You’ve heard the recent buzz about visual storytelling, and you’re always interested in getting ahead of the next big thing in marketing.

But, what is visual storytelling, exactly?

In a nutshell, it’s narrative-based content marketing that uses photographs, video, illustrations, and other images to inform consumers about a product, service, or company as a whole.

Video is arguably the most powerful medium for storytelling marketing.

In fact, about 60% of executives say they’d much rather watch a video about a product/service than reading text-based content about it. Plus, including a video on a landing page can increase your conversions by more than 80%.

The takeaway?

Storytelling video benefits both you and your consumers, in no small part because it creates an emotional response within your target market.

But why exactly is video storytelling so important, and how can you use storytelling in marketing to your advantage?

Read on to find out.

Storytelling and Your Noggin

What makes the video storytelling format so effective?

Well right off the bat, creativity, the ability to see past structures and institutions and dig deep into the playground of the mind.

While creating an immediate sense of empathy and recognition in the viewer is important and encourages them to keep on watching, what’s more important is the raw artistic vision behind your next production.

Yes, receiving practical information about a product, service, or brand is crucial. But hearing the technical side of things isn’t usually what “hooks” the consumer into wanting to learn more.

You need to tick into the melodies of the unconscious realms through creative nature and vision.

The greatest artists of all time have stunned the world with their abilities to relate to humanity as a whole through their unique endeavors.

“All too often, it is audacity and not talent that moves an artist to center stage.”
– Julia Cameron

The viewer should be able to see a part of themselves in the video storytelling campaign, relate to it emotionally, burst into laughter, tears, joy, or sorrow.
Storytelling allows you and your brand to be audaciously creative. It enables you to relate to your audience in a big way; after all, video content is the way of the future.

Let’s say you’re trying to sell a tea that promotes a better night’s sleep.

What would you be the most likely to respond to, a video ad that begins by talking about how a specific ingredient in the tea can help you to fall asleep faster?

Or, would you prefer a video that starts by showing a scene of a bride sleeping in past her wedding after relaxing to a smooth sip of chamomile?

Lights, camera, action, aesthetics, emotion.

We think we know the answer.

Remember, you can always include the more detailed/technical information later — that’s important, too. But the main focus should be the creative connection you make with the world.

There’s a scientific side to storytelling in advertising, as well.

In fact, studies show that listening to a story sparks activity in the auditory and visual cortices of the brain, its olfactory areas, and even the motor cortex.

Most importantly of all, these emotional responses promote a release of oxytocin, which makes consumers feel happier, more secure, and more likely to cooperate (AKA, more likely to buy your product.)

Tips for Effective Video Storytelling

Now that you know why creating an emotional connection with your consumers is so essential, let’s talk about some of the best ways to create effective and impactful video storytelling campaigns.

Address Consumer Emotions

To make an emotional connection with your viewers, you need to show that you understand precisely what they are going through — in short, empathize with them.

“The heart of creativity is an experience of the mystical union; the heart of the mystical union is an experience of creativity.”
-Julia Cameron

If you know your products, you know your market so make sure you understand how to connect with your audience — AKA how it will ease their path in life — and what problems your consumers would like to solve.

Then, tell a story that shows how your product or service can provide the solution they’ve been looking for, maybe even how it could help them laugh more.

For example, maybe you’re an AI company with a strong focus on call forwarding virtual receptionists.

TAKE ONE: The introduction of a robotic future has set the office aflame with dance, excitement, and the ability to do more of what they love.
Afterall when you do what you love, you are more productive. Trust us, we would know.

TAKE TWO: Your robots all the sudden have human emotion, they want to go on dates, dance with friends, cry all night, but they don’t have legs-hilarious.
An illusion to the worries you won’t have as an office investing in AI- the future is so bright.

Afterward, introduce your product, and then show how the ability to relax with friends, go on a date, or just leave the desk as the phone rings creates a more productive life for everyone.

Use Music

Get jazzy with it!

Don’t forget about the power of music when it comes to making emotional connections in storytelling marketing.

Fast music can create a sense of urgency, while sweeping strings evoke a sense of passion and romance.

Classic rock songs can make people feel free, while classical music often creates a fright!

Choose music that strengthens the kind of emotional connection you want to make.

Include Your Customers

Perhaps one of the best ways to make an emotional connection with your target market is to put them in the shoes of your image, brand, or product.

In addition to effectively promoting brand loyalty, (everyone loves getting a shout-out) this also shows new customers that you have helped “real people” get solutions to their problems.

You could follow the story of an individual customer and their journey with your brand. Or, you could create a video that features several of your customers talking about how what you offer has made a positive difference in their lives.

This is also an excellent way to communicate a sense of transparency and trust.

By hearing “success stories” from past customers — and not from your brand directly — consumers are much more likely to open themselves up to what the video is telling them.

Get Professional Help with Video Storytelling

Finally, remember that one of the most important parts of video storytelling is your overall production quality.

You don’t want to harm your brand’s reputation or fail to effectively deliver your message because of poor lighting, shoddy editing, problems with audio, or lack of creativity.

Working with storytelling marketing experts helps to provide you with the best possible production quality, but it can also do much more than that.

At C&I Studios, we can help you come up with storytelling marketing ideas that evoke powerful emotional responses in viewers while also reinforcing your branding strategy.

Our creative dreams and visions hit every part of the marketing process, from web design and social media to video marketing and photography.

Reach out to us, and unlock the creative potential behind your company today.

Think about an ad that truly resonated with you — whether a print ad, a video marketing campaign or even a quick post on social media.

The colors, the graphics, the smooth lines that create one cohesive image of emotion.

We’re willing to bet that one of the biggest reasons why you still remember it so well (and found it persuasive and impactful) is because you had some kind of response which was set ablaze within.

In some way, the ad reminded you of an experience you’ve been through, a person that touched you, or even a mountain you climbed for a time.

Great ads tell stories. They are much more than just a cold pitch. They draw you in from the depths of the unconscious.

Welcome to the world of visual storytelling marketing, where things like videos, photographs, GIFs, and other graphics bring emotions to life.

Let’s talk about the next big thing in storytelling marketing.

Then, we’ll tell you where you can go to bring the visual storytelling trends to life in the mind’s eye of your audience.

5. Immersive Storytelling

It’s Time to Bring Visual Storytelling Trends to Life

Whether you want to give immersive storytelling a try, or if you’re ready directly involved with your consumers in the marketing process, we hope this post on the latest visual storytelling trends has left you inspired.

Of course, you may not have the time, the equipment, or the expertise to pull off the marketing techniques we’ve covered here on your own.

Don’t worry — we’re here to make it happen for you.

To dig into the depths of the unconscious mind of your clients and set it ablaze.

Check out more of our work to get more of an idea of what we’re able to create.

We’re here to take your web design strategy, video marketing plan, and much more to the next level.

And be sure to follow Gee Paid on Instagram.

Freestyle Friday Featuring Isthatryxn

And the freestyle continues…

Last week on our debut episode of Freestyle Friday, South Florida rapper Sam Stan called out another local artist to pick up the mic. Well… guess who showed up at the studio today? We’re here on Freestyle Friday featuring Isthatryxn!

Be sure to follow Isthatryxn on Instagram!

h1 Heading Testings

Freestyle Friday Featuring Sam Stan

h1 Testings

Debuting our latest celebration of local talent is South Florida rapper, Sam Stan.

We’ve dubbed this new series Freestyle Friday. While everyone else is out there carefully curating every word they speak, we’re featuring rhetoric in freeform. Let’s not forget that there are still people out there who aren’t afraid to share what first comes to mind.

Isthatryxn, if you’re watching, this listen closely. You’ve been challenged to turn up at the next Freestyle Friday.

Be sure to follow Sam Stan on Instagram!

Do you remember reading George Orwell’s “1984” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” back in school, during the days of required summer reading? Hopefully, you do. They are extremely important reflections on freedom and society following the nightmares of World War 2.

To this day they teach us the importance of freedom of expression, speech, and access to information. They show us what could transpire should leaders of society ever violate those [our] essential rights.

We always believed they were lessons on how to ward off dystopia not cause it.

Nations like China, which have long been known for their bans on information and “unpatriotic content” have been using censorship as a tool of control for years.

Take the recent ban on Winnie-the-Poo, which went into effect following the circulation of viral internet memes comparing the fictional (honey-gluttonous) bear to President Xi. If you live in China and are found in possession of contraband like this you could face jail time! 

Whereas this new segment of Chinese social media censorship is not shocking in the least, what’s happening elsewhere – and close to home – is seriously alarming.

Last month in Uganda. President Yoweri Museveni passed an unprecedented bill: a tax on users accessing any of 60 social media apps.

Coupled with the social media tax, which was passed without public participation and requires internet users pay 200 Ugandan shillings ($0.05) to access certain apps, is a 1% tax on mobile monetary transactions. The only way Ugandans can pay the social media tax is through an online mobile monetary transaction.

We know it does not sound like a lot of money, but all principles aside, the tax will undoubtedly make it more difficult for low-income and unemployed people to stay connected with friends and family, as well as access important information online.

Already the price for a 1GB mobile broadband plan is 15% of average monthly incomes in Uganda, according to figures from Alliance of Affordable Internet. World Bank figures show that just 22% of the country is online.

With these additional taxes, it is likely that percentage will shrink even further.

This, in effect, labels all social media commentary he disagrees with as opinionated, misinformed rhetoric that is subject to suppression.

At a time when immediate, news-driven platforms like Twitter are essential outlets for civilian coverage on political protests and war, this poses an even greater threat to Uganda’s social liberties.

What’s worse, Uganda isn’t alone.

The Tanzania government recently imposed a $930 annual tax on bloggers who want to publish online.

The Egyptian government passed a law allowing government officials to shut down any social media account with five thousand or more followers, who they believe is spreading false information.

70% of Americans get their news from two sources: Google and Facebook.

On July 31, Politico reported that Facebook was shutting down inauthentic accounts “sought to inflame social and political tension in the United States, and said their activity was similar — in some cases — to the Russian accounts during the 2016 election.”

Most of the accounts removed by Facebook (and other social platforms) were outlets of misinformation, instigating a dialogue that sought to undermine our nation’s political and social values. What they were saying still causes harm and promotes hate with the specific intent to do so.

Take Alex Jone’s Infowars, for instance. His media channels repeatedly violated policies against hate speech and glorifying violence. He was warned multiple times by social platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify ) to end all hate speech that violated their policies, and he refused.

On August 6, Facebook announced they had permanently removed four pages associated with Alex Jone’s media brand, saying, “We believe in giving people a voice, but we also want everyone using Facebook to feel safe. It’s why we have community standards and remove anything that violates them, including hate speech that attacks or dehumanizes others.”

In addition to the removal of Infowars, however, were bans on other accounts — some without any explanation, like the left-leaning Latin American news network Telesur’s English speaking Facebook page, which had no content violations.

While Facebook admitted that it was a mistake, there are fears the incidents are links in a chain of tightening government censorship.

You see, Facebook targeted and eliminated these “divisive” content facilitators with the help of Atlantic Council, on whose board you’ll find names like Henry Kissinger, former CIA chief Michael Hayden, former acting CIA head Michael Morell and former Bush-era homeland security chief Michael Chertoff.

Basically, Zuckerberg gave some government officials control over airing and eliminating nationwide media they considered politically and socially hostile to the US.

The First Amendment only addresses the government’s power to eliminate or suppress forms of expression that breach the peace or promote violence. It says nothing about private companies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. changing their privacy policies to refuse a user from saying something derogatory or misinformed on their network.

“If a corporation chooses to eliminate an account on their own accord then it is not violating the First Amendment rights laid out by the constitution of the United States. If the government does it then its censorship.”

Wait a darn minute…

Do these rules still apply even when members of the United States government are involved in the decision-making process of which accounts a private corporation deletes?

A stunning poll conducted by Ipsos and reported Tuesday, August 7, by the Daily Beast, suggests that a plurality of Republicans would have no problem trashing the First Amendment altogether.

We repeat, 43% of Republicans just said Trump “should have the authority to close news outlets engaged in bad behavior.” Of that 43%, 48% believe news is the enemy of the people.

Take a second to think about that…truly think about it.

What are all the “news outlets” you read and watch on a daily basis? . . . Twitter (we mentioned), Facebook, Worpress, Reddit, NPR, even paperback books can be considered a news source. . .  you get where we’re going with this.

There is no distinction between a traditional news outlet and a social information platform anymore. No widely accepted definition of “bad behavior” on social media.  No separation of opinionated rhetoric and fact-based news coverage. And no identifier of who is in charge of mediating all of this information: the government, the president, the corporations, or the people.

When the lines are blurred between corporate and government interference, freedom of expression can be taken advantage of far too easily, as we are seeing happening in Uganda, Egypt, Tanzania and here at home.

You would never think censorship portrayed in “1984” could actually happen. Not in today’s free society, at least. But now that men and women in power are flirting with social media censorship it is hard not to fear the worst.

Today, everything is backward…

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is Strength.”

– George Orwell, 1984.

NOTE

While there are some governments limiting our means of expression, there are others reinstating certain freedoms.

On August 10, Germany lifted their ban on censoring swastikas in video games like Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus,” Call of Duty: Black Ops,” and “South Park: The Stick of Truth.”

The Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) said Thursday that games including banned symbols could now be given a rating in Germany if the use of the symbols is considered “socially adequate.”

That means the symbols must serve an artistic or scientific purpose or be used to represent particular events in history.

Mainstream content is often associated with viral content. Every brand regardless of industry wants their content to go viral. In some ways, it’s how brand’s measure their social media marketing successes.

Going viral is much easier said than done. Just reaching a niche audience with corporate content that feels authentic rather than forced is difficult. Getting that niche audience to engage is even more challenging. Converting that niche audience into loyal consumers…well, that is an entire multi-media marketing campaign by itself.

Sounds too good to be true, but it is a very real possibility given new information into Facebook’s upcoming Branded Content Matching Search Engine.

Understand that Facebook wants corporate brands to succeed in converting and interacting with users who are actively participating on their social platform. Above that, however, Facebook requires that the content driving participation is adding value to the user experience. Genuine, thoughtful, sincere content that encourages real engagement (comments, shares, video views, click-throughs, etc.) is Facebook’s new baseline.

The updated Facebook algorithm does, in fact, make it harder to promote branded content organically. Especially if it does little to benefit the interests of users.

At this point in social media marketing, it is beneficial for brands to pay to get their content seen by the right groups of people. The amount of money backing an add determines reach and improves the likelihood that it will be circulated to even more people. But dumping money into Facebook ad spend will not always generate a guaranteed outcome.

In all honesty, poorly curated content backed by a big budget will remain poorly curated content. Audiences will pass it by without the slightest consideration.

The same goes for really good content that does not appeal to a target audience. That is like pitching a life-changing product in an empty room.

Don’t waste your time doing either. Tilt the odds in your favor and focus your ad budget on creating good content and publishing it in the right places.

This tool will give corporate brands access to both core and untapped audience groups via influencer marketing.

Imagine a brand like TomboyX, a universal, eco-friendly clothing and underwear brand designed to fit real people comfortably. TomboyX has a well-established culture. Their market is predominantly female and appeals to the rebels of society. However, they also market to men and women who do not fit the TomboyX-esque physique and attitude.

With the new influencer marketing search engine by Facebook, TomboyX will be able to curate target-specific content with the help of an influencer who is knowledgeable and relevant in their community.

If TomboyX wants to switch their Facebook marketing focus to target men — whether they be athletes, beach bodies, or hardcore gamers — they can hire an influencer to collaborate and deliver their messaging to these groups in familiar, trustworthy packaging. That means knowing what type of media they prefer to engage with: video, photo, graphics, illustrations, story ads, live video, etc.

This is going to equip corporate brands with segments of irresistible, organic content, which will lead consumers to associate their brand’s online personalities with the influencers who are promoting their media.

This ongoing relationship will eventually open consumers up to a series of branded messaging that can be refreshed with new influencer participation to keep content in the mainstream longer.

Additionally, the spaces where these influencer collaborations will be promoted (i.e., the influencers’ profiles and sponsored ad space) will guarantee longevity. Good content that lives alongside an influencer, for instance, will generate more impressions, both at the moment of publication and weeks prior. This higher engagement rate will increase the ranking of sponsored ads, which will expand circulation, thus keeping it relevant for longer durations.

Influencers will get paid for the content they help generate and promote. The better the content they deliver in terms of impressions, the more likely a brand will work with that influencer again.

This influencer-brand relationship will also teach marketers what their consumers value most when interacting with their sponsored content. In the long term, this data will help creative marketers to consistently deliver useful information to receptive audiences.

Creators and influencers opt into the search engine. Their portfolio is uploaded, including their audience size, metrics, and their best-branded content.

Marketers can then search for specific audiences based on their advertising needs, narrowing the scope with industry-specific parameters:

• Top countries where they’re popular
• Interests
• Gender
• Education history
• Relationship status
• Life events
• Homeownership status
• Home type

The search engine’s results page shows a list of creators with each audience’s match percentage to the search terms, the percentage of their followers they reach, engagement rate, follower count and video views.

Marketers, or brands, hire influencers to collaborate and promote. What they can do from there is only limited by their creativity.

It is important to note that content created from the influencer-brand relationship will have to be a team effort. It will not be as simple as hiring an influencer, giving them creative insights into the ad’s function and having them generate successful media from it.

The brand will need to be involved and directly curate content with the influencer. That is just another clever way Facebook is ensuring that branded content will remain authentic and valuable to their users.

Creating engaging content is every marketer’s goal. Creating engaging content that doesn’t convert, however, is a big waste of time and valuable assets.

The big reason content falls short on conversions? It fails to reach an audience.

Facebook live video is one of the newest tools for social media marketers.

It is designed to help marketers publish engaging content that caters to, and connects with, more interactive, thoughtful audiences.

Part of the audience’s favorability for Facebook Live Streaming is the chance to interact with their favorite brands in a raw, unfiltered, unscripted setting. Audiences are responding to this authenticity with regular, genuine engagement, which marketers are converting.

When an audience is a part of the conversation in real time they are more emotionally invested in the subject matter. This personal connection to messaging is highly effective. It levels the playing field and in a way humanizes brand messaging by delivering it casually.

These casual business-consumer interactions open consumers up to a whole new spectrum of messaging.

The setting is the most powerful function here.

These conversations happen in a medium that is significantly more relaxed than threads where ads are strategically inserted. This tends to lower the consumers’ apprehensions — their doubt regarding the corporate persona — which positions them to engage in real-time, click to a landing page, purchase online, or subscribe to an emailing list.

For example:

Consider a business with multiple brand extensions. There is the primary identity — the main chunk of what the business produces. This is the industry persona.

Then there is the non-profit brand extension. This motivates the primary identity because the success of the primary directly affects the effectiveness of this extension. This is the philanthropic persona.

There is the culturally centered spin-off of the primary brand. This could be a community forum, a physical place (like a bar or rental space), or a series of regular programming/events. This is the cultural persona.

Finally, there is the merchandising shop. This is a physical space within the business and also an online shop. This is the consumer-centric persona — a way for your audience to attach their identity to your brand via merchandise.

Each brand extension shares certain audiences. Each brand is also comprised of specific subsets of loyal followers that are not as involved in one extension as they may be with another.

One audience subgroup may visit the cultural persona for updates on local events more than they would the philanthropic persona, which has stronger messaging. Furthermore, each audience member may not even follow Facebook pages for each brand extension.

This is a local event hosted by the non-profit, which is associated with, and established by, the primary brand. The cultural brand persona is an information resource for the community, so the “local event” application suites this brand’s guidelines as well. Take this even further and incorporate the merchandising persona into the live broadcast, because of it’s physical presence and connection to the fundraising application.

The messaging is consistent for all brand extensions. They share elements of branding, tone of voice and intent, which allows marketers to broadcast one message on every page. A single live video now has the potential of reaching four target demographics.

That’s not all!

Marketers are in essence introducing and connecting their audience subgroups with one another by connecting multiple brand extensions with one segment of messaging. This ultimately strengthens the overall company culture.

Marketers (in this example) quantify their reach exponentially because Facebook live videos typically experience 3x more engagement than regular video content.

This is an awesome way for marketers to strengthen a brand’s industry authority. Not only does this attract a new audience, but it attracts an audience that is already loyal to a brand that shares similar values.

Say an architecture firm worked in conjunction with a landscape architecture firm on a large-scale design project. Their industries overlap but don’t conflict. Their messaging follows similar guidelines, as do their core values. By collaborating on a live video broadcast they can consolidate loyal viewers and establish greater authority in their industries without compromising each others status.

That’s a big win.

Here are the tips to get started:

• Live content is good if, and only if, it is seen by consumers, so your broadcasting schedule should adhere to your targeted demographic’s schedule. The exception: steaming an event or something you cannot change the time.
• Promote before your broadcast — on all platforms you plan on airing the live video.
• Plan out your live content. You don’t need a script, but you do need an outline to ensure you remain on topic
• Make formatting decisions before filming: I.e., horizontal or vertical (We recommend horizontal videos since they are easier to view on mobile devices).
• Offer context regularly — if people start watching in the middle you want to make sure to reference who you are and what you’re doing or discussing so new viewers aren’t lost.
• Always be responsive — you have live comments and reactions — use them.
• Be likable — do not sell. Engage.
• Give yourself a shoutout and thank people for watching.
• Analyze your results — Facebook has several metrics that you can measure with live videos.

Facebook is one of the biggest assets in a marketer’s toolbox. If you aren’t using the platform the right way, you’re missing out on their huge interactive market.

Facebook’s social media marketing revolves around storytelling. This is how businesses and brands connect with consumers on a personal level.

Business-consumer relationships created through Facebook are more emotionally charged. These are bonds established by mutual trust and genuine interest. The Facebook algorithm encourages (and, in a way, requires) businesses and consumers to interact with each other in thoughtful ways in order to create this type of relationship.

Facebook is encouraging business-consumer interactions that revolve around authentic, story-driven content.

That is where facebook story ads are making a huge impact on the market.

Their immediate popularity is partly due to the fact that Facebook Story Ads are more artistically focused than standard paid ads. The platform calls for more thoughtful content and when marketers deliver on that their ads become more relevant, reach more people, and show up in Facebook feeds more frequently.

This focus on storytelling marketing is sure to gain more attraction over the years. Already, Instagram announced their newest concept — a video sharing platform comparable to youtube. This will give marketers access to even more potential consumers — roughly 800 million — and will also open the floodgates for a whole new genre of brand marketing via video storytelling.

By capturing the consumer’s attention with artistic content, marketers open consumers up to their messaging. By holding a consumer’s attention long enough, marketers convince those viewers to take action — whether that is a click through to a landing page, a blog, an email subscription or an online purchase is a win by digital marketing standards.

This idea of design-driven content is further reinforced by the fact that 85% of videos are watched without sound. This, therefore, calls for content with text. Copywriting that sells combined with designs that garner attention is valuable messaging for any brand… no matter how established.

You’re going shopping for your first car. You’ve been saving for years. There are two cars in your price range in the car lot. They are the same make and model but have totally different cosmetics. The first car is a deep blue with polished rims and black tint; the second is neon green with red and orange flames painted down the side, and every available inch covered in shiny chrome.

Which car are you most likely to buy?

Just as an overly flashy car is a turn-off for a new car shopper, flashy video content is a turn-off for someone casually viewing cool videos. Never underestimate the consumer’s control, especially considering the new Facebook algorithm. Annoy a consumer and they will make sure you no longer show up in their media stream. Do that and you lose out on a lot of business.

Good storytelling works. Bad storytelling damages. The better your story the more people engage, share and come back for more. If you can drive users on to the next image, the next web page, the next source of branded media then you are using Facebook Ads successfully.

There are many reasons we are a full-service marketing agency, and one of those is because we refuse to limit our storytelling abilities. The more options we have at our disposal — the more creative tools we have to work with — the better the story.

Specifically, regarding Facebook Story Ads, we’ve noticed that shorter video ads and attention-grabbing GIFs are most effective. They’re simple, quick and get the messaging out fast enough to keep pace with the latest trends and conversations.

We know how to stay relevant. Do you?