Are you preparing for your next brand partnership? If so, there is no doubt that video content is going to play a key role in the success of your partnership and the impact it will have on your brand. In today’s digital-first world, short-form video is one of the most successful tactics to get our message out there. However, it takes more than creating a few 15-second videos and hoping they will become viral overnight. In this article, we will lay out the key tips you need to consider when creating video content that will position your brand partnership to succeed. 

Understand Your Audience and Know Your Goals - Identify who you're targeting and what you want to achieve

Going viral would be great but we need to plan for reality and be able to measure the success of initiatives in comparison to historical performance. The first step to crafting an effective video is understanding your audience and knowing your goals. Who are you planning to target with your content? This is important to understand and lay out so that the type of content you are creating is aligned with the audience it is intended for. If you’re targeting Gen Z, the language and style of your video should reflect that. 

Next, establish your KPI's or key performance indicators. This is important in order to measure the success of your content and determine what is working and what isn't. The best way to decide on your KPI is to look back at your previous content performance. Typical content KPI’s can vary but typically include engagement-rate, click-through-rate, and conversion rate.

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Choose the Right Platform - Consider where your audience lives and what type of content they are likely to consume 

It can be overwhelming to determine which social platform is right for your business, especially with so many choices. The key to making the right choice is to start by focusing on your target audience. Consider where your customers tend to hang out online and what types of content they typically engage with. That takes some research but it will help you identify the platform that makes the most sense for what you are trying to communicate and who you intend to reach. Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube Shorts are all very promising platforms.  Once you've chosen a few platforms, experiment with different types of content, review feedback from your audience, and measure the results. With a bit of trial and error, you'll soon find out which channel works best for your business.

Tell a Story - Focus on how your product or service can help solve a problem or make life easier 

Many years ago, you could generate a ton of sales just by posting a photo or video of someone notable holding your product. Those days are over. Customers don’t just want to see cool content, they want to see content that tells a story and is something they can engage with. Instead of just telling about what your product or service is, craft a story around your product and brand while at the same time allowing the creator to be authentic to their audience. Telling a story that aligns both with your brand and a brand partner is never easy but it is worth the time and effort to make it work! A great example of this was done with Emma Chamberlain promoted her coffee brand Chamberlain Coffee in a video she partnered with Jimmy Fallon called Barista Confessions. The video immediately went viral as it was aligned with Emma’s brand, it was enjoyable to watch and promoted her brand in an extremely authentic way. Watch one of the videos here.

Tap Into Trends - Incorporate popular topics and cultural references into your content for maximum engagement 

To create the best content for maximum engagement, it's important to stay on top of trends. People love when you can incorporate popular platform trends and references into your content, as it appears to be more organic and less of an obvious promotion of a product or brand. How do you find a trend to tap into? Get on the platform and see what is popular and engaging for users. Tap into trends whenever possible - it not only makes your brand appear to be in the know but also helps elevate the quality level of your content.

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Optimize Your Content - Use scroll-stopping hooks. TEST, TEST, TEST!

The first 3 seconds of your video content is make or break. After you have locked down a great story that wil keep people watching you now have to put it in reverse and focus on how you will even get a viewer to get past the first few seconds of that video. Great hooks include asking your audience questions, using a catchy phrase, or showing the result of something without telling how it was done. You can find 500+ other hook ideas here. The only way to find hooks that resonate well with your audience is to test them. 

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