How to leverage Video to Build a Luxury EXPERIENCE.

There comes a time in every successful business, when the success leads to a defining decision: do you keep serving as many clients as possible, or do you further refine, define, and elevate your business’ client experience? For many, the path toward a well-defined niche is highly attractive. Perhaps you align more with a specific clientele or a niched focus that better leverages your strengths and interests. Or, you realize that an increased emphasis on one area or niche allows you focus more on the client experience and delivering repeatable, satisfying results for your clients. This not only allows you to streamline many aspects of your process and services, but it increases your odds of referrals because you are the best in the business as it relates to this area.

This type of business can be described in many ways: boutique, luxury, niche, etc. For today’s blog post, we will be referring to this style of business as a luxury brand. Regardless of which term you align with more, taking your business to this next level requires deliberate positioning. Video will not be the end all be all here; a quality website, strong messaging, and an attractive social presence are all key ingredients to achieving this in your business. However, video can be a powerful tool when trying to elevate your content, position yourself as the consummate guide, and separate yourself from the crowd. Today, we will be sharing what types of videos serve the luxury business model, and what makes them stand out above the rest.

The Law of Reciprocity

Key to any luxury brand is something that our team refers to as “the law of reciprocity”. The concept in essence is this: if you want others to invest in you, you have to be willing to invest in yourself and your brand/business. Anytime someone engages with a business, they are making an investment of time, money, and emotional energy. If a potential client or customer sees a business that does not appear to have invested in quality branding, it can be a huge turn off. Subconsciously, this person may question if the business truly believes in the product or service they are offering, and if it’s really worth investing in. If a business’ branding looks cheap, the type of people it will attract might also be cheap. Inversely, if you see a business that has invested tremendously in itself, it is apparent in both its presentation and how it feels. It has a certain energy that is so attractive that people can’t help but be drawn in, and the sales process becomes an easy and enjoyable experience on both ends of the transaction. This feeling only comes when a business has poured it’s heart and soul into itself. When it comes to investing in video: the look, feel, and execution are key triggers to capturing that energy and the feeling you want to convey to the world.

Leverage a Brand Video

One of the best videos to capture your brand would be a brand video. This is a video that is incredibly versatile, and can be highly customizable. Luxury businesses sell much more than a product or service: they sell an experience, an approach, a philosophy, and/or an aspirational identity. For example, a modern architecture firm is not just a company that puts together blue prints. Instead, their approach and philosophy to design is part of the sell itself. The identity they sell is one in which your lifestyle and home are in harmony with one another - enabling you to live your most authentic life at home. Your brand video allows you to capture such philosophies, beliefs, and aspriational identities. By communicating these things, you give people the opportunity to buy-in to those beliefs and identities. Since video can communicate a message while conveying a feeling, this is a potent mix when trying to distinguish yourself in the marketplace.

establish credibility through case studies

Luxury brands are typically higher-ticket purchases. If your approach is customizable, and involves some sort of a process, leveraging client case study videos can be a great way to shine a light on how you lead people through this process to achieve success. Think of these as supercharged testimonials: rather than a few nice words, these case study videos feature deliberate, strategic messaging. A Client Case Study video has three main pillars: client background/problem identification, client engagement/transformation journey, and ending with the resolution/success. Within the first pillar, you can paint the ideal client you are most suited to serve. By showing empathy and understanding for the client's journey, you build a sense of rapport and trust with prospective clients that may be facing a similar problem or aspiration. In the engagement phase, you can shed a light on what approaches you employed that ultimately led your clients to success. The last impression is the lasting impression, which is why it is important to end with emotion. Showing the client’s overall satisfaction and transformation is what viewers will remember most, and it’s what validates everything that has been said prior.

be the consummate guide

Any luxury brand goes above and beyond for its clients. Whether it be in the form of education, time commitment, customization, empathy, or going the extra mile to deliver a result. As a luxury brand, being seen as a professional, competent, and caring guide is key. There are two types of videos that help position yourself in this light: Consumer Education Videos, and Internal Process Videos. Consumer education videos can be created to educate customers on a both industry-related topics, and topics that are specific to your organization. Let’s use the modern architecture firm example again. There are aspects of the architectural process that are consistent across firms, but that many consumers may not know much about. For example, what is the purpose of a blueprint? From a luxury angle, it could be helpful to talk about what ways your initial conversations affect the blueprint, and how that blueprint is then used to vet the right contractors to execute the vision. Additionally, you can use consumer education videos to share specific aspects of what it is like to work with your organization. Perhaps there is a systematic approach you take every client through, even if it is slightly customized for each client. Shedding light on this adds clarity, removes confusion, and builds confidence with those who are contemplating the idea of engaging with your business.

Internal process videos are used once a prospect has turned into a client. If there are routine steps or milestones you take clients through, sometimes having an automated video that is triggered by certain milestones can be a beneficial form of proactive communication. While these types of videos are not meant to replace one-on-one conversations, they can help clients feel in the loop and be educated about each step of the process. Returning to our architecture firm example, let’s say there are three milestones: initial contact, design renderings complete, and bid requests submitted. For each of these touchpoints, there are typically next steps and a future conversation to be had. Upon initial contact, a trigger response can be sent to immediately thank the prospect for reaching out, and that a representative will be reaching out in the next 24-48 hours to schedule the first meeting. Or, when some design renderings are completed, perhaps it is customary to schedule a time to review the designs together. An automatic trigger can get sent out notifying the clients of the completion of the designs, followed by a prompt to schedule a time at their earliest convenience to review the designs with their architect. A third video can be sent out to let the client know that bid requests have been submitted, and to reiterate what to expect during that process.

Consumer eduction videos and internal process videos are that extra touch that allow you to strengthen your relationship with potential and existing clients, increasing your odds of glowing reviews and referrals.

Conclusion

When done well, video can be an incredibly valuable tool to take your business to the next level, and craft a luxury experience for your clients. If you’re ready to elevate your brand, consider investing in the videos mentioned to assist your other marketing efforts in attracting and retaining your dream clients. We recommend to begin by investing in a quality brand video, then testimonial case studies, and then complete your holistic video approach by creating consumer education & internal process videos.

Need help using video to take your brand to the next level? You can reach out to us here.