Cheat sheet: Different types of marketing videos
Rapid advancements in mobile technology and access to high speed wireless internet connections has forever changed the way people all over the world consume online content.
With instant downloads and streaming capabilities through handheld cell phones and other devices, video is now the most effective way to reach and engage with large groups of consumers.
Small businesses that are taking advantage of video marketing can enjoy plenty of benefits, including:
- Increasing their online presence, brand awareness, and overall reputation
- More sales
- The ability to take hold of a larger share of an increasingly oversaturated digital market
Video is a powerful way to deliver branded messages and valuable information about the products and services your business provides. Viewers of online video content are able to absorb and retain your messages far better than through traditional text or even photo galleries.
Publishing quality video content that engages, entertains, and informs consumers is the most powerful digital marketing tool available.
Video statistics
The statistics speak for themselves:
- 81% of businesses today rely on video as an important marketing tool
- When you post a video on your home page or landing pages, it can boost conversion rates up to 80%
- Facebook executives envision their platform to consist of all video and no text by the year 2021
- Video viewers will retain up to 95% of your message when they see it in a video, compared to 10% if they read it in text only
- Close to 2 billion people use YouTube, which amounts to almost a third of all internet users
What video can do
Today, video is used for a wide range of business marketing and internal applications. It is the most powerful tool you have, and it can be used to:
- Build trust in your brand
- Explain a concept
- Increase exposure, consumer engagement
- Increase sales, revenue
- Inform audiences
- Inspire movements
- Introduce a product
- Show off customer loyalty
- Tell a story
Types of digital marketing videos
There are various types of videos to help grow your business. When planning your video marketing strategy, consider the following:
- Trends within your industry
- Your specific marketing goals
- Your video production objectives
- Any budget constraints
There are five common types of digital marketing videos:
- Brand videos
- Product or service videos
- Thought leadership videos
- Trust building videos
- Videos that increase views, exposure
Brand videos
Your brand is your business’s most important asset. It shows the public who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Brand videos give you the chance to define your brand and showcase those elements that make you stand out among the competition. Use this video content to introduce your company to the public and show the best of your operation.
Brand videos can include:
- Company overview: Let prospective customers, partners, vendors, contractors, and your employees know who are and what you stand for.
- Leadership team videos: Showcase your team of professionals who drive your business on a day-to-day basis. Leadership team videos provide context and build trust for your most important audiences.
- Brand culture videos: These videos are used to highlight crucial elements of your business that define the tone and culture of your brand.
- Recruiting videos: Video is an effective way to attract the most qualified candidates to add to your staff. Present your business goals and set the expectations for recruits who can add the most to your company.
Product or service videos
Product videos allow your video marketing strategy to display and highlight the products and services your business specializes in.
Some examples of product and service videos:
- Product overview: Give viewers a look at the products and services you provide. Showcase the main features, benefits, and functions that provide solutions to their problems, issues, and needs.
- Social media ad: Showcase your products and services on those social media platforms that will reach consumers most likely to be interested in your business.
- Lifestyle video: Put potential customers in the lifestyle your products and services promote. Allow your viewers the chance to see your business in real life situations and show them how your products will fit into their lives.
- Unboxing video: Unboxing videos have become extremely popular. There are a number of YouTube pages dedicated to these videos that share the experience of opening up products for the first time. These videos will engage your audiences and get them excited about your products.
- Product testimonial: Testimonials that share real life stories from satisfied customers are highly effective at instilling a sense of trust in your products and your brand.
Thought leadership videos
Showcasing the depth and talent of the leaders in your business will demonstrate to consumers that you are a trusted source in your industry.
Types of thought leadership videos can include:
- Interviews with key members: Let your team extol the virtues of your business operations by sharing their personal experiences. They know the way your company works better than anyone and can provide passionate, knowledgeable information about your products and the ways your business services your customers.
- Educational/informative videos: Video production is an effective way to inform and educate your customers about details and processes related to your products and services. Take complicated processes and break them down into more easily understood segments. Educational videos also have the benefit of being able to stop, re-watch, and archive the information for later use.
- Instructional/how-to videos: How-to and instructional videos, such as animated explainer videos, have been a mainstay since the beginnings of YouTube and other digital video sources. These videos allow you to address all concerns and answer any questions about your products.
- FAQ videos: The FAQ page on your website provides all the valuable information your customers need regarding the operation of your business. Video versions that address the same information are powerful assets that can be shared, archived, and included in a variety of applications, from new customer introductions and email marketing campaigns.
Trust building videos
Connecting and engaging with new and existing customers will let them know that you are a responsive company that has their best interests in mind. This builds trust in your standing as a valued resource in your industry.
Videos that help build trust and loyal customer satisfaction:
- Customer welcome videos: It is crucial to establish a relationship with new customers from the start. Welcome videos allow you to connect and make them feel like a valued member of your business operations.
- Customer onboarding videos: Provide everything new customers will need to maximize the benefits, features, and functions of your products and services.
- New customer instructional videos: Instructional videos for new customers will instill a confidence that they will get the most out of your business and give them all the information they need to get started.
Videos that increase views, exposure
Videos are the most powerful digital marketing tool you have to generate large amounts of traffic and expose your brand to the masses through social media and other digital marketing properties.
Videos designed to increase your presence on important online platforms include:
- Viral videos: You cannot simply set out to produce a video that will go viral. Many factors influence whether content will create a buzz and be shared and re-shared by large numbers of viewers. The key is to continue to post engaging, entertaining, and informative videos that strike a chord with your viewing audience.
- Funny videos: Funny videos act as a great equalizer. When you can entertain your viewers with humorous content, they are able to make a stronger connection to your business and your brand. Humor is subjective, so proceed cautiously with videos that you think are funny, as they may not be others.
- Paid media videos: Social media networks, search engines, blogs, apps, podcasts, and other digital outlets offer a wide range of paid media advertising opportunities. Pay-per-click advertising campaigns are designed to target specific groups of target audiences based on demographic metrics like age, location, and income.
Video helps to increase your online presence
Once a fringe accessory, video content has evolved from your traditional TV commercials and is now considered an essential component of any digital marketing campaign. Video content is designed to increase your online presence, grow your brand awareness, and drive targeted consumers to your website.
