You know the importance of publishing effective brand videos, but actually doing it consistently is easier said than done. Content that’s intended to build your brand and separate your company from the competition is distinct from material meant to educate or entertain – though the best videos do serve multiple functions. The best ways to enhance your brand video creation skills is to look at who’s knocking it out of the park and consider some tips you can use right now.

• Ben & Jerry’s: This decadent ice cream practically sells itself in video ads, but Ben & Jerry’s decided to take a different route with their latest campaign. The content is a day-in-life video that was shot on-site and depicts the production process. Employees seem like friends, drawing in a community attracted to the brand.

• Dove: The Company’s “Real Beauty Sketches” strips off the makeup and airbrushing to show how women are naturally beautiful without all the fluff. Women relate more to the brand when they see a reflection of themselves rather than a stick-thin, gorgeous 20-year-old model.

• KFC: Fried chicken is synonymous with a Southern gentleman in a white suit and black tie, but we hadn’t seen much of Colonel Sanders until recently. KFC has brought him back with a modern spin, and he’s getting back to brand roots with his message.

• Tell your story with a social object: A “social object” is the content that’s the topic of conversation between and among users of social media. It could be a video, image, infographic or another type of content shared with others, who are then inspired to discuss the object. To turn your video into a social object, you must do some great storytelling, as your prospects don’t want to be sold to – even if they already like your brand.

• Don’t overdo it: You can’t splash your logo or company themes all over your video and expect to have a positive impact on branding. It’s distracting and interferes with your message. Instead, take a subtle approach. Do what experts call “pulsing” your brand, which means weaving it into the story subtly.

• You can go longer than other video types: It’s true that your viewers start to get antsy and click away from video content when it hits a certain length, but with branding, you can go longer than other types of marketing. Studies show that branding videos are shared more often when they’re between 2 – 3 minutes in duration; sharing is increased five-fold if they’re beyond four minutes. Length is a good thing when it’s required to unfold a captivating story.

• Invest in native advertising for brand videos: Organic is always best in content marketing, but that goal is sometimes best achieved with paid advertising; however, not just any ads will do. You need to go native with placement – the kind of ads that blend into the landscape of a site as if they’re part of the story.

You can set yourself up for success with brand videos by taking a look at what works for some of the major companies, but some pointers are also helpful in providing guidance. These tips show you how to actually put the approach to work for your company, so you’re not left spinning your wheels and wondering why you don’t see results.