How Video Can Humanize Your Brand in 2022 & Other Insights from Wistia‘s CEO

In today‘s digital world, video has become an indispensable tool for brands to captivate their audiences. As Wistia‘s CEO Chris Savage puts it, "Video is the most powerful way to evoke emotion and create human connection at scale."

Especially after an isolating pandemic period, consumers crave personal, entertaining content experiences from brands. Video offers an unparalleled opportunity to showcase your brand‘s personality, tell resonant stories, and build lasting customer relationships.

I sat down with Savage to uncover Wistia‘s top tips for crafting a video marketing strategy that engages and converts in 2022. Plus, get an inside look at how the video platform‘s own team operates.

Short and Sweet Beats Broad and Boring

When it comes to video format and length, brief is almost always best. Wistia found that videos under 2 minutes see the highest engagement, with a sweet spot of 30-60 seconds for social media.

"A short video with a focused message is far more impactful than a longwinded one that tries to accomplish too much," says Savage. He recommends hooking viewers fast with a bold first few seconds and clear setup of what‘s to come.

Short teasers perform particularly well for product launches, like this intriguing 15-second clip Wistia posted on LinkedIn ahead of their "Show Business" series premiere, driving buzz and tune-in:

Other effective short formats include:

• Brief product demos or tutorials
• Captivating snippets from a longer video or event
• User-generated content (more on that later)
• Quick tips or insights related to your niche

Viewers Crave Binge-worthy Series

That‘s not to say long-form content is dead – quite the contrary. Wistia has seen an uptick in brands creating original series with episodes around 10-20 minutes each.

"When you deliver real value and an engaging story, people will keep coming back for more," Savage affirms. Episodic content builds momentum and affinity over time, turning casual viewers into brand evangelists.

Patagonia‘s documentary-style "Worn Wear" series is a standout. Each 15ish-minute installment profiles a different individual‘s adventure and relationship with their cherished Patagonia gear, subtly showcasing product quality and shared values:

The key is serving a niche audience with meaningful content, not just pushing product. "Make the story, not your brand, the hero – then weave your offering in organically," advises Savage.

Optimize for Each Social Stage

When it comes to social media promotion, one size definitely does not fit all. What works on TikTok flops on LinkedIn. Tailoring video format, tone, and narrative to each channel is a must.

Here‘s a cheat sheet of platform-specific tips:

LinkedIn

• Keep videos under 1 minute
• Use text overlays since many watch without sound
• Go behind-the-scenes and show thought leadership
• @mention employees and customers to extend reach

Instagram

• Create ‘thumb-stopping‘ Reels under 30 seconds
• Repurpose horizontal video for IGTV series
• Design for sound-off views with captions
• Use 3-5 relevant hashtags in the description

TikTok

• Jump on trends, dances, and hashtag challenges
• Show your brand‘s playful side with humor and irreverence
• Encourage user-generated content (but skip the ads)
• Engage with others‘ content to boost the algorithm

Twitter

• Aim for 30-45 seconds max
• Focus on timely news and hot takes
• Tease longer content with compelling snippets
• Include 1-2 niche hashtags for discoverability

YouTube

• Lean into longer formats (aim for 7+ minutes)
• Optimize titles, descriptions, tags for search
• Create themed playlists to encourage binge watching
• Engage subscribers with Community posts and comments

"Different channels demand different approaches," says Savage. "But no matter what, prioritize storytelling over selling."

Peek Inside Wistia‘s Video Team

Video creation can seem daunting, but building an agile in-house team is more doable than you might think. At Wistia, a lean squad of around seven produces upwards of 100 videos per year.

Their secret sauce? A flat-structure of highly cross-functional "squads" that include:

• 1 creative director to shape the vision
• 1 producer to manage timeline and logistics
• 1 shooter/editor to capture and craft the story
• 1 animator/designer for graphics and effects
• 1 copywriter for scripts and captions
• 1 marketer to strategize promotion
• 1 project manager to keep all the trains running

"Keeping our video crew small and mighty makes us far nimbler than working with agencies on every asset," explains Savage. "We‘re able to concept and create content at the speed of social."

Of course, there‘s still a time and place for agency partnerships. Wistia relies on outside expertise for major productions like their "One, Ten, One Hundred" series with a $111,000 budget. But for the majority of their video needs, the squad model suffices.

Tools of the Trade

Wistia‘s team keeps their tech stack fairly simple as well. Their go-to gear and software includes:

Cameras

• Sony FS7 ($8K) for cinematic footage
• Canon C70 ($5.5K) for run-and-gun shooting
• iPhone 12 Pro (already owned) for user-generated and lo-fi clips

Lenses

• Canon 17-55mm f2.8 ($900) as a versatile workhorse
• Canon 50mm f1.2 ($1.4K) for a shallow depth of field
• Canon 70-200mm f2.8 ($1.9K) for close-up details

Audio

• Sennheiser MKE600 shotgun mic ($330) for capturing crisp vocals
• Rode VideoMicro ($59) as an affordable backup
• Zoom H5 recorder ($280) for backup audio

Editing

• Adobe Premiere Pro for editing and color correcting
• Frame.io for seamless team collaboration and feedback
• Wipster for sharing and collecting comments from stakeholders

Graphics & Effects

• Adobe After Effects for motion graphics and animations
• Canva for quick text overlays and simple visuals

All in, you‘re looking at around a $20K investment for a scrappy startup setup.

Get Creative with Promotion

Once your masterpiece is ready for its close-up, it‘s time to get creative with distribution beyond just the basic social post. Some Savage-approved ideas:

404 page – Turn broken links into a brand moment by featuring your mascot or team in a funny, memorable video. Check out theWistia reel that greets their lost site visitors.

Email signatures – Spice up a stale sign-off with a candid employee testimonial or product check-in. MailChimp‘s "More than Mail" series showcases their staffers‘ hobbies and hidden talents right in the inbox:

Personalized videos – Use a tool like Vidyard‘s integration with Salesforce to send one-to-one videos to high-value prospects. It‘s the modern version of putting someone‘s name on a Coke bottle.

Interactive quizzes – Drive traffic from videos to your site with interactive elements like quizzes and calculators. Zillow nails it by embedding home value estimates in listings and following up with personalized emails.

"The more you can make your videos an experience versus a passive watch, the more you‘ll captivate your audience," shares Savage.

Strike a Chord with Nostalgia

In a time of uncertainty and digital overwhelm, consumers are craving the comfort of nostalgia. Tapping into positive memories from the past can forge powerful emotional connections.

As Kate Wallman from Moxie puts it, "Nostalgia marketing works because it transports us back to a time we feel we‘ve lost. By playing into this wistful affection, brands can create experiences that are irresistible."

McDonald‘s is the master of this tactic, as seen in their UK "Timeless" spot featuring items that have stayed the same since the ‘90s, like Happy Meal toys and Big Macs. The ad‘s familiar soundtrack and grainy filter further evoke that rose-tinted sense of a simpler past.

Nostalgia can also just mean a classic storytelling approach, like Budweiser‘s Clydesdale commercials or Coca-Cola‘s iconic polar bears. In a shiny new digital world, sometimes analog comforts just hit different.

Crystal Ball Trends

Looking ahead, Savage and other industry experts predict these video trends will take center stage:

Interactive formats – As virtual events become the norm, interactive elements like polls, quizzes, and choose-your-own-adventure paths will make passive viewing a thing of the past.

User-generated content – Empowering your community to create videos on your behalf doesn‘t just save you work – it builds invaluable social proof. "Your customer is your most powerful advertiser," affirms Savage.

Personalization – One-to-one videos will become automated must-haves to cut through the clutter, delivered at moments that matter in the customer journey. Think personalized onboarding flows, renewal reminders, and account updates.

AR/VR – As the metaverse looms, immersive formats like augmented and virtual reality will make sci-fi concepts like 360 product demos and virtual showrooms an ecommerce staple.

Values-driven storytelling – Consumers crave authentic connection to brands‘ missions and values, not just their products. "Storyfying" your brand‘s perspective and impact through video will be make-or-break.

Never Stop Experimenting

No matter how sophisticated video tech becomes, Savage believes success in 2022 all comes down to good old fashioned resonance:

"Don‘t get so caught up in the features and formats that you lose sight of the story you‘re telling. If you‘re not sure what will strike a chord, the answer is simple: ask your audience and experiment relentlessly. There‘s no such thing as a failed video – just a chance to learn for next time."

As video consumption continues to skyrocket, the brands that bring their humanity to the small screen will be the ones that thrive. It‘s time to cut through the noise with content that makes people feel seen, heard, and motivated to join your mission. Here‘s to hitting record on your most authentic, ambitious video strategy yet.