When you invest in video content, you’re not just buying “footage.”
After all, people don’t go on YouTube to see the same view they could see out the window. They want to be entertained, provoked, enlightened, and challenged. All the things television did in its heyday, all the things that good streaming originals do now, your brand can achieve with the right approach to video content.
Video content is more accessible to small and mid-sized brands than ever before, and it’s worth the effort.
That said, video content still isn’t easy to get right, especially on your own. You can pull out your phone right now and get any kind of footage, but that won’t get attention from your audience. Don’t worry – the people who can move your business forward are out there, and they’re hungry for video.
You just need to send the right signal.
That goes beyond footage. It means using time-tested tools to shape how you’re perceived in the world. That perception isn’t just about what you do or who you do it for: It’s about where you fit into a customer’s life.
Some brands are perceived as luxuries, others as commodities.
Some brands are perceived as innovative, others as traditional.
Product quality, customer service, and other tangible touch-points do influence these perceptions, but they’re not the biggest factor. Perception comes from the stories people tell about your brand. Video is the best way to tell your story in your own words: Your brand becomes authentic, accessible, and legible to newcomers.
Video Is the Most Powerful Perception-Building Tool for Brands
Used right, video grabs viewers and transports them into your world. It empowers you to use visuals, voice, and more, so your narrative is truly immersive. Brands that use it effectively have the opportunity to stand out in a world where any would-be customer has millions of potential information sources.
By choosing video, you’re already speaking your customers’ language:
- Video is by far the most sought-after form of online content.
- It’s both easier to consume and easier to remember than text.
- It’s more likely to influence buyer behavior than any alternative.
Video is so powerful that just by having an embedded video on a landing page, you make it measurably more likely a visitor will take a conversion action. When video is used to tell your brand’s story in a compelling and emotionally resonant way, every video can make a genuine impact on how you’re perceived.
It doesn’t have to be a half-hour video essay. It can be three minutes.
But it goes beyond footage. It’s all about strategy.
Think about everything that goes into your first impression of another person. Things like competence and warmth are judged within seconds, and much of the work is subconscious. People evaluate your brand in a similar way. Video makes it easy for you to adjust the subtle perceptual dials that add up to an impression.
Even if someone knows – or thinks they know – what your brand is all about, you still have the opportunity to revise those beliefs. But it won’t happen by repeating the same things in the same way. To get real power from video, you need a team with a deep understanding of your brand story and a strategic approach to telling it.
How You Can Use Marketing Video to Shape Public Perception of Your Brand
When it comes to strategic video production, businesses need certainty about the value they’re getting.
If you’re just buying footage, you aren’t getting the value you deserve from your marketing efforts. At Paper Jacket, we focus on strategy. Each video moves the market’s perception of your brand in the right direction. Long before filming starts, we develop an understanding of your brand that informs every angle and shot.
Let’s take a closer look at Paper Jacket’s marketing video production process:
1. Pulling Out the Right Story
Every day is a new chapter in the ongoing story of your business.
But not every story will make sense to your audience.
When you tell the right story, you foster trust. That trust is what relationships are built on. If you lose time telling the wrong story, all you do is cause confusion. Unfortunately, many businesses get into a rut: They tell boring stories about what they do, then wonder why potential customers don’t get excited.
That’s why our creative process always starts by pulling out the right story for your marketing video.
Often, there are several stories that could move your goals forward. For example, everyone loves a good origin story. In superhero media, origin stories are a bridge from the ordinary to the extraordinary. They help to prove that everyday people can make a difference. The right origin story makes your brand human.
Pulling out the right story often looks like:
- Finding customers whose lives were changed by your product, your service, or your kindness.
- Giving your team members the chance to talk not only about what they do, but why they do it.
- Understanding where you came from so you can chart a clearer path to where you’re going.
Stories with staying power have emotional impact and human interest. Even if you feel like your company is fairly ordinary, there’s a way to bring out the extraordinary in what you do – and we’ll help you figure it out.
2. Framing Your Story for Credibility
Novice storytellers often end up sidetracked before they get their point across. Experts are different: They can tell a story that leaves you in awe, remembering what you heard for a long time to come. When it comes to a marketing video or other branded business content, telling the story brilliantly is only half the equation.
There’s one more challenge: Proving it.
There are plenty of well-told tall tales out there. When you take care to frame your story for credibility, your customers know they can take what you tell them to the bank. Luckily, there are lots of ways your video marketing partner can highlight the credibility of your story.
For example, a testimonial video that customers can actually rely on will:
- Talk more about the customer who’s the star of the piece than about your business.
- Ensure the audience understands the customer’s plight and how it relates to them.
- Back up the testimony with facts, figures, and concrete data that the audience respects.
- Position you as the advisor – so your customers, past and present, can be the hero.
A good marketing video goes beyond telling viewers what they should do next. It leaves them knowing exactly why they should care. That’s what makes them more likely to listen to what you have to say in the future.
3. Delivering Assets that Build Trust
Last, but not least, branded video marketing can’t drop the ball on quality.
There was a time when grainy video shot on a smartphone looked “authentic.” Now, it’s just annoying. Top-notch quality in visuals, audio, and editing reduces friction so your message shines through clearly. Marketing video partners should offer you the peace of mind that comes from consistently excellent output.
What happens after the final take? There’s still an important step before your video can move the needle: Distribution. We can advise you on marketing video distribution strategies that help you meet prospective customers where they are, reach out to adjacent audiences, and deepen bonds with current supporters.
Many of these decisions are best made at the beginning of the process, not the end. For example, if you want to record a podcast, it’s essential to capture it as a video so you can maximize your reach across video-first and audio platforms. That kind of insight is a force multiplier you have on your side with Paper Jacket.
Strategy Matters Before, During, and After the Shoot
For content marketing strategy businesses can really count on, don’t look to freelancers or the latest hotshot “AI-first” startup. You need experience. You need the right tools, not just the latest ones. And if you really want to level up your brand perception, you need human passion.
Paper Jacket is the team of pragmatic creatives you can trust to understand the assignment. We recognize that the real value isn’t in the video: It’s in how your brand is seen.
Contact us to find out more or get started today. We look forward to showing your brand in its best light.