Although videos are the dominate medium in marketing these days, it’s no longer sufficient to simply shoot and post good footage. Even hot fads like Facebook Livestream or drone b-roll alone won’t make the cut anymore. Savvy communicators must develop layered strategies to leverage video work by combining prevalent tools with rising cultural trends.

This doesn’t mean departing from your hard-earned techniques, storyboards or technical skills. Facebook 360, for example, secures twice as many views all the way through the entire video than traditional videos. That’s a tool worth exploring! But now, build on these successful tools by reframing each video project through an added lens. How can you take a new approach to the storyline and tap into your demographic’s way of thinking?

Video + Trend

Clairemont recently tackled a challenge with client Wendell Falls, one of the Triangle’s largest master-planned new-home communities, located 15 minutes from downtown Raleigh. With a fresh crop of new model homes, Wendell Falls sought to highlight its builders’ creations and engage millennial and Gen Y prospects, two key demographics. We recognized that a simple video tour wouldn’t do the trick. Visual walk-throughs are readily available online, and in essence, a slideshow could render the same effect.

Instead, we paired the project with a trend that is (still!) hot in the market. Research shows that more than half of millennials aspire to launch their own start-up companies, and Gen Y-ers have earned the title as the DIY generation. Entrepreneurism, hands-on approaches and self creation mark these demographic’s approaches to projects. Hence, we created a series of DIY videos in home design tips and techniques that featured the model homes at Wendell Falls as a backdrop.

Useful, Sharable, Visual

Working from home? Check out these tips to create a productive and inspiring home office (featuring the Dan Ryan Builders model home). Learn how to style a party-worthy porch or master your open floor plan with expertise advice from Homes By Dickerson. Here’s another favorite on spicy design tips!

The final product yielded a clean, engaging video that was both educational and (ding ding!) shareable. For those looking for quick and free design tips, we fit the bill And in a Pinterest-esque way, the videos provided content that you could pass on to friends, strategically helping to expand the social visibility of Wendell Falls.

What one thing do you want to highlight in your business? Drop us a line to partner on your next video project.