Social Media is full of videos. Whether we are on the bus on our way to work or on our couch at home, we all like to be entertained by an interesting or funny video for a moment. If we like certain videos in particular, we share them with our friends. Because of this, a video of a kitten fighting with a butterfly on a flower meadow can gain millions of clicks.

According to a survey conducted by the communications consulting agency fischerAppelt AG and the market research institute appinio GmbH, 97 % of respondents between the age of 16 and 50 years watch online videos every day. However, only 20 % stated that they watch videos published by companies regularly.

This raises the question where this difference comes from and why companies can’t realize the enormous potential of online videos.

We generally know that most videos are watched for quick entertainment. The survey confirms this thesis: for 75 % of the respondents the entertainment factor is the most important reason to watch a video. Of course, most of us don’t want to watch the commercials on TV either, so why would we actively choose to watch commercials online? Instead we want to watch something that makes us laugh or think or even something that shows us something new, something we haven’t seen before.

It is not the commercials themselves that scare us off. The famous Super Bowl commercials airing during the halftime of the sporting event proof this. Afterwards, the companies earn millions of clicks on social media because they are known for their creativity. Many similar examples show how large the success potential of branded videos is. It is important to tell a story with the videos in order to surprise, fascinate or entertain the viewers. Therefore, the structure of the video should be designed in a way that keeps the viewers watching until the end of the video, including a beginning, a middle section and an ending that is worth waiting for. The product or brand should not be the center of the video, the message you want to convey to the customers should be the focus. In terms of duration there is no right or wrong. If the story of the video works well, it can even capture the viewer for several minutes. The length should be chosen in a way that the story can be told properly, without prolonging the video unnecessarily or handling it too quickly.

Viewers want to identify themselves with the videos, they want to be reminded of good memories or feel compassion with the story of the video. It is important to know the target audience of the videos in order to create them in a way that the viewers will identify with them. Another popular format are informative videos or tutorials. We all like the feeling of learning something new and that we are spending our time in a useful way.

Furthermore, the videos should be very well thought out. This means they have to be aligned with the marketing mix of the company and match the target group perfectly. This preparation should also be reflected in the high quality of the video. It happens quiet often that low quality videos go viral, but they usually are spontaneous recordings. These appear unprofessional and are usually not suitable for marketing purposes. However, the viewers should not be able to see that the video is thoroughly prepared and scripted, so that the video still seems authentic.

Online videos bear unbelievable potential and can build the basis for an emotional tie between the company or brand and potential customers. Whether the videos actually end up going viral might be up to some luck, but an interesting and well planned video can get the message across to customers in a very authentic way.