How to Use Video to Tell the Best Stories

Traditional Marketing Meets Visual Creativity

Hadassa Haack is a freelance content marketer, digital magazine editor, and producer/director of branded short films. She’s the owner of HadassaHaack.com, but specifically hasn’t started an agency because she wants the flexibility of being a freelancer and likes putting teams together as she goes.
Based between Frankfurt, Germany and Sydney, Australia, Hadassa joined the episode recording at 11 pm her time, which was a “good excuse to make coffee at night.”
Hadassa has a traditional marketing background, which she loves because it helps her work with brands and truly understand their requirements; she’s not only able to do great creative work, but also understands how to put creativity to work on behalf of a brand.
When she was on the corporate side of marketing (and especially now as a freelancer), she has always found it easy to put herself in the audience’s shoes. She constantly stands up for them and remind brands and other marketers that people don’t connect with brands and products, but they do connect with human stories and great narratives. To Hadassa, video is the best way to bring great stories to life.

In This Episode

• The differences between amazing and mediocre videos
• Why building video content into your content strategy is essential
• How to utilize short videos and visuals on social media platforms
• A comparison of Vimeo and YouTube
• Video content ROI that isn’t tied directly to products

Quotes From This Episode

“Be authentic. Be honest. Don’t be boring. That’s what I keep repeating.” —@hadassahaack
“Marketers forget people are really note interested about your product. They’re not interested in your company. People don’t connect with brands. They connect with other people. What do you do about that? To me, the solution is you tell a good story.” —@hadassahaack
“If you tell a good story, it should be entertaining, informational, or educational, or preferably all three wrapped into one.” —@hadassahaack

“With video, you have everything together. You have the images. You have music. You can have a narrative. You can have somebody talk. There are so many things that come together that appeal to the senses. It does sort of replace a little bit the sitting around the campfire and sharing stories, as it was. It’s still what we love. Why not use it for brand message?” —@hadassahaack

“It doesn’t have to be a big production. It doesn’t have to be a big team. It doesn’t have to be a huge budget. Much more important is the idea and that everyone is excited about it. That will always come across. And if it fits the brand and is something people really want to see.” —@hadassahaack
“Not every film will be a huge success. Some work better than others and sometimes it’s not even clear why.” —@hadassahaack

Resources

• HadassaHack.com
• Hadassa’s Vimeo staff picks & other films referenced in the episode
• Mercedes-Benz Vimeo
• Mercedes-Benz YouTube

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Now that she lives in Australia, it’s become clear to Hadassa that she’s a very outdoorsy person who loves adventure. Her grandfather is a forester, and she grew up riding horses and being outside. So there was a time when she wanted to be a vet, but she also wanted to be a forester because it was a bit of business as well as being outside.
“I guess the other side of me has always been the creative side, writing and images. I think it’s come together, somehow. Throw in some sharks and whales, and I think it was pretty much there from the beginning.”