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If you know anything about trying to tell your story as a business, then you know getting started is the hardest part. But, I hope that doesn’t stop you. Over the last 15 years at Wistia, I’ve seen first-hand how good storytelling can build brand affinity for SMBs. If you can just push past that initial fear, the right video or podcast series can turn a simple story into more engaging, meaningful long-term brand connections.
But, will your customers actually spend that much time with your brand? They will — if you can tap into your niche.
It’s no secret that people are watching more videos than ever before, especially entertaining, long-form content. What does that mean for marketing teams? One report from Wistia found that the number of videos in the 30- to 60-minute category in 2020 grew 140% year-over-year and 446% since 2016. That’s huge and truly highlights just how much companies are investing in long-form series.
So, if you want to pull off a series that — to put it bluntly — doesn’t suck, you’ve got to think outside your product. Everyone has a product and can talk about it. That’s why we’re all in business, right? But, creating these connections is about more than that. If you want to make a video or podcast show that hits the right notes with your customers, you have to tap into a niche audience.
From pre-production to production to creating hype leading up to the launch, every step of the content creation process needs to be intentional and exciting. So, how can SMBs create interesting and engaging long-form content? Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Find your niche.
Here’s that mention of “niche” again. If you want to create a compelling narrative, you can’t aim for millions of impressions. SMBs often fall into the trap of casting their net too wide, trying to reach the biggest audience. If you’re getting little to no engagement, you simply haven’t targeted the right audience with the right message. Your story won’t resonate with everyone — and that’s okay.
It’s all about telling stories that your niche audience actually wants to hear. You have to think narrowly and really focus on the experience you’re providing. After all, 87% of brands expect to compete on customer experience in 2021. This could be a huge differentiator for your brand if you play your cards right.
How do you find your niche? Understanding what makes your audience tick is key. Don’t skip your research on this one. Personas will tell you a lot about audiences’ personalities, passions and behaviours. Make sure you define whom you’re speaking to, what you’re saying and why they should care. This is especially important before you even think of recording your show. Ultimately, creating content that speaks to people on a personal level and resonates with company values is what you’re going for here. It’s a win-win if you can achieve that.
2. Produce your show, but make sure it’s the right type of content.
Once you’ve identified your audience, you’ll need to decide what style — and format — of content will resonate the most to get engagement. The good news is that you’ve got options: Long-form video web-series? A podcast? A webinar series? Here’s how you can pick a path forward.
To get started, ask yourself: How competitive is this topic? What kind of content already exists out in the world, if any? What are your goals with this piece? How can this topic be broken into smaller supporting assets? When you answer these questions, you’ll start to get a sense of what format will be best for your story.
Then, it’s time to put together a show positioning statement. This describes who you’re creating content for, what message you’re communicating and why your audience should care. Creating a show positioning statement will guarantee that the show content reflects your company’s values and goals and whom you’re speaking to. It will also help solidify the type of show you’re creating.
Now let’s get to the fun part of making the right content: production. Whether you hire an agency or use your internal resources, the creative execution will include everything from casting to naming and branding the show. Don’t be afraid to go all-in. Get your team involved and make sure you have stakeholder sign-off. Share some snippets with the internet to get some early feedback. You’ll know you’re headed in the right direction if those snippets are striking a chord with a specific online community.
3. Create hype: Determine your launch and distribution plan.
If I could give one piece of advice (besides finding your niche), it’s to plan your launch and distribution as early as possible. One benefit of early planning is that you can snag all the promotional clips and assets you need while recording the show.
The launch and distribution is arguably the most exciting and most important part of creating branded shows. To make the most of this moment, make sure you:
• Establish a hype page on your website, which will later redirect visitors to the main landing page when your show officially launches.
• Create an email strategy that is targeted at your specific audience. You don’t want to blast emails to your entire list of email subscribers. Be strategic!
• Utilize your social pages. Hosting daily takeovers and sharing teaser content across channels will help generate more hype and excitement.
Doing all this work ahead of the launch date will not only bolster your efforts but also help keep you engaged with your target audience. The main goal is to ensure your audience keeps coming back.
Driving lasting brand engagement isn’t so hard when you have content that’s created for a niche audience with a clearly defined value proposition. There are a ton of resources you can find online to help you create the best long-form content. All that stands in your way is getting started.
Feature Image Credit: Getty
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CEO and Co-Founder of Wistia. Read Chris Savage’s full executive profile here
