Video is awesome! Here are 5 ways you’ll need to leverage it to build your brand and business in 2024.

Authenticity matters. You can’t rely on cookie-cutter content to build your brand anymore. That means investing in authentic story-driven content that builds an emotional connection with audiences. Time to let your brand personality shine. People want to do business with people, not machines.

I see this trend being one of the most important going forward. With generic AI generated content about to flood an already saturated market – authentic storytelling will matter more than ever. Content is everywhere and buyers hold all the power when choosing what to engage with. They’ll choose the brands they trust and emotionally connect with the most. Remember, AI doesn’t have a soul. Authentic storytelling will help you build trust and connection better than any other trend.

Here are some simple ways you can start leveraging authentic storytelling for your growth:

Founder Story – Every founder has an origin story. Tell the story of their inspiration for starting the company.

Brand Story – People want to know what you stand for as a company. This is a way to tell your why and find alignment with your audience. People like us do stuff like this.

Customer Success and Testimonial Videos – Although a simple execution, video testimonials and success stories can play big role in building trust and helping close sales.

With the influx of AI generated art and copy we’re starting to experience more noise than ever. There’s been a huge increase in yawn inducing content. To combat this, you’ll need to move into more high-concept creative.

Start thinking more outside-of-the box so you can standout and differentiate yourself. Brands that are positioned well to leverage video in clever, witty, and even absurd ways will reap the rewards. You need to create content that gets you noticed and that people remember.

What you can do:

Every brand and organization is unique, so it’s difficult to give blanket advice on how to be more creative. What I can say, is that this is the time to take more creative risks. Fortune favors the bold in these endeavors. So, If you’re toying with a big idea – Go For It. People are getting tired of the cookie-cutter content.

Beyond artificial intelligence – It’s safe to say that there’s a large cloud of uncertainty surrounding todays marketing landscape. Layoffs and economic factors have put a strain on marketing budgets and business in general. That means marketers will need to be a little more savvy with their efforts to maximize effectiveness (I know, I know, what else is new?).

This is where multi-video and 360 campaigns come into play. Multi-videos and 360 campaigns focus on creating multiple assets that use consistent storytelling and messaging across all your touchpoints. This approach helps brands maximize budgets and create better brand experiences for their audiences. We’re already seeing more brands investing into multi-purpose video and 360 campaigns.

Here’s how you can take advantage of this trend:

Pro Tip: It all starts with the creative strategy and planning.
With the right creative strategy and planning a single production can develop enough assets to run a dynamic marketing campaign for up to an entire year. That includes enough assets to create multiple messaging sets for A/B testing and content for every stage of the funnel.

Take a 360° approach to campaign production – Now’s the time to do more with less. Don’t be afraid to ask your creative agency or production company what’s possible to maximize your production time. Incremental spend to create more assets in this area can pay huge dividends down the road. For example; explore trying to integrate photo shoots along with your video production.

Create a long form video and then break it up into bite sized chunks – Start by thinking about your distribution strategy. Then collaborate with production and creative to find ways to create enough assets for each channel. Smart creatives will find a way.

Implement a strong creative strategy and production plan to help reach your marketing goals – This is about having the right partner to make the most of your budgets. A strong partnership with your creative and production partners can help you in the planning phase. So you can create opportunities that maximize production dollars.

There’s no denying that TikTok has had an outsized impact on how video content is currently being consumed. Even pushing platforms like YouTube and Instagram to emphasize short form video features like Shorts and Reels to stay relevant. In 2023 brands will emphasize more short form content across the board to keep up with consumer habits.

Here’s what you can do:

Optimize to keep your videos around the 60-90 second mark. 60 seconds being the sweet spot. That said, even a 60 second video can feel like an eternity if the content is boring.

So my best advice is no matter the length of your video, it should feel like time well spent. It should be fulfilling for your audience. Time flies when you’re having fun. You never want your audience to say “that’s 1 minute I’ll never get back.”

I don’t think I really need to emphasize the importance of social media. It’s where culture happens and where brands can influence the conversation and build trust. But a lot of brands struggle to capitalize on it. That’s going to change in 2023.

Brands will look to invest more into creating content that is platform specific. This can seem a bit overwhelming to have to create, but it doesn’t have to be with the right planning.

What you can do:

Take a social backwards approach.
When developing your video or creative strategies. You should always be thinking of distribution. Once the big idea is created think of how it will live on social media first and optimize your videos and creative to take full advantage of it.

Every social media platform has it’s own best practices. I won’t get into each of those here. But here are some general pointers for creating thumb-stopping social media video in 2023:

Make use of real estate – Vertical video is here to stay. Every social media site is optimized for it. Try to use up as much screen real estate as possible.

Educate. Inform. Entertain. – Your audiences needs will vary but most successful social content either educates, informs, or entertains the audience.

Keep it short – Try to keep your social media videos around 60 seconds or less.

Optimize for Silent Viewing – 85% of people watch social media videos with the volume off. Make sure to add captions, use thumb-stopping visuals, and emphasize your brand.

I’ve been creating videos and leading national campaigns for over a decade and have seen quite a few trends come and go over the years. I feel like AI is here to stay. And it’s going to push brands and marketers to create better, high-quality, video. I can honestly say what’s covered in this article will have staying power through 2023 and beyond. So your investment into leveraging them won’t just be good practice, it will be future proofing. Remember, video is ubiquitous, great video is not. Make great video.