IT industry empowers every other industry. Think of a famous brand in the IT industry. Try to remember the times when you encountered that brand name….You may remember someone who works for the brand or uses its products…a video shared by your friend with the brand’s name on it or a campaign during Woman’s day. This is how brands get recognized and stay fresh in the minds of people. Trust us, there is no easy way out! You need to make extensive efforts in the right direction to build your brand name.
So, how should you get started? First of all, identify your target market. Then, understand your target audience. Are they B2B customers or end-users? What kind of jargons do they use? What matters to them? What would they appreciate the most? For instance, if your domain is education, your audience would be the school authorities, tuition-classes, parents and children. They would appreciate something that is affordable, reduces the workload (for parents, teachers and students) and improves the student’s performance. You should use jargons like revision, score, practice etc. Lastly, where can you reach them? Where do they spend most of their time? You can reach school authorities by scheduling meetings, sharing enticing videos through emails etc. Win the trust of the parents through some testimonial videos on your website and reach out to the students through social media. Thus, define all your objectives, pick them one by one and bring your plans into action.
You do not have to push your products! Rather, lend a helping hand and focus on building long-term relationships. You also need to form a strong bond with your employees. It is impossible to grow as a company unless you promote their growth. When they walk around with the ID cards or interact with your clients, they are acting as your brand ambassadors! Your employees tell the inside stories of your company to the outside world. So, why not start your branding as an employer first? Attract the best talent to make up your company.
Testimonial videos are instrumental in reinforcing your brand image. Sharing experiences of people (customers or employees) who are happy and satisfied with your company will not only project a positive image of your brand but will also encourage others to associate with you. You can also create video case studies to showcase your impact on other businesses. If your client is a renowned brand…Nothing like it!
Whether your aim is B2B or B2C marketing, it always helps if your video features people who regularly work with the products/services you offer and know about the domain. Such people are more relatable for your audience because they would talk like your prospective customers.
That’s how you showcase the benefits of your product without trying too hard. But is it enough to just talk about the benefits? What if the audience do not understand your product/service? Well, this normally happens when either you are good at innovating or your prospects are not quite familiar with the technology. It such cases, you need explainer videos. These short videos are great at simplifying things.
The problem-solution approach is quite popular in explainers. You start with a problem that a potential buyer is facing (it helps in need generation). Later, you demonstrate how you can solve the problem and provide multiple benefits. If you want to go above and beyond to explain about your product/service in detail for your niche market, go for product demo videos.
What if your product/service is still not ready but it is so awesome that you just can’t resist talking about it? Basically, you want to create a hype in the market. Yes, we are talking about product teasers and trailers! We do have it in IT industry…Don’t believe us? See for yourself:
When we talk about brand building, we cannot limit ourselves to specific products. Your organization may be competent in a variety of domains, you may have achieved multiple targets and crossed many milestones. These are the things that make your brand big and you need corporate videos to sum it up.
When shooting something is impractical/impossible or when you need something more creative than a real footage….Animation comes into picture! Animation knows no boundaries, only your imagination is the limit. You can make videos as simple & clean as you want or you can demonstrate complex stuff…make it 2D or 3D…make it professional or funny…it’s all up to you.
Who says you need recorded videos to increase your brand visibility? Live videos are the hottest trend in the digital world! Share some candid videos of your customers or some light moments captured at the workplace. If you want to be known as a knowledge leader, organize live discussions with experts. Increase the involvement of viewers by asking them to participate in the discussion through comments or tweets.
You may want to get closer to your target customers by sharing their happiness and celebrating special occasions with them. Remember that your customers are people, and treat them like that. Such videos can help you humanize your brand:
Need to get even more closer to the people? Go ahead and meet them during the relevant events. This will give you a chance to interact with them on a personal level and leave a lasting impression on them. They will surely remember you for a longer time. For those who could not meet you? Show them your presence by covering the main event highlights in a video.
When you get in touch with people, make sure you leave them with something positive. Empower them with knowledge. Educate your audience. You can break down a topic into smaller chunks and produce a series of informative videos.
And why not use such training videos for your employees? When it comes to Learning & Development, videos have proven to be more interesting and captivating. They are a one-time investment and can be used conveniently until the content becomes out of date. Better ROI you see? Employers that care to educate their employees not only perform better but also earn a good reputation in the job market.
Gamification is another interesting way to train your employees and engage your customers! According to a whitepaper by Cognizant, “By adding game mechanics holistically to training and other business critical processes, organizations can improve employee engagement, boost productivity and lift operational performance.” Trainings do not always have to be boring to be more productive. If you feel the need to add some energy to the learning, design the course with some levels, points, competitions, leaderboards, badges etc. Let your employees have fun while they strive to be the grandmaster of a skill!
Gamification is for customers too! It’s not a new thing but it definitely works! The more they deal with your brand, the more badges and privileges they get. Virtual rewards can attract more return customers and result in longer association with your brand.
If you want to be known as an expert in your field, share your research on the internet. Brands like Accenture are known for sharing in-depth insights. Apps go a long way in connecting you to the people, on a personalized level. Accenture Outlook provides notification on the trending topics and industry insights based on your interest. Why not facilitate the users with an app that lets them update things on the go? SAP Sales Manager accesses the SAP CRM application and allows sales professionals to securely execute lead-to-quote-to-order processes right from their mobile device! Dell PartnerDirect is designed to help the Dell Channel Partners in improving their productivity by quickly and easily registering deals.
These apps may look like simple services provided to the clients, end-users or employees but there is more to these apps than what meets the eye! Some apps become a way of life for the people and brand loyalty gets ingrained in their routine behaviour.
IT companies are believed to be trailblazers in technology adoption. So, why should you stay behind? The early adopters like Accenture, IBM, Microsoft have already come up with cool marketing application of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. These two technologies not only enhance the understanding but also draw a large number of audience, because they are new and have cool applications! For instance, IBM took the viewers on an immersive tour of its Research Microelectronics lab in New York. The video is informative and interesting. This is how top brands set themselves apart!
Accenture is attracting applicants with the Accenture Careers 360 VR Tour. The app delivers an immersive, 360-degree view of the digital innovations and cutting-edge work that the employees can be part of, if they join Accenture. Do you want to be known as a technologically advanced brand? Why not try some innovative ways to train your developers? How about coding in Virtual Reality?
There is nothing better that Augmented Reality to provide more information about the real work objects. Accenture Augmented Reality is an innovative app that helps the brand communicate with the audiences in a highly-engaging way. It superimposes computer-generated images and content onto real-world environments so as to enhance the user’s perception of reality.
Your brands need to be present almost everywhere, at trade shows, office waiting areas, social media, mobile apps, whitepaper, blogs, vlogs, emails etc. Choose the place and content that suits your brand. So, start today and make sure that when you introduce your company, people say “Oh…that’s a big brand, we have heard a lot about it!”