Building Brand Authenticity Through Short-form Video

Another trend that has been on the rise is brand authenticity. TikTok is one place brands have learned to ditch perfection and embrace unfiltered authenticity. In 2021, TikTok partnered with Nielsen, a global marketing research firm, to discover why users embrace the platform. The study revealed users around the globe find TikTok content to be authentic, genuine, unfiltered and trendsetting. When looking at advertising content on TikTok, users still associated terms such as authentic and genuine, while adding honest, real, unique and fun.

So how can you use short-form video to embrace brand authenticity?

Here are five ideas to get you started.

Brands like to talk about things that are important to them but that’s not always aligned with what is important to their customers. Your customer is interested in what you can do for them. Figure out where your message and your customer’s needs align. What sets you apart from the competition? How do you solve real problems?

Once you have a story to share, choose someone within your organization to be the face of your brand. TikTok users want someone they can connect with so choose carefully who you put in front of the camera. Some brands have found success using interns and younger employees to connect with millennials and Gen Z whereas others choose to use marketing directors or more senior employees who can jump on trends quickly with little oversight.

Tutorials and educational videos continue to be popular forms of video content. With tutorials, you can show your customers how to solve a problem—whether it’s showing how your products work or offering tips and tricks helpful to those in the industry.

Tutorials also tap into the Principle of Reciprocity—we like to return good deeds and help those who have helped us. When you take the chance to help someone in their time of need, they will be more likely to look to you to solve their problems in the future.

Odds are, you may already have a Frequently Asked Questions section on your website. Take the opportunity to answer some of those questions in video format! If someone is hesitant on purchasing your products or services, video FAQs are the perfect way to clear up any confusion and speed up their purchasing decisions. Statistics show viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it on video, compared to just 10% when reading.

If you don’t have FAQs, there are many ways to get started on making some. Consider utilizing “Ask me anything” features on different social media sites to encourage your audience to share their questions and concerns that might be holding them back from moving forward with your company. Ask your sales team and customer service team what questions they get the most. Create a quick survey and send it to your email list.

If you have a physical product, take the opportunity to show your target audience the manufacturing process or walk through some of the unique features of your product.

Your employees are some of your best advocates. Have an employee do a “day in the life” video where they show your audience around the office or show behind the scenes at a product shoot. Pick an employee who you feel encompasses your brand values to let that authenticity shine through.

If you have an event or product launch coming up, chances are you’re excited about it, and so are your customers. Create videos that show a countdown and exciting features of your new product.