the way there. What to do?
Even the most sympathetic audience members will always care more about themselves than they do about you. So how do you meet them where they are? Simple. Give them content that helps them feel like they’re a part of something. There’s nothing more powerful for producing that effect than behind-the-scenes content.
Finding the right balance with behind-the-scenes content is tricky. You want authentic, but not sloppy. The days of shooting grainy cell phone video while you pretend to have an impromptu dance party in the break room are over. Just like the rest of your strategic brand messaging, polish makes a difference. So does intention.
The Paper Jacket team helps you come up with ideas for behind-the-scenes content that inspires your audience, so they get to stand on the leading edge of your products and services. Then, we provide everything you need to turn your concept into a video: The skills, cameras, lighting, sound, and full production know-how.
Longer videos can even be carved up into attention-grabbing highlight clips, perfect for micro-video platforms like TikTok or YouTube Shorts. That extends your reach beyond your known audience to others who might not even know about your brand and what you can do for them.
4. Executive Interviews
You know how sales work: Before people are willing to buy from you, they need to know, like, and trust you.
How do you get to know someone in real life? Spend time with them. Executive interview video content is a way to do just that. But instead of acting as a presenter, as you do in the other forms of content we’ve talked about, you’re the star of the show. That breaks our rule, in a way, because the content is really about you.
How do you turn that into a compelling experience for your audience? Use some jiu jitsu and turn it around: It may be you on camera, you doing all the talking, but you’re talking about them. By echoing their concerns, you show you’re attuned to what matters to them: Their fears, hopes, and how they can go from one to the other.
If you’ve never been in front of the camera before, a full-length executive interview can be a nerve-wracking prospect – even when you know you won’t be sitting across from a hardball interviewer. Here in your corner, Paper Jacket. Our video experts understand how to prepare clients to put their best face forward on video.
Once your executive interview is recorded, it’s a terrific centerpiece for a video marketing campaign centered on LinkedIn or another social media platform where your audience is active. It will also help you get invited to podcasts and other thought leadership opportunities, which can create a virtuous cycle for your brand.
Get the rest of your leadership team involved, and executive interviews can develop into a whole series.
Get Real, Visible Credibility: Paper Jacket Is Your Trusted Video Production Partner
You do good work. You want to get heard. And getting heard does your future customers a service.
Let Paper Jacket help. We can work directly with your team or with your marketing agency partner.
Our team knocks down the barriers to entry for memorable, effective marketing videos that build trust. We’ll help you develop a complete video library that meets your customers exactly where they are on their journey, while making it easier than you ever thought possible to promote your content and gain social media traction.
Contact us to learn more or begin.
