Omniscreening and the death of brand narrative sounds rather academic, but all you need to know is the days of one-screen storytelling are long gone. Today, your audience isn’t just on one device – they’re flipping between smartphones, laptops, tablets and smart TVs, sometimes all at once.
Businesses with strong multi-channel customer engagement retain 89% of their customers. To succeed in multiple video channels, brands must do more than just show up. They need to tell cohesive, compelling stories across every touchpoint.
Opportunities for multiple video channels
Content that fits the platform
All of the video channels have their own ecosystem. The energy of TikTok doesn’t belong on LinkedIn, just as a detailed case study doesn’t work on IG Reels. Instead, think about what each platform is designed for:
- TikTok and Instagram Reels: Short, high-impact bursts of content work best here. Focus on humour, trends, or eye-catching visuals to grab attention. TikTok, for example, saw 1 billion monthly active users in 2023, and its engagement rates far exceed those of other platforms (Influencer Marketing Hub).
- YouTube Shorts: Think of these as the bridge between TikTok-style snippets and longer YouTube content. Shorts are perfect for teasers, quick tips, or simplified insights. With over 50 billion daily views on YouTube Shorts, this format is becoming critical for brands to engage younger audiences (YouTube Blog).
- LinkedIn: A more professional environment, ideal for sharing logical beats like thought leadership, case studies, or industry insights. Content on LinkedIn should inform and build trust, targeting decision-makers who are 2x more likely to engage with in-depth articles or video explainers.
- YouTube (Full-Length): For deep dives, long-form storytelling is key. Here’s where you can go beyond the surface—whether through product tutorials, customer testimonials, or brand documentaries.
Duolingo’s TikTok is an excellent example of this as it is funny, trend-driven content, while their LinkedIn features user success stories and professional updates
One Story, Many Angles
Your brand story needs to work across every platform – but that doesn’t mean repeating the same message. Instead, break it into beats that suit each audience and format.
For example:
Start with
- Start with an emotional hook on Instagram to grab attention.
- Use LinkedIn to provide logical, detailed proof of your solution.
- Drive it all home with an in-depth YouTube case study.
Your story should feel consistent but evolve as the audience moves from one touchpoint to the next.
Blend Emotion and Logic
A useful way to look at brand storytelling is through beats. You need to ensure that the beats of your brand story work in partnership with one another across channels. Indeed the opportunity is there for brands that can tell their story well across channels.
Great stories don’t just appeal to the head – they speak to the heart too. Emotional beats make your audience care. Logical beats give them the reasons to act. The secret is knowing when and where to use each.
- Emotional Beats: These create a visceral connection with your audience. On short-form platforms like TikTok or YouTube Shorts, your priority is grabbing attention and leaving a lasting impression.
- Logical Beats: These are where you convince. On platforms like LinkedIn or YouTube, logic-driven content provides value through facts, case studies, or thought leadership.
For example, Nike expertly weaves emotional beats into their TikTok and Instagram campaigns, showcasing inspiring athlete stories. But on LinkedIn, their focus shifts to thought leadership, sharing data-backed insights into sustainability and innovation (Nike LinkedIn).
Be Guided by Data
No strategy is complete without measurement. Data isn’t just a tool—it’s your compass. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) across platforms helps you refine and improve your storytelling over time.
Metrics to watch include:
- Engagement Rates: Track likes, shares, and comments to gauge emotional impact.
- Completion Rates: Measure how many viewers stay until the end of your videos.
- Cross-Platform Movement: Analyse how audiences move between channels. For example, do Instagram viewers click through to your YouTube channel or LinkedIn articles?
Using tools like Google Analytics, TikTok Insights, or LinkedIn Campaign Manager can reveal insights into what’s resonating—and what isn’t.
Minutes and moments – the opportunity
There are also opportunities in the minutes you have to tell your story on YouTube and Vimeo and in the moments on TikTok and Instagram. How could you tell your brand story in 6s, 15s, and 1.59 minutes? It’s a good exercise to try.
– We’re Hurricane.
– We used to create stories for TV.
– Now we tell stories for brands.
If we then had 15s, we could add more, and still more with YouTube. Could you tell your brand stories within these different constraints?
As a video marketing company, our brand story speaks through our work.
What to take away?
Brands which clarify their message and have all the beats working together will do well. It’s all about joined up thinking. Those who can’t simplify their story into short beats which work together will pay the price.
- Reach customers any time / any place
- Clarify your message
- Ensure your story beats are working together
- Create joined up campaigns
- Linking channels with themes and ♯ to cut through
- Target your audience with content on these different platforms
The brand narrative is dead…
… long live brand narratives. Video channels offer us more opportunities to tell our stories. Our audiences are on their smartphones looking for content at any time, anywhere. Brands, which live and breathe the forms, understand their audience and create content for them, will thrive.
But it’s a competitive environment. Brands must not only tell their stories across channels but tell them well. The question is, are you ready to tell your story everywhere? Let’s make it happen.
