Don’t just make a video. Tell a story worth sharing.

What commercials do you remember most? The ones that made you laugh? The ones that made you cry? The ones that surprised and delighted you? Or the ones that listed off the features of a product? Chances are, the videos that stuck with you were the ones that you had an emotional reaction to, a gut reaction.

In an era when the largest sign of a video’s success is how viral it is (measured in likes, shares, and views), it is critical to consider the human, primal, emotional charge of the stories you tell.

There have been some fantastic examples of advertising all over the world making an emotional connection recently.

This Guinness commercial is by far my favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwndLOKQTDs

It’s simple, it’s surprising, it’s poignant, and it tells a very different kind of story than you would expect from a beer commercial. It’s a story of compassion and people going the extra mile to connect with each other and inspires us to be better people.

And as wonderful as all of those feelings are, we have now associated those feelings with the Guinness brand. It might be tempting to be cynical and dismiss it as disingenuous, but a company’s advertising tells a story about the character of that company, and people respond to that. They feel more motivated to support companies that give back or lift people up or help make the world a better place. And the more genuine that story is, the more people will respond to it.

These are the kinds of stories that people want to share with their friends through social media. These are the stories that people want to talk about on their blogs and websites.

When you consider making a video, consider what kinds of stories you want to tell, not just about a very specific product, but about your company and the connection your company makes to your audience. Is your story creating a deeper connection with your audience? Are you telling a story that people will be inspired to share?

If you are creating a video about a very specific product, think about how that product makes people feel. What a product does is great, but people really respond to how a product will make a difference in their lives. How will this product make a difference in their community? What is the emotional appeal?

I know you love your product and all of the amazing features that you have developed for that product. White papers and product demos and reviews and industry websites are a fantastic place to talk about the technical specs.

The power of video is the intimacy and the ability to stir our emotions. Use those tools to your advantage to tell stories that stay with people long after the video is over.

Watch the videos below. I’m willing to bet you share at least one of them with some one you know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxZu-6jewL4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s22HX18wDY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE

BIO:

Goldie Jones is an award winning Creative Director and founder of Seattle video production and animation company, Subversionz Media.  With years of experience as a Director, DP, editor, animator, storyboard artist, and script writer, Goldie brings together all of the elements of storytelling to create compelling marketing videos for the Tech and Fashion Industries.