When it comes to executing video marketing campaigns, there’s an unspoken rule that holds true no matter what your goals are. Ready for it? A great video is only as good as the brand behind it. Branding is a crucial aspect of any successful video marketing campaign because your audience needs to believe in your product or service before they will invest their time and money in you. If you want to make a real impact with your promotional videos, branding should be at the top of your mind.
In this article
What is Branding
When you think of branding, what comes to mind? Maybe it's your favorite pair of shoes or a piece of clothing with a logo on it. Or maybe you think about big companies with catchy slogans and memorable commercials that have been around for years. But branding isn't just about logos and slogans—it's so much more than that.
Branding is the process of creating an identity for your product or service that differentiates itself from others in its category. This can be as simple as coming up with a name for your company, or it could mean developing an entire brand strategy that encompasses every aspect of how you present yourself to the world (and potential customers). Branding is all about finding ways to stand out from other businesses in your industry by establishing trust with consumers through consistency across all channels, including social media, websites, advertising campaigns, and more.
Why Branding is Important
Branding is vital for any business. It’s the foundation of your brand and it sets up a strong structure for your business to grow on.
Branding helps to build trust and loyalty with customers, which is crucial to gaining new customers and retaining old ones.
If you want people to remember you, then branding is important because it makes sure people will never forget about you!
With great branding comes great responsibility in terms of communicating clearly who you are as a company, what kind of products/services that you provide or sell, how those products/services will benefit consumers (or clients), etc., so make sure these things are always clear when designing promotional videos meant specifically for marketing purposes.
Branding in Video Marketing
Branding is an important part of video marketing because it helps to create a memorable video.
You should make sure you have a clear understanding of your brand before you start creating promotional videos. Your brand is the personality that people associate with your business or company, and this will help them to remember you.
For example, if you’re selling food products related to health and fitness, then having a healthy lifestyle theme throughout all aspects of the production process will be essential to getting people excited about what they see in their minds when they think about your product or service.
It can be challenging to keep track of all the aspects of your brand, but you can use Brand Guidelines to make sure that everything is aligned with your goals and values.
About Video Brand Guidelines
Video brand guidelines are a set of rules and regulations that govern how your videos should look, feel and sound. By having these in place, you can maintain a consistent style and tone across all your video content, whether that be explainer videos or social media posts.
Why do you need Video Brand Guidelines
1. Keeps your videos on-brand
The most important reason for creating video brand guidelines is to keep all your videos feeling like they come from the same place. This way, no matter what type of video it is, viewers will always know it’s from your brand.
2. Make sure everyone’s on the same page.
With so many people involved in the production of a single video, it can be hard to keep everyone on the same page. By having guidelines in place, you can make sure that everyone knows exactly what your brand’s video style is, and how to stay true to it.
3. Saves time and money.
In the long run, having video brand guidelines will save you both time and money. With a clear understanding of your brand’s video style, you can avoid costly mistakes and re-dos, and produce content faster and more efficiently.
4. Helps with planning
It can be difficult to plan video content without knowing what kind of videos you want to make. By having guidelines in place, you can map out a clear strategy for your video content, helping you to stay on track and hit your goals.
5. Improves creativity
Having video brand guidelines doesn’t mean that your videos have to be boring or formulaic. In fact, it can actually help to improve creativity, as it gives you a clear framework to work within. This way, you can experiment and try new things, safe in the knowledge that you’re still staying true to your brand.
Strong Pillars of Video Brand Guidelines
There are three strong pillars that make up a set of video brand guidelines: aesthetic (how it looks), technical (how it’s made), and messaging (what it says).
AESTHETIC
The Aesthetic Pillar is all about how your videos look, from the overall style to the specific details like color schemes and fonts. This is usually determined by your company’s branding guidelines.
TECHNICAL
The Technical Pillar covers the more practical elements of your video, such as file formats and resolution. This ensures that your videos are compatible with all kinds of devices and platforms.
MESSAGING
The Messaging Pillar deals with the actual content of your video, such as the script and narration. This is where you decide what message you want to communicate, and how you’re going to do it.
When writing your video brand standards, it’s important to keep all three pillars in mind. Each one plays a vital role in the overall impact of your video, so they should all be given equal attention.
Different Elements of Video Brand
There are several elements that make up a video that reflecting your brand. These include:
Logo
When and how should your logo be used? Should it appear at the beginning, end or throughout the video? These are just a few examples of what you might want to include in your guidelines. The important thing is to be as clear and concise as possible so that there's no confusion about what does and doesn't represent your brand.
Apple, for example, is a fantastic brand that uses its logo in video advertising. It may always be observed at the end of every video.
Color palette
What fonts best represent your brand and should be used in your videos?
Color has a huge impact on how people perceive your brand, so you want to choose colors that match your message and tone.
Typography choices
Typography is a key element of branding. It's more than just picking the right typeface, though that's important, too. Typography includes the font, size and style of your title, body copy and web copy, as well as how it's used in your logo and all other graphics.
Imagery
If you want to use images or photos in your videos, what style should they be? And are there any specific colours that need to be used?
Voice
The way you speak to your customers is referred to as brand voice. Your brand's communication style is what determines your brand voice. Your target audience will hear your brand voice, which can be informal or formal depending on the situation and needs of the client. It may have any tone as long as it feels genuine to your company's principles and personality—
In terms of brand voice consistency, Apple conveys confidence, quality, and closeness. In terms of distinguishing oneself from the competition, Apple has always been the company to look up to. Many people feel welcomed and overindulged by having their own gadgets.
Graphics
If you want to use animation in your videos, you must first select a design that best represents your business. Is it going to be more cartoonish or more corporate?
It's also crucial to provide rules for the use of certain visual components. If you want to include the speaker's name and job title in the lower thirds, for example, you must state how that should appear.
Transitions
Transitions between shots may boost brand recognition. Consider American sports networks that frequently use a rapid logo reveal! You should decide what your branding standard for transitions will be. Will it be a basic and traditional transition, or will you utilize it to emphasize your brand?
Music and Sounds
Music can play a significant role in how your video is received. It should be used to create the right atmosphere and reinforce the tone of voice. Your brand guidelines should include examples of the types of music that would and wouldn’t be appropriate, as well as any sound effects that could be used.
Format
This section should detail what type of videos you want to produce. For example, do you want interview-style videos, or more dynamic explainer videos? It's also worth including some general information about length, aspect ratio and file format.
Shooting Style
Do you want your videos to be shot in a particular way? If so, you should include information on that in your guidelines. For example, do you want close-ups or wide shots? Do you want lots of movement or static shots?
Your video brand guidelines should also consider where your videos will be shot. If you have a preferred location or style of location, such as an office or warehouse, make sure that is included.
Lighting is another important aspect of shooting style and can really affect the look and feel of a video. Consider what sort of lighting would work best with your brand - natural light, bright light, low light etc. - and include details in your guidelines.
Tagline
A tagline is a short phrase or sentence that identifies your brand. It's often used in conjunction with a logo and other branding elements to create an overall marketing message
Nike recognized the need to appeal to a much wider audience, and transform their brand into more than simply fitness apparel. As a result of this, “Just Do It.” was created. The slogan is easy to understand and conveys the idea effectively. More significantly, it applies to everyone, not just world-class athletes
How to create Video Brand Guidelines?
Now that we’ve gone over why you need video brand guidelines, let’s take a look at how you can create them.
1. Define your brand voice
This is perhaps the most important step in creating your guidelines, as it will determine the tone and style of all your future videos. To do this, you need to think about what makes your brand unique, and how you want it to be perceived by others. Once you have a good understanding of your brand voice, you can start to put together the rest of your guidelines.
2. Choose a video style
Depending on the kind of videos you want to make, you’ll need to choose an appropriate style. This could be anything from animation to live action, so it’s important to pick something that will work well with your brand voice.
3. Decide on a look and feel
Just like with your choice of style, the look and feel of your videos should be in line with your brand identity. This means taking into account things like colour palette, typography and overall aesthetic.
4. Write a script
Once you have all the above elements in place, you can start to write a script for your video. This will act as a blueprint for the rest of the production process, so it’s important to get it right. When writing your script, be sure to keep your brand voice in mind, and make sure that the finished product stays true to your guidelines.
5. Find the right talent
To bring your script to life, you’ll need to find the right talent. This means finding voiceover artists, actors or presenters who fit with your brand identity and can help to sell your message.
6. Record and edit your video
With all the pieces in place, you’re finally ready to record and edit your video. During this process, it’s important to stick to your guidelines, so that the finished product is on-brand and consistent with your other content.
7. Publish and promote your video
Once your video is complete, it’s time to hit publish and start promoting it to your audience. Remember to use all the channels at your disposal, from social media to email marketing, to make sure that as many people as possible see your brand-new video.
Brand Guidelines Consistency
It's important to be consistent with your brand. One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is trying to brand itself as something it isn't. If you're perceived as one thing and then suddenly change, it may do more harm than good for your business or organization.
The most well-known example of a company with a consistent brand is Coca Cola. It is one of the company brands with consistent brand image and a very strong reputation. This can be attributed to the company's efforts in marketing and advertising to create a distinct brand image. The Coca Cola Company has spent millions of dollars on advertising campaigns that focus on creating a positive image for the product and reinforcing its original taste.
You need to have consistency in all aspects of your brand: logo, voice and tone (including social media), visuals (such as color scheme), and more. Your audience will immediately identify any inconsistencies between these elements - so make sure they match up well!
Wrap-up
Creating video brand guidelines may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the long run. By taking the time to put together a comprehensive guide, you can ensure that all your future videos are on-brand, efficient and effective. So what are you waiting for? Get started today! Do you have any tips for creating video brand guidelines? Let us know in the comments below!
