Saying that videos are the way forward would be an understatement. From quickly grabbing snippets of world news to understanding a product to keeping themselves entertained, consumers turn to one type of content. Yes, we are talking about videos. When a picture can speak a thousand words, imagine how many a video can! That’s why brands continue to expand their investment in the many marketing video types.
But when we say video marketing, it’s quite a broad term, isn’t it? Well, the meaning is simple – it is about using videos in marketing. But what video types should a brand really use? You perhaps already know that the list of marketing video types is quite long. But there are a few types that every brand benefits from. We’ll talk about those marketing video types in this blog.
Videos are the best tools to demonstrate your products/services. Seeing your product in action is more convincing than constantly reading about the built-in features in ads.
The demonstration can be an extensive one covering the whole features list if you are creating long-form videos for YouTube. Or if you need short-form videos that you can also reuse on social media, pick one feature or application and demonstrate it.
The below video from Google talks about a single feature of the Google Home App clearly.
Demo videos help people understand your product better and help them make the most of it. And this makes this one of the most important video types to include in your content plan.
While demo videos often talk about the product and the features that people see on the outside, explainer videos mostly focus on the technology behind them. It helps educate your audience on various topics.
In the below video, Microsoft explains how Azure works.
According to Google, about 86% of YouTube viewers in the U.S. use the platform to learn something new. And one of the most important video types that helps in this aspect is explainer video.
Remember, if your brand becomes a credible source of information for this knowledge-hungry consumer demographic, it helps your brand in many ways. And one of them is that your brand emerges as a credible authority, an industry expert. That’s a great way to use video marketing to build trust.
Did you know that nearly 92% of consumers check online reviews before they make a purchase decision? That’s why even big brands make it a point to share customer reviews through email, social media, and other platforms. People are eager to know what others are saying about the business they have chosen to work with.
That’s one reason why your video marketing plan is incomplete without testimonial videos. Testimonial videos. If you do not have access to actual videos of customer sharing their stories, you can create videos with the reviews customers post on various platforms. Either way, customers and leads love hearing it from the actual people who have experienced your products or services.
Giving customers a preview of the backstage activities is one way to make them feel closer to your brand. This works especially when there is a new product coming up. You can create behind-the-scene videos combining the concepts of demo videos and explainer videos as a way to tell the story behind your product.
Videos like the one above help customers understand the technology and effort that goes into making your product. And the little backstory helps customers appreciate your product a little more.
Like the story behind a particular product, the story behind your brand is also effective content to include in your video marketing strategy. This can be in the form of a video that takes customers down the memory lane of your brand delving into its origin. If there was an innovative idea that paved the way for the inception of your brand, focus on the idea.
The story behind your brand tells the reason why your business was born. These videos help customers understand your brand and look at it from a new perspective. This is an excellent way to humanize your brand. And you also get to shape your brand image through brand backstory videos.
Here’s a creative and brief one from Ben & Jerry’s.
You can also use these videos to kindle nostalgia in your loyal customers. Those who have stuck with your brand over the years will be able to relate to the old packaging and the old logo.
Videos like these are meant to capture the idea of how your brand embraces change and evolves with the market.
Having spoken about focusing on your products and brands through various video types, we should also talk about focusing on the people behind your brand.
Employee appreciation videos and corporate culture videos are some ways to share the stories of the people who keep your business running.
In the below video, McDonald’s focuses on the story of a franchisee.
Every time you speak about your brand and the people behind it, your customers are learning something new about your brand. And that makes them feel closer to your brand. These videos are also great to show customers how much you value your employees.
Nearly 61% of consumers prefer shopping from brands that treat their employees well. So, videos that focus on your employee culture have the potential to win your employees’ hearts and your customers’ hearts too.
Influencer marketing spending in the U.S. grew to $4.14 billion in the year 2022. The approach to influencer marketing changes now that more brands are targeting micro-influencers for better engagement. But the fact remains that influencer marketing is a crucial part of building a brand on social media.
Influencer content can be shared in various formats but videos are some of the most effective. This can be a video demonstrating the collaborating influencer’s experience with your brand. It takes customer testimonial videos to the next level.
Influencers are people who have the power to “influence” consumers and to convince them to try an idea they recommend. This potential comes from steadily creating content that customers enjoy and that’s only possible when the influencer understands his or her audience really well.
Therefore, when you collaborate with influencers, you are taking your brand one step closer to eliminating communication barriers and making it easier for your target customers to trust your brand.
If you are looking for ways to revamp your video marketing effort, share influencer content in the form of videos. They convert well and engage better too.
In the above video, for example, Wendy’s shares an influencer’s experience in trying one of the recently introduced flavors. Times when you introduce something new, either a new feature or a new product, are great times to build awareness through influencer collaborations.
When you have to create video ads or even wishes for special occasions, don’t forget to add an emotional dimension to your videos. During holidays, for example, video marketing can be of great value in helping you connect with your customers right when they are in a strong emotional state.
Consumer shopping patterns change drastically close to holidays. They are buying more, spending more and some are even willing to try a new brand. So, make use of such occasions to show your brand in the best light. Emotional marketing is what makes this possible.
Globally acclaimed brands are known to ride the emotional marketing wave especially close to holidays because this is a tried and true idea. The below video from Coca-Cola is the perfect example of how you can use video marketing to strengthen the emotional ties between your brand and your audience.
Now that you know the different video types that work toward strengthening your brand recognition and awareness, all you need is a plan of action. For the ideas, your brand and its origin stories as well as your customers are the best sources of information. Next comes the step of actually creating your videos. There are several online video makers that come in handy. Or if you need to have a constant source of video content while also saving your budget, an unlimited video subscription is just what you need. Once you know that there is a strong plan for video design, you can experiment with new ideas and identify the video types that work best for your brand.
