10+1 Ways to Use Your Brand Story Film to Engage More People

You’ve done it!

You’ve created a stellar Brand Story film that captures the quintessential client experience with your company or organization.

The messaging is irresistible. You feel the genuine excitement that will give you traction with clients old and new. It’s gorgeous!

Now what?

I’m happy to share…

Here's 10+1 great ideas straight from my best clients. Not every idea may apply, but each one offers insight into how professional video assets are supporting engagement and brand cohesion.

1) Website Homepage Placement:

Homepage placement is an obvious lead when it comes to winning over prospective clients. They found your site because of Google or a referral or a newsletter link… but now they’re craving more. As excellent as your written prose may be, nothing engages like video. The place for shortform video is Instagram but now that your prospective client has arrived, they wants more. So engage them in your story. See how it’s done: Children's Safety Village and CVNQuinte and Hospice Quinte and Gift From The Heart and BQWCHC

2) Your website has a front door, but what about the “side door”? That’s why "about us" page placement, used by These4Walls, gives a longer shelf life to your asset and answers the need for your client to know more “about” you.

3) What if the video has a specialized purpose? Then you might consider specialty placement, such as this HR video in the "careers" section of the Bardon website. Or the HPE Learning Foundation’s new fundraising campaign site, anchored by the video we produced together.

4) The most wasted real estate in the virtual world is…. e-mail signatures. How many of us have just signed off with our name and left it at that? Adding a live link to a new or evolving asset is a powerful and free way to invite people to see your videos. One never knows when a client - new or existing - will exercise their curiosity to see what you’ve bothered to invite them to see? Check out these actual e-mail screenshots:

5) Direct communication: Embedding the video in your regular direct mail newsletters or communications lends diversity to the way you communicate. Pro tip: Instead of offering a link to Vimeo or YouTube, why not embed the video within your own site (see points 1 & 2 above), then send your client over to view the asset within your own web ecosystem?

6) Add the video to your YouTube or Vimeo account. While these exist outside our own web architecture, you can still add links that point visitors back to your site.

7) Share via your LinkedIn account.

8) Add the video to your Chamber of Commerce membership information profile (most Chambers offer this linkage). In my own listing with the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce, I’ve opted to link a client’s video as a sample of my storytelling work. A business would normally place its own Brand Story in this prime position.

9) Download a high-resolution copy of your film to your laptop to support presentations to stakeholders and supporting clubs/organizations. Even download to your phone so you can share spontaneously via AirDrop! This downloaded copy can be especially useful at trade show or open house events!

10) No, I didn’t forget… Social media is a fine way to share your asset. Know that Insta, TikTok and FB users are likely expecting a short video, so parking the full Brand Story out there might be asking a lot of viewers. But offering small excerpts might be the way to hook viewers and invite them to visit your website for the full version.

10+1) Launch Party! Have a little fun! My client, the Hastings Prince Edward Learning Foundation recently kicked of a 1/2 million dollar fundraising campaign by inviting in stakeholders and media for some sweet treats and the premier of their video. Of course, they have also embedded it front-and-centre in their campaign website.

Launch Party! Some 70ish guests came out to enjoy the video and support the launch of the HPE Learning Foundation’s new “Have You Heard?” campaign.

I hope these 10+1 ideas help to get you thinking. There are probably more ways to share, so drop me a note if you have an idea that isn’t on this list!

K