Whether you are writing a 30-second spot for your business or a full feature film you hope to see on the big screen, your end goal should be to somehow CONNECT with your audience. The best movies are the ones that have a character who you feel for. You may feel sad for them, understand them, feel happy for them, or want to fight for them. It's almost like the character is your friend and you have become part of the story, and you feel what they feel. You probably already know this or you may wonder, "what does this have to do with my business and selling a product or service"?
First of all, to sell a product or service from your business, you need your customer's attention. To capture their attention you need to invite them into a story they can become a part of and connect with. You will lose the attention of your audience if your story doesn't in some form a fashion relate to them. If you own a shoe company for example, would it be most effective to market with a video that first introduces the company CEO, who explains the product and how he got started, and then walks you on a tour through the factory? Most people would swipe away or fall asleep. On the other hand, have you ever watched a Nike or Apple commercial? They take a different approach and show characters like ourselves, people we can relate to, living everyday life, doing things we already do or would love to be doing. They bring you into a story and make you feel like if you use their product, you are now the champion, the cool guy, or the person you want to become. This post is about how to create a video with a story your audience can be a part of and connect with, in turn, giving them a reason to buy your product or service.
The first thing we need to do is write a script that relates to our audience. Starting out, we need to develop our characters. In every great story, there is the main character, who usually has some form of a challenge, which he often conquers in the end. Let's refer to the main character as the "Champion". There is also usually a "Helper", or someone who guides the main character to succeed. There is always someone or something that supports, teaches, or inspires the Champion. You can see this in almost any popular movie. In a Nike commercial, for example, the main character or champion is often an athlete like yourself, the challenge is the long tough marathon, and the Helper is the trusty pair of Nike shoes. Now how can you apply this to your own business? The "champion" is your customer, the "challenge" is the problem your product solves, and the "helper" is your product or service. Define and write down your champion/customer. Who are these people, what are they like, what makes them tick, what do they want, and what is their image? The more you know and understand your target audience the better you can create a "champion" they will relate with. Now identify and write down the problem your business solves. Start with the actual external problem, for example, sore feet from running. Then write down the internal problem this creates, how you feel. In the case of sore feet, internally you would feel frustrated, disappointed in your current pair of shoes, and maybe discouraged to continue running. Now write down what or who the Helper is, and explain how he/she/it guides the Champion to success or helps solve the problem. Write down how the challenge is overcome and describe the victory externally and internally. Now you have a story! Make sure your characters are people that may represent your audience or at least have some characteristics that they can relate to. This could be age, generation, or demographic. You could match the style, image, or fashion of the audience or their frame of mind. In your video, it's important to show them using your product/service and how they succeed. Show how they feel when all their problems, external and internal have been overcome.
Now remember this doesn't have to be an hour-long story, this could be as short as 15 seconds, the bottom line is that you need to tell a story and portray a character your customer can relate to and show how your business benefits them or makes them better off in the end.
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