Videos are quickly becoming the preferred tool for most marketers to connect with and reach new audiences.
Branding videos are undeniably effective – including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by over 80%, and simply mentioning the word “video” in the subject line of your email increases open rates by 19%.
For me, a great video can spark curiosity, make me ask questions, or even make me feel emotional.
But what separates great brand videos from those that fail? Here’s a look at what makes video marketing successful and five examples of brands that have done it right.
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What makes a successful brand video?
What is a brand video? Any video that promotes your brand.
What makes a successful brand video? Any video that reaches your target audience and gets the reaction you want.
For example, if I just launched a new outdoor clothing brand, my target audience might be people interested in camping or other outdoor activities. My desired response is for potential customers to visit my website or social media pages.
Therefore, my video should focus on the function of my product and not what my product is. That might mean creating a short video of hikers exploring a new trail or campers setting up by a lake, all in my clothes.
I wouldn’t show prices or talk about specific product lines; I would simply show how my equipment is used in real life situations. At the end of the video I present the company name and website.
Then I measure the reaction. Have my visitor numbers increased? Have users left comments on social media sites or sent direct messages? If yes, then my video was a success. If not, I’ll have to go back to the drawing board.
Key features of a branding video
Regardless of the intent, however, all great videos share five key characteristics:
- Clarity: Great videos have focus and purpose. They have a clear message and use clear language and images to convey it. They also waste no time getting to the point. Although there is no hard and fast rule here, for maximum impact, ads should stay in the 30 second to 1 minute range.
- Special feature: For branded video ads to work, they must target a specific audience. For example, if you sell premium car care products, your target audience is car owners. Make your ad too general or it won’t reach your target audience.
- Authenticity: While it may be quicker and more cost-effective to create inauthentic videos by using stock footage or actors to replace real customers, users can tell when you don’t make the effort. Want better engagement? Put real people on screen talking about real experiences.
- Quality: Your branding video doesn’t need the budget of a blockbuster film, but it should look and sound good. Think about clear images, clear colors and clear sound. If your message is great but your quality is “meh,” your video won’t have the same impact.
- Consistency: All videos act as ambassadors for your brand. Therefore, it is important to use consistent logos, fonts, colors, and designs to ensure that users can easily recognize your products.
I know – there’s a lot to think about when planning your brand video and overall video marketing strategy. If you need help bringing your ideas to life, try HubSpot’s free AI video tool Clip creator.
Five examples of great branding videos
1. Delicious
The goal: increasing brand awareness.
Videos can help your business reach new audiences and attract new viewers to your social media pages and website, which is probably why it says “increase brand awareness.” Number one Why brands use videos.
Take this video from Tasty, a Buzzfeed brand:
Ultimately, Tasty’s video is not intended to sell products (at least not directly), but simply to entertain new audiences and ultimately increase awareness of the Tasty brand.
Why I think it works
The video works because it is entertaining. It’s silly, fun to watch and offers a small but welcome change of pace. Yes, Tasty is mentioned, but that’s not the focus of the video. Instead, the ad gives viewers a starting point to learn more about foods and recipes – which just so happen to be found on the Tasty channel.
2. Fables
The goal: generate new sales.
Think about how you could create entertaining or informative videos whose sole purpose is to increase awareness of your brand.
Ultimately, brand awareness can Promote trust and increase brand equity so it plays a critical role in your company’s bottom line.
To emphasize this point, here is a video that I think provides a good example. This video introduces Kate Hudson’s company Fabletics:
While at first glance it looks like a somewhat random video from Kate Hudson Running a video through the wilds of Aspen is actually a powerful example of a video designed to increase sales without seeming like an advertisement.
For example, while the video features Hudson in a range of workout gear from her October Fabletics collection, it also features an exclusive interview with the celebrity that discusses family, nature and growing up in the mountains.
Add in a beautiful Aspen backdrop, and viewers might be misled as to the video’s true purpose: to sell Fabletics clothing.
Why I think it works
Ads that don’t do that see Similar ads are becoming more and more commonplace.
This ad works because it takes Hudson’s well-known name and combines it with a popular clothing category: athleisure. If you display both at the same time, I think you have a winning ad formula.
3. Gillette
The goal: Build a social media community.
Did you know that four of the six channels consumers worldwide use most to watch videos are? social Channels? Ultimately, many marketers use video to drive traffic to a company’s social pages.
For example, consider this #ShaveItOff video from Gillette Partner The McFarlands:
While the video is undoubtedly entertaining to watch, it also serves an important purpose: sending some of The McFarlands’ 2 million followers back to Gillette’s own social channels.
The best thing: The hashtag #ShaveItOff can be found on Gillette’s Instagram It also ensures that viewers can find the brand no matter what social channel they prefer.
Why I think it works
Social media is one of the fastest growing platforms for selling products. This is thanks in part to a concept known as “ambient shopping.”
Unlike intentional shopping, where customers search for a specific product or service, ambient shopping occurs when users are scrolling through social media or watching streaming services and come across a product of interest.
This video works because it shows popular TikTokers doing exactly what their audience expects – only this time it links to a partner product page.
4. HubSpot
The goal: educate customers.
Videos can be an incredibly powerful tool for education. This how-to video from HubSpot Marketing explores a groundbreaking technology that’s changing the e-commerce world for small businesses: text-to-image AI tools.
Many people learn best through visuals, which is why videos can be a phenomenal tool for educating potential and even new customers.
Consider how you can incorporate educational videos into your own content strategy in unique ways. For example, add video demos for interested prospects or how-to videos for new users of your product.
Why I think it works
HubSpot is a well-known resource for free and comprehensive content.
Of course, our primary goal here at HubSpot is to build new customer relationships, but this video shows the power of giving something valuable for free to fuel a mutual relationship.
5.Microsoft
The goal: build brand authority.
Similar to the reason listed above, the fifth reason why brands use videos is to build a brand authority on a topic and show specialist knowledge.
Ideally, this means your brand will show up when people search for help on a specific topic. If viewers feel like they have gained unique insights after watching your videos, they will trust your brand more and explore other offerings.
Consider what happens if I search “how to do a vlookup” in Google. When I click on the video section (since I prefer learning about Vlookups through visuals like videos), Microsoft displays the first two video results:
In this example, Microsoft demonstrates its brand expertise in relation to its Excel product – and more broadly: anything that has to do with technology and data.
This gives Microsoft a good opportunity to demonstrate its brand authority while attracting new visitors to its website.
Why I think it works
When I do a Google search, I rarely make it to page 2.
In most cases I click on one of the top 5 results and at most go down through the top 10.
Why? Because higher rankings are associated with greater authority on a topic, product or service.
Microsoft is successful here because it (still) conquers the first two places.
Branding Video: Get noticed for the right reasons
Get noticed with videos. Branding videos make the difference – potential and existing customers move closer or further away depending on how well you package and convey your message.
My best advice? Don’t get locked into a single branding approach. Different videos have different purposes. Some are designed to generate interest, while others are designed to drive new sales, and still others are designed to build community or establish authority.
The important thing is not to repeat what other brands have done, but rather to define a goal for your video and then measure how successfully your video achieved that goal.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for completeness.