Getting attention in an extremely noisy online marketplace can be tough for any business. Not only are there a slew of other advertisers competing for the attention of your prospective customers… there are also distractions ranging from political and social issues to viral social media memes and videos.
What's a business to do?
One highly effective approach is video. Of course, it needs to be engaging video – not some boring talking head or overtly promotional content. After all, while people love to buy, they rarely like being sold.
And that's exactly how the “text story” video has become a viable (and highly effective) marketing tool.
If you're not familiar with the Test Story phenomenon, let me take a moment to explain it. Back in late 2014, videos started appearing online of text chats between two people. The chats typically consist of a text-based exchange between two individuals delivered in the familiar interface of a mobile texting app.
As a piece of entertainment, it's taken the world by storm, racking up millions of views on sites like Facebook and YouTube, and attracting fans and followers across the globe.
Text stories have caught on… because they combine the one-two-punch power of both videos and text. You see, videos, when produced effectively, are simply more engaging than a simple image or text on its own. In a study by the Visual Teaching Alliance, it was discovered that the brain processes video content at a rate of 60,000 times faster than written text. What this means is that our cognitive ability to consume and understand video-based content require much less effort than text.
Watching a video, of course, is a pretty passive activity. But when you add text to the equation, it increases the video's marketing power exponentially.
And when you can tell a story too… that's what creates marketing magic.
Have a look at this example from an ad Verizon ran prior to Thanksgiving in 2018:
Is that powerful, or what?
And this same technique can be employed by just about any business out there. Because the point of this marketing isn't to make a sale as much as it is to get exposure for a brand or business while entertaining a target audience who might engage with the video through likes, comments, shares, and tagging others who might have a more immediate need for the service being “promoted.”
Look, when the attention-span of the average audience member online is trending in the direction of that of a goldfish, businesses needing to provide their “brand” more attention and engagement need to get creative.
And that's exactly what text stories do. They command undivided attention of viewers… even if just for a few moments, connecting an engaging story with a product or service or business.
Have a look at this example for a roofing company:
Can you imagine the types of text conversations your ACTUAL prospects and customers are having before they buy from or hire you? How could you put a humorous and engaging spin on it?
If you like the idea of “outside-the-box” marketing, and want to see how our team can help you build campaigns around text story videos for your business… let's chat.