While every brand desires to connect with its customers, there’s one particular brand that’s paving the way for others: Monster Energy.

Monster energy is a beverage brand selling a range of caffeinated energy drinks. But according to Monster, they’re more than a beverage brand—they’re a lifestyle in a can.

With a strong focus on being active, energetic, and enjoying a good party, Monster has built an incredible brand community over the years with members who share the same values.

And a big part of their success has to do with their rebellious-themed lifestyle videos.

The world is living online, and, more than ever, customers crave a real connection. This is exactly why Shawn Paarmann, the Video Production Manager at Monster Energy, is on a mission to share the Monster lifestyle through engaging video content. 

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Inspiring community through video content

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From Facebook to Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok, Monster uses video content across various channels to share the Monster lifestyle with their audience. 

According to Shawn, video content is everything. It’s their main medium for translating what the brand and products stand for and to bring everyone together in a common space to participate in their active, rebellious community. 

“Video is there to serve the audience in the sense of bringing that experience of our values and our mission and our culture to you—wherever you are, wherever you're enjoying our product, and wherever you might want to be,” said Shawn. 

Even as an enterprise brand with tons of products, Monster captures this lifestyle well. They’re consistent with their storytelling, showing high-action videos of dirt biking, skateboarding, skiing, and other sporty themes. 

The goal? To capture or inspire a feeling toward Monster. 

And Shawn said this feeling of inspiration is what makes a good community-focused video: 

“Whatever sort of message you're trying to share, video is there to communicate both with words and visuals. And whether that's without words, or maybe it's text-on-screen, maybe there's no dialogue—there are ways to subtly and directly communicate things that provoke something in the viewer that is like a full sensory experience.” 

Katie Parkes, the Head of Social for Shopify's Global Marketing Team, shares a similar opinion, saying video can make customers feel like they’re in the room with you, even when they’re not.

“People crave connection, authenticity, and to feel like they are part of a meaningful, shared experience. The medium of video can give people the combination of all three of these things, instantly,” Katie said.

However, high-quality community content doesn’t just happen naturally. Shawn and the Monster team work hard to discover, source and create content that inspires action. Luckily, he shared several tips on how other brands (both small and on the enterprise level) can do it too. 

How to make good video content—the Monster way

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While Monster’s content shows a consistent lifestyle, every video varies depending on the main message and the product. Shawn said the best thing you can do is make people forget they’re watching a video. 

Here are Shawn’s tips for creating video content to build a community around your brand, from sourcing to publishing.

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‍1. Your audience must come first, always

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The most important part of your community is your customers. Without knowing who your main audience is and their interests, your video content might not resonate as well as you’d like it to. 

The best way to create content your customers will be interested in is to research the topics and trends they’re posting about and sharing the most. Essentially, let your customers inform your creative process. 

“You kind of let the audience decide, and you let them tell you what they want to experience with what they are sharing,” said Shawn.

When it comes to listening to your community’s needs, Meisha Bochicchio shares the same opinion as Shawn. Meisha is a Content Marketing Manager at Wistia, a popular video marketing software for businesses. 

According to Meisha, brands need to talk to their customers when making community content. 

“The best way to serve your community is to understand your audience better than anyone else. Take the time to research and have real conversations with your community members. What challenges them? What inspires them? Use this information to fuel your content,” She said.

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2. Avoid jumping on the trend bandwagon, just for the sake of it

Brands have to be careful of trends. Customers will show interest in new trends and influences, but it can be risky to jump on the bandwagon if it doesn’t align with your community values. 

Shawn says not all trends are good trends, so brands have to be careful.

“Oftentimes, that is just what it is—it's just a trend… If you're trying to do something because it's popular now, you risk your brand and the integrity of your mission and your values. So, to create something and source it from what's popular is sometimes a gamble.” 

The lesson? You should only participate in trends if there is a way for your brand to capitalize on them. If the trend fits well with your brand and your mission, it will introduce you to new audiences who hold the same beliefs. 

A good example of this was when Monster participated in the #bottlecapchallenge on TikTok, using a Monster drink and a jeep with Monster branding. The bottle cap challenge was similar to Monster’s usual content style, so the video worked well for their community.

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While it’s important to stay on-brand, Katie believes brands should be testing channels like TikTok to find new ways to introduce their products: 

“Use the power and fun of TikTok to create an engaging community for your customers. Get silly, get weird, and don't be afraid to try new ways of bringing your product into the scene. TikTok is powerful because the very nature of the platform is designed for shareable, easily consumable content that can travel far and help you reach lots of people, quickly.”‍

Key takeaway: Don’t be afraid to test new channels and new ideas, but know what opportunities align the best with your brand’s mission and values. 

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3. Own your creative freedom and personality 

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When asked if there’s a checklist video creators use when starting a new project, Shawn said there are technical rules, but creative freedom is important for adding individual style.

Brands should find their unique voice. If every creator followed the same template or checklist, there wouldn’t be any individuality.

Shawn said it comes down to knowing the experience you want your content to give your community. Getting that experience right can only happen when you add brand individuality, brand values, and your brand message to your content. 

“You kind of forget that you're making something and not just stamping it out—you're not just following a template and kicking it out the door. You're trying to craft something special. And sometimes that's personal.”

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4. Understand your community values and culture 

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According to Shawn, creators must capture the right message and make it clear, and that comes from working with all departments at the business: the marketing department, the sales department, and so on. 

When creating any new project, these departments should work together to ensure everyone is aligned with the strategic standpoint and the purpose. 

He also suggested taking time to get to know the brand and the products you’re working with, so you can tell stories in the best way for the business.

“As soon as you can capture and understand the values and the culture, that can more easily be seen through your work. The longer you experience the company, the brand, and the more you get to know the product, the more you understand the mission. That's where that'll translate into your work,” Said Shawn. 

5. Keep your content focused 

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A common mistake brands make with community content is trying to appeal to everyone. In theory, this may sound like you’ll reach a larger audience, but it gives you the opposite in practice. 

Shawn’s tip is simple: “Make sure that your visuals and your content within the video are speaking true to your values and your brand... You have to think of your community as your core strong base, no matter how big it is.” 

Keep your video content focused on your customers, your brand’s lifestyle, and your mission. And even if your community isn’t as big as you’d like it to be, keep nurturing that single audience’s interests for it to grow naturally. 

This way, you’re fostering a deeper relationship with like-minded individuals, which is the key to a strong brand community. 

“Whether you're using video to tell stories about your products, employees, founders, or other customers, people join branded communities because they want to feel something and be part of something unique or valuable. Video helps them feel and visualize that connection to your brand through a dynamic mix of storytelling, education, and entertainment.” - Katie Parkes

Across every channel, Monster has still kept every video focused on their rebellious audience. 

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6. Complement your videos with other community content

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Videos don’t have to be a stand-alone piece of content, according to Shawn. They can be supplemental in a variety of ways. 

And Katie Parkes from Shopify agreed: “Brands can leverage other marketing channels to complement their video efforts, like using video to create virtual experiences for customers to talk to stylists, other customers, or the founders of the brand. They can also plan events, live shopping moments, live or pre-recorded Q&As or AMAs, and even curate and share their video content in email newsletters and themed campaigns.”

Even for brands with a smaller team, there are still opportunities to work video into other community-focused content. 

For example, brands are now pairing their videos with long-form articles; they’re repurposing them into GIFs or TikTok videos, taking the audio to create audiograms, and even making podcasts. 

Most recently, Monster dabbled into the podcast space, using their Instagram video content to drive their community to tune in.

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In addition to repurposing and reusing your video content to engage with customers, Meisha from Wistia suggests taking it one step further and using video as the first step to something even more personal.

“The best part about communities is having active, meaningful conversations with other members. While video is a great first step in building connections and starting conversations, you can't beat the real thing. Live-streamed and in-person events are great ways to bring communities together and foster relationships. And if events are out of the question, consider other community perks like exclusive content or branded swag. These small gestures can make your community feel special and appreciated.” -Meisha Bochicchio

Consistency and relevancy 

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When customers watch your next video, it should feel like they're returning to a recognizable place where the content speaks to their values. Shawn said people feel confused if you change up your style too often.

However, creating consistent content isn’t the challenge—it’s keeping it relevant and interesting.

If you push out the same content and message for a long time, it risks becoming bland. “Customers might stop believing in that product or that community because they think, ‘Oh, well, okay. You've been saying the same thing. Are you current anymore?’” Said Shawn.

If brands can master creating focused content that consistently shares the right message while also keeping the ideas fresh, you’ve hit the video content goldmine. 

The best way to keep your content fresh is to pay attention to your customers: the interests, needs, preferences, and values of the people that make up your community can tell you a lot about the type of content you should create. 

Pro tip: As Shawn mentioned before, make sure you can see the difference between a good opportunity and a trend that doesn’t align with your values.

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Have a common mission, but give each product a voice

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It’s true that consistency is important with your brand voice, but for brands with a large product offering, like Monster, it’s okay to give each product its unique voice and personality—as long as it aligns with the brand’s broader values. 

Shawn believes giving each product a personality can help with keeping your video content fresh for your community: “We are an energy drink and lifestyle company. And that's going to be true across all brands and products and channels…But it's important to not blur the lines between each of your products because then they lose their voice and personality.”

This is true among all of Monster’s products. For example, customers can click through the drinks on the website, and each product has its own story and inspiration. 

The Dragon Tea tells the legend of tea creation, and the Ultra Fiesta is for the celebrators who want to stay up all night partying with their family. 

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Creating the perfect community video 

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You could put hours into creating content to nurture your brand community. You could even test multiple types on multiple channels. But the real question is, how can you measure the success of your community video content? 

Meisha from Wistia said measuring your video’s impact on a brand can be tricky since it’s not as simple as tracking the number of qualified leads. Instead, she said to look at engagement metrics, such as how long people view your videos, how much of it they’re consuming, and if you see an increase in overall subscribers or followers. 

“These are good indicators that you're reaching the right folks with the right content. And don't discount things you can't measure with a number. Qualitative feedback like comments and positive feedback are good indicators of community,” She said. 

Looking at deep metrics was a thought Katie from Shopify shared as well. She believes meaningful metrics include average engagement rate, shares, saves, and comments. 

If your engagement metrics are high, but your view count is mediocre, Katie said brands shouldn’t worry. As long as people are sharing, liking, commenting on and saving your videos, you were successful because it shows your community is willing to interact and advocate for your content.

In Shawn’s eyes, success is when you can get the viewer to forget they’re watching something—they’re completely sucked into the video, forgetting how long they’ve been watching and where they are. 

“It's not necessarily about getting all the views. It's about getting the right views. Are the right kinds of people you want to be part of your community engaging with and watching your video content? Don't be fooled by high view count numbers. You need to look at how long someone watched the content and what they do after they watch to prove success.” -Katie Parkes

If Shawn had to share just one top tip for brands using video to build a strong community, he said, “Create something true to your identity and voice. And try not to be everything to everyone.”

It can be easy to fall into the trap of creating content for the sake of creating content. Still, if your strategy isn’t focused and you aren’t spending time figuring out what’s resonating with your audience, you’re going to fall short. 

“Creating the best community comes down to being very intentional and very clear with your brand identity and your voice and how you communicate that best through video.”- Shawn Paarmanns