It was an honor to have recently been featured on the “Show Me, Don’t Tell Me” episode of the Building Perspective Podcast. The discussion focused on how video can be used for storytelling to help better understand and connect with a brand, a product, or service. Mollie and Matt Riley from Group Two host the Building Perspective podcast, which focuses on marketing tips and best practices for the homebuilding industry.
Effective Storytelling With Video
How Video City Got Connected To Group Two
Group Two provides marketing services to builders in new construction, including strategic planning, brand development and digital marketing. Mollie, the owner and president of Group Two and I went to high school together and we reconnected about 10 years ago as we were just starting our respective businesses. We’ve been close friends since and she actually got me to my first International Builders Show to film one of her presentations.
Why Video Is An Important Storytelling Medium
Video is a great strategy for a variety of reasons, but one of its greatest strengths is the control it gives the producer over messaging. When writing something, there are many ways it can be read and interpreted. Think about how many things go sideways when someone carelessly makes a comment on Twitter 😉
When it comes to video, however, whether it’s the feel of the music, the style of the motion graphics, or the delivery of the actors, people are more likely to interpret the message in the same way.
Not all videos are created equal. Not all stories are created equal. At Video City Productions, we try to help our clients tell the story that connects with their target audience and connects their target audience back to the brand.
Video Strategy For a Builder
Today with apps like Redfin and Zillow, the number of bathrooms and square feet is already accounted for at the filter level. That’s the criteria, but that’s not what sells the house. As Matt Riley says in the podcast: “the sale is the transfer of emotion.” This pertains to when the buyer is able to envision how they will live in the home and in the community.
So instead of making a video about “how many floorplans,” a builder offers, we should be thinking about how each floor offers the buyer a better way to live.
About The Author
Jon Sherman
Using Storytelling In Video To Result in a Call To Action
In the podcast, we discussed a few videos we produced for non-builder industries to talk about different approaches to messaging and the potential impact and return on investment.
Example 1: Telling A Memorable Story
When it comes to storytelling, video has the ability to tell the story in an effective and memorable way that results in a call to action.
Video City Productions worked on a campaign for Subaru to promote a new texting software that allows retailers to use text to communicate with the consumer. They wanted to encourage the people that sell and fix the cars – the retailers and service centers – to utilize the software.
Our team created a series of three fun videos focused on the value propositions of using the texting service. The goal was to create something that was eye-catching and memorable instead of focusing on numbers and metrics.
Our inspiration for how to tell the story came from a Keurig commercial. In the commercial, Keurig explains why their beans are the best in the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee – in a fast-paced and fun way. Applying that concept to a different industry, we changed the premise to: in the time it’s going to take a girl to take a selfie or a tech to wait for his car part, we’ll show you why this texting service is going to greatly enhance your business.
The videos were funny, punchy, and clearly explained the service. The piece was emailed to potential retailers and was played at a launch convention where it was really well received. Overall, it was a great way to tell a story that viewers would remember and want to use the service.
Example 2: Storytelling For A Non-Profit Fundraiser
Every year, we work with the Philly Friendship Circle, an organization that pairs teens and young adults to youth with special needs to be friends. Their mission is to create a more welcoming, inclusive, and social environment for kids with special needs. We help them produce videos that are designed to help them fundraise at their gala and on social media throughout the year.
This year, we produced Ryan’s Story. We profiled Ryan, who had discovered his passion for photography and has an Instagram account. We shared his photos and talked about how Friendship Circle helped him. It was a great story and a great way to show his passion.
Sharing Ryan’s experience brought the Philly Friendship Circles mission to life. Ultimately, the goal was to further fundraising contributions. Video gave us control over the narrative to help the audience feel emotionally connected and to help encourage a call to action.
Example 3: Funny Example of Storytelling with Video
Dyventive, an AV company focused on pharmaceutical events, asked for our help creating a short video. They had the opportunity to play a video promoting their company during a conference that they were working for.
Instead of producing a standard video focused only on AV, they wanted to do something that fit the industry they were working with. We created a parody pharmaceutical commercial about AV. We created a fake disease called “chronic UAVS” or “chronic underqualified audio/video support”.
The video opens like a typical pharmaceutical commercial and ultimately positions Dyventive as the cure. The video was clever and got the attention of the crowd, who gave it a standing ovation!
The video was funny but most importantly it tied in appropriately with the brand – the story made sense to the target audience. It was successful because it was memorable and able to communicate the brand’s purpose in an effective way.
There are countless ways to tell effective stories with video that entertain and trigger the intended emotions. The visuals and narrative combined have the power to create a compelling narrative that impresses viewers and influences customers.
Interested in helping your brand stand out with video storytelling? Contact us here!