Questions to Ask to Define Your Brand's Video Style

Producing an effective video goes beyond simply turning on a camera and hitting "record." Videos remain the king of content, and a well-defined video style can make or break how your brand is perceived and how well you communicate with your audience.

But how do you establish a video style that reflects your brand's identity? It starts with asking the right questions.

1. What is the core message you want to communicate?

Every video should have a clear objective, whether it’s to educate, entertain, inspire or inform. Before you even begin thinking about camera angles or editing techniques, it’s important to define the core message you want to communicate.

• What is the key takeaway for your audience?
• Is this video promoting a product, building brand awareness or telling a story about your company’s values?

Having a clear message will help guide decisions around tone, pace, visuals and music, ensuring everything aligns with your overall brand goals while also providing a cohesive experience for your viewer.

2. Who is your target audience?

Your audience should influence nearly every aspect of your video’s style. Are you targeting Gen Z, millennials, baby boomers or professionals in a specific industry? The video’s style should resonate with your audience's preferences, interests and behaviors. For example:

• If your audience is younger and trendy, you might opt for fast-paced editing, bold colors and popular music.
• For a more professional audience, you may want to lean into sleek, polished visuals with sophisticated, minimalistic design elements.

Understanding your audience’s values, needs and viewing habits will help you design a video style that speaks directly to them.

3. What tone and emotion do you want to evoke?

Do you want your video to feel lighthearted, serious, inspirational or humorous? The tone of your video sets the emotional stage for how viewers engage with your content. For example:

• A playful tone might use vibrant colors, lively music and a more relaxed script.
• A more serious or professional tone could feature slower pacing, muted colors, and soft, ambient music.

Knowing the emotional response you want to trigger helps inform how you craft your video, from scripting to visual elements.

4. What kind of brand personality are you conveying?

Your video style should reflect your brand’s personality. Is your brand bold and daring, or warm and approachable? Does your brand have a high-energy, modern vibe, or a classic, timeless feel? Your brand personality should guide decisions around:

• Visual elements: color schemes, typography, lighting.
• Music: energetic beats or calming, instrumental tones.
• Narrative style: are you telling a story, sharing information or making a sales pitch?

Consistency in the style of your videos builds trust and recognition with your audience over time.

5. Where will the video be published?

Different platforms have different expectations and best practices for video content. For instance, a video on YouTube needs a longer format and more polished production (unless it is for YouTube Shorts), while Instagram or TikTok videos need to be shorter, snappier and designed to capture attention quickly. Ask yourself:

• Where is the audience you want to reach?
• What platform will host the video?
• What are the platform’s technical requirements (video dimensions, length, aspect ratio)?
• What type of content performs best on this platform?

This will inform decisions about the pacing, length and even how you approach the video’s call to action.

6. What are your competitors doing with video?

While it’s important to be unique, it's equally important to understand industry standards and trends. Competitor analysis can help you identify gaps in the market, best practices to emulate and opportunities for differentiation. Ask yourself:

• How are competitors using video to engage their audiences?
• What type of video content are they producing (e.g., tutorials, behind-the-scenes, product demos)?
• What type of content would you want if you were a customer?
• What is missing that would have the biggest impact?
• What seems to be working well, and what could be improved?

This research will give you inspiration and help you carve out a unique video style that stands out.

7. What resources do you have for video production?

Developing a video style also depends on the resources at your disposal. Consider your production budget, equipment and talent. Are you working with a small, in-house team or hiring external professionals? Do you have access to high-end cameras, or will you be shooting with a smartphone? 

• If you have a bigger budget, you might be able to invest in professional lighting, high-quality editing software and skilled videographers.
• If your budget is more limited, you can still achieve a your desired result with a focus on creativity and strategic planning, using simpler equipment and DIY production methods.

Understanding your resources helps you make practical decisions about what’s achievable, while still staying true to your brand's style.

8. How do you stay consistent across multiple videos?

Once you've established the core elements of your brand's video style, it's crucial to maintain consistency across all future video content. Consistent style reinforces brand identity and helps build recognition with your audience. Consider creating a video style guide that includes:

• Your brand’s color palette, fonts and logo usage.
• Standardized intro and outro templates, transitions and ID bars.
• Music and tone guidelines.

Developing a video style for your brand requires careful thought, creative vision and strategic planning. By asking the right questions, you can craft videos that not only tell your story but also resonate with your audience and reinforce your brand identity with a cohesive brand experience. Remember, videos are a reflection of who you are as a brand—make sure your style tells that story in a way that’s memorable, engaging and true to your core values.

If you've read this and though, "we need help," we've got a team of experts ready to collaborate and support your goals! Email content@akcmarketing.com.