Segmented Video Storytelling Techniques: Crafting Content for Diverse Audiences

Master the Art of Personalized Storytelling to Connect and Engage with Specific Audience Segments

Understanding Audiences: The Foundation of Segmented Video Storytelling

The cornerstone of effective segmented video storytelling is a deep understanding of target audience(s). We’re talking about bespoke content here. Used to describe things that are custom made or designed for an individual person or customer.

Now, let’s talk about why and how we tailor messaging and stories to resonate with specific audiences. For our team at Goodspero, that means creating valuable content for CEOs, C-suite executives, and directors in marketing and development teams. Diverse audiences have unique preferences and emotional triggers, which we like to consider to create the most impactful content.

Monitoring data and analytics provides the best insights into our audience’s psychographics and online behaviors. The C-suite execs we work with tend to be driven by connections, thought leadership, and community engagement. Engaging with content related to industry trends and innovation on platforms like LinkedIn and for the younger execs, Instagram too. Understanding these nuances helps us craft stories and content that informs and emotionally connects with our audiences.

One of the questions we often hear amongst teams is: “What video content should I make?”. Some of the ways we like to start thinking about this is to:

• Identify key emotional drivers. The goal is to tailor content to resonate with audiences values. Like thought leadership for executives or community engagement for social impact leaders.
• Analyze online behaviors and brand affinities: We align storytelling with the brands and platforms our audiences trust. For us, that means usually sticking to LinkedIn and Instagram. For our partners that includes YouTube and sometimes media outlets with an online presence.
• Tailor content to demographic specifics. We adapt content to connect with the ages, genders, and locations of audiences, or those we’d like to reach next.

Some of these things we can see by looking at our audiences’ public activity online. Data, like demographics and emotional drivers, can be seen in platforms’ analytics and some platforms provide more data than others. We can see more information through Instagram’s professional dashboard and through Meta’s business suite. LinkedIn analytics isnt’t as robust. There’s also a growing trend to keep our data more private so this may only get harder as time goes on.

We make sure to monitor this type of information regularly. Why? Many platforms only let users see data and analytics for the previous 30-90 days. That’s for accounts not connected to a paid data monitoring system like Sprout Social. Sprout is AMAZING for social media data monitoring and for cranking out detailed reports. Note: Sprout Social costs $400-$500+ per month but also includes some amazing tools. For example: scheduling content during optimal times, social listening, AI and automation, link tracking, and trending keywords. But I degress. Let’s move on, shall we?

Crafting the Narrative: Techniques for Engaging Different Personas in Segmented Video Storytelling

Creating compelling content, involves presenting facts and weaving stories that align with the values and interests of audiences. Keeping segmented video storytelling in mind, we might emphasize how we’re using the latest in AI for videos using Descript. Or how we’re increasing our team’s efficiency usign Trello while also teaching our partners’ teams how to do the same.

Other times we focus on community impact, sharing stories of non-profits changing the lives of founders and underrepresented communities. Marketing teams might resonate more with stories we share highlighting creativity, creative processes, or creatives we follow and learn from. Our goal here isn’t to sell, it’s to provide value, education, and inspiration. We don’t get paid to post branded content, we genuinely share the things that inform, inspire, and impact us. Because we love when we see those things in our feed too – so thank YOU.

But for each persona and audience, the storytelling technique varies. A post that features an innovative startup and a corporate success will get the attention of once audience. The next day a post about societal change and community involvement will appeal to another. This tailored approach ensures that our content is seen AND felt.

Here’s a few more specific things we do to make sure we’re on the right track:

• Utilize storytelling arcs. We learned this one from our film director mentors. We think about the aspirations and fears of our audiences in the “narrative arc”. Feel free to google that – we did too. That’s a whole ‘nother read.
• Incorporate themes. We think about themes like efficiency tools for our tech audience or advocacy campaigns for social impact leaders.
• Balance information with emotional appeal. We try balancing content to engage audiences both intellectually and emotionally. That could look like a Spanish meditation video that was made by an English-speaking yogi using a new AI tool.

Whatever the story, whatever the post, it’s valuable for someone. And that’s the kind of content we love to create with our partners and clients too.

Maximizing Impact: Channels and Formats for Effective Delivery of Segmented Video Storytelling

We’re down to the final nugget for today. Selecting the right channel(s) and format(s) to make sure our segmented video storytelling reaches and engages the intended audiences. For C-suite audiences and B2B companies, a well-crafted video on LinkedIn might be ideal for a 7am post. While Twitter might be more effective for engaging with CEOs and execs attending a conference mid-day. It’s not just about the message, it’s also about where and how we deliver it.

Morning, lunch, and after work hours are typically high-traffic times on social media. But every account and brand is different so test posting content at all times of the day and night. Then make decisions on when the best time to post is for you. We’ve seen people only posting during lunch, looking at analytics, and mistakenly assuming it was the best time to post. That’s just analyzing a bad dataset. If the social media manager is only posting during lunch, reach and engagement will definitely look better at that time. After switching things up and posting during mornings and nights too, the data is much more accurate.

However we spin in, integrating documentary-style video storytelling into our broader digital strategy is the golden ticket. It simply ties everything together. It’s a holistic approach that makes our video content and the content we make for partners, complement other marketing efforts. And it maximizes reach and impact across campaigns.

To sum up this last bit:

• We Choose the right platforms. For our audiences that’s LinkedIn for executives and development teams, and Instagram for social impact leaders and marketing teams.
• We keep the role of format in mind. We opt for short-form videos for quick engagement using Instagram reels and stories. And long-form videos on YouTube and websites for more in-depth stories.
• We always integrate video storytelling. Video content is and has always been a cohesive part of our overall digital marketing strategy. For crowdfunding with a video pitch and weekly video updates for funders/contributors. And for sharing behind-the-scenes of our work at Goodspero and of our daily lives as founders.

Segmented video storytelling is a powerful way for businesses and professionals to connect with target audiences on a deeper level. By understanding audiences, creating tailored content, and picking the right channels to publish, we can win the game of video. By doing this, we share stories that increase engagement, create awareness, inspire, inform, and drive people to take action. So let’s get back to it!

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“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but the stories you tell.”

– Seth Godin

*Images generated by Open AI DALL·E 3 in ChatGPT-4 / 1st image edited by our Co-Founder, Jessica Bolaños in Canva.