There’s a lot of content out there. Text, audio, video, and multimedia strategies seem to fall from trees. More than 500 hours of video content are uploaded onto YouTube every minute. You might even say that the multimedia-based, interconnected world we inhabit is no longer novel. It’s just how things are.

For this reason, just like television ads, many online consumers have switched off. They know when an ad is targeted and when to skip it. They can tell when your social media manager has scheduled posts for over the weekend. They understand what it means when your business tries to push or replicate a meme.

The truth is that to stand out in this wall-to-wall noise, you have to do things differently. That means reviewing your process at every possible level and being wise about your output. In this post, we’ll discuss how to achieve that and more, by helping your firm stand out from the “boring video content” crowd.

Develop Content Series, Not Disparate Posts

It’s easy to fall into the trap of posting content here and there, hoping something sticks. but if there’s no throughline connecting your posts, you risk leaving your audience a bit confused, or worse, caring about literally anything else. If it’s appropriate to your brand and what you’re trying to promote, building a content series instead, such as something that develops over time can be fantastic and keep people coming back for more. 

Of course, a series for its own sake is unlikely to spark joy, so have a hard think about what is most appropriate for your brand. This could be discussing the wider market or news, a continual Q&A with team members, or if you’re a more unique brand, such as a heritage organization, you could show some of the work you’ve been getting up to.

It’s All About Humanized Characters & Representatives

Some brands are with us but not necessarily connected to us. For example, could you name anyone who works at Disney outside of perhaps the CEO or its actual acting talent? Companies like that can get away with it because their entire image is cultivated along select lines, but as a normal business operating in a modest space, you might not have that luxury.

Remember that people will always connect with people better than just logos, and that’s a helpful place to start. Representing your people is a good way to subvert that, and could be your team, loyal customers, or even influencers who align with your brand values. Some people may prefer their favorite influencer telling them about your sports drink, not just some random advertisement asserting that it’s essential. If you lay the groundwork for creating relatable figures that your audience can see themselves in, or just highlight those in your team doing the real work, people appreciate that – even if they’re not super polished individuals with impressive scripts to hand.

Make Your Ident Memorable

If you’re not aware of the term, an ident is basically your brand’s signature in video form, such as a little logo animation or soundbite that plays at the start or end of your content. It’s a good way to watermark your video and remind people who you are, without your content being trimmed to limit you. But don’t make it too simple and generic. You can hire an animator or motion graphic studio to provide a 3-5 second ident that you can use in all your content. When people remember that, they remember you.

You don’t need to overdo it either or pay tens of thousands for the privilege here. Simple is often better. Think of the Netflix “ta-dum” with the huge red N, or the short jingle from Intel – both instantly recognizable, both straightforward. This will increase the professionalism of the content you put out, but it will also give the impression that the video is sanctioned, impressive, and to be used.

Pose Questions Your Video Posts Will Answer

You never want to give the impression your marketing team is posting content simple because they’re paid to do it. Curiosity is a powerful motivator and you have to seem just as interested as your audience will be in the content you put out. When a video begins with an question worth answering, it creates natural encouragement for viewers to continue watching.

The secret here is to try and answer questions that are genuinely relevant to your audience. Don’t just follow whatever is trending on the platform that week, or what may be enticing other business audiences. For instance, a question about how your product could potentially save time or money, or how it was made step by step, is likely to be more interesting than just talking up its presence. We all know what Tabasco tastes like. What’s interesting is how long it will be aged in barrels before being used. We have no doubt you have many different options for content like this. A simple rule of thumb is that if you think it’s cool, it probably is.

Run Competitions, Promotions & Discounts Through These Videos

It’s not cheating to use a few encouraging incentives to get people interested in what you’re offering. It can help. Competitions, promotions, and discounts are great ways to do that. But instead of just posting about them on your social media feed, why not integrate them into your video content? It makes things a bit more interactive and can be a great way to boost engagement.

You could run a competition that’s tied to your video series, like a scavenger hunt where viewers need to watch each video to find clues to gain a massive discount code or something similar. Or perhaps you offer exclusive discounts to those who tune in regularly, or those that get questions right that you answer in the video, as we mentioned before. The possibilities are endless, and it gives your audience a reason to keep coming back.

Stick To The Few-Minute Golden Rule

Now, there’s no real hard and fast rule about how long your videos should be, but generally speaking, shorter is better because it challenges you to limit your message appropriately, to deliver value people want to see and get to the point, and not deter someone from giving the video a chance in the first place.

Unfortunately, attention spans are short these days (thanks TikTok) and people are more likely to watch a video all the way through if it’s a few minutes long rather than a half-hour deep dive unless explicitly stated that this is what you’re doing. You can pack a lot of value into a short video, as long as you’re clear and to the point.

That’s not to say there’s no place for longer content, but it has to earn its length. If you’re going to hold someone’s attention for ten minutes or more, make sure it’s worth their time. For example, if you work in a museum content department, the short videos could talk about events and small bite-sized history lessons, whereas longer videos could be interviews with museum staff or videos about certain exhibits on display.

Don’t Solely Rely On Generic Questions & SEO-Primed Structures

Every business knows that SEO is important. However, if you’re only ever creating content that checks the boxes for search engines, your audience is going to notice and it somewhat diminishes the authenticity your brand deserves to build its reputation on. People can tell when content has been recorded for algorithms rather than humans, and they don’t tend to stick around for it.

Take a few seconds to think about what your audience actually cares about. What would they want to see, even if it doesn’t tick all the boxes that Google will benefit you for? Sometimes, a little creativity goes a long way even if it’s a joke video for April Fools that you don’t expect to “rank” at all. A quality library of content is always a better SEO approach than just gaming the system.

Edit Professionally & Color Grade

It’s important to recognize that editing can have a huge impact on how your content comes across. A little music, cutting awkward pauses without ruining the flow of conversation, or simply making sure your drone footage from your DJI Neo covering the event you ran is connected to the other b roll you took, it all counts.

In addition, color grading can have a big impact on your video and positively for that matter too. It will make sure the tone of all shots work together so you don’t accidentally shoot on disparate cameras with different color profiles and have trouble matching the white balance, leading to you only being able to use half of the footage you shot. Hiring a professional or even freelanced creative expert you trust to edit can be a great place to start. It will also help you avoid making mistakes as you determine your visual style to begin with. When you settle into your content more, moving this in-house can be a good way forward.

With this advice, we hope you can stand out from the boring video content crowd, and feel more confident in your visual marketing output.