Large and small business owners alike are turning to video marketing to help increase sales.
Why?
Because marketing research shows 76.5% of marketers and business owners are seeing results with video marketing. For those of you who don’t know what the advertising world is like, let’s just say those are incredible statistics.
Increasing brand awareness and generating leads is the top priority for any successful or wanna-be successful business. Video marketing takes care of both priorities, and quite well.
The question is, what type of video content do you need to post?
How to Choose the Right Type of Video
Choosing the right type of video content depends entirely on you, your company, your message, and the target audience you’re trying to appeal to.
For example, while comical videos are a fantastic marketing tool, they may not be an appropriate tactic for a company who deals with sick and dying children.
This leads to another vital point of video marketing– know your audience. This is more important than most businesses know. Don’t waste valuable resources such as time and money by targeting the wrong audience.
An example of poor targeting would be using Facebook’s advertising system to target all persons 18-45 in a 300-mile radius to promote Depends Adult Diapers. If you don’t understand why: read that sentence again.
When trying to decide upon the right type of video marketing strategy, remember these 3 points:
- What is the feel and purpose of your business?
- What message are you trying to get across?
- Who is your target audience/ideal customer?
Now let’s take a look at your options.
1. Guest Interviews
Guest interviews are popular for two reasons.
First, it shows potential customers that it’s not just you who thinks your company knows what it’s talking about. Having a guest speaker reinforcing your product and services claims and will help consumers trust you.
Second, it imposes a level of credibility. Having a guest speaker, such as an expert in the field, bolsters the foundation of your company’s products or services. It gives consumers a reason to buy from you.
2. Customer Interviews
Possibly even better than guest interviews is customer interviews.
No other type of video content makes people want to buy from you like positive customer interviews. Hearing from the mouths of your customers how helpful your products are is exactly what people need in order to get off the fence.
A collaboration of 10-20 short clips of happy and satisfied customers boasts well for your company on multiple levels.
- Obviously, it shows you have a reputable way of doing business
- It shows you are a personable, interactive business
- It shows how much you care about your customers
3.How-To Videos
People love DIY stuff. They just do, even if they’re terrible at it. And that’s okay.
Why? Because it makes them feel like they’ve accomplished something.
A how-to type of video is no different. It inspires the same feelings and allows people to learn. Additionally, DIY projects are fun and usually cheap, and people like that too.
Finally, a DIY video helps connect you to your followers. Interacting with them via DIY videos communicates a sense of relationship, which bodes well for your business.
4. Q & A Videos
Another type of video that tends to be a big hit with customers and potential customers is Q & A videos.
Run a campaign through your social media pages and email lists asking people to post any questions they may have about your products and services. You should probably answer them back directly, however, that’s not the point.
The point is to compile a list of FAQs and then post a video going through the top contenders. You can announce the upcoming “answers video” while initially collecting questions if you want to avoid individually answering each one.
5. Testimonials
Testimonial videos are similar to customer review videos but operate on a deeper level.
A customer review is one stating how they felt about your service or product, while a testimonial is more of a “this changed my life” type of video. Testimonial videos from customers who were especially pleased with your business can be great leverage for winning over the hearts of consumers.
Imagine a weight loss company with a handful of testimonials from people who lost 50 pounds or better. Our guess is that other people looking to lose weight will invest some serious thought, and eventually money, into that company.
6. Product Reviews
Product reviews and customer reviews sound a bit the same, but we promise, they’re not.
A product review is a much more detailed view of the product or service under the microscope, whereas a customer review deals with their personal experience with it.
Product reviews can be done by you, legitimate customers, or affiliates from other blogs and websites. This type of video is great because it offers information and ratings potential customers may be looking for while considering your product.
7. Live Videos
Live streaming videos are some of the best types of videos for making consumers feel connected with you.
Watching a live presentation, how-to video, or webinar wherein people can ask you questions and interact with you speaks well to your customer service. People love hearing answers from the source.
Live videos carry a little more stress with them, because they’re generally not scripted, and if they are, it’s still live. Those in front of the camera need to be confident and quick on their feet.
You don’t want your live videos creating doubt in your customers.
8. Vlog (Video Blog)
Vlogging is pretty much identical to blogging, the exception being that the spoken word is used, rather than the written word.
Vlogs have several benefits:
- Vlogs are cheap and easy…er, that is, to make
- Vlogs can be more entertaining than blogs
- Vlogs allow you to spend 5-10 minutes producing content, rather than an hour or two
- More people will sit and watch a video rather than read a wall of text
9. Presentations
Back in our school days, Powerpoint presentations were all the hype. They were a great tool for teachers because people learn much better with pictures and visualizations than by text alone.
For instance, 90% of the information transferred to our brain is visual. We simply learn better with pictures and videos.
Imagine reading an explanation on how to do a perfect cartwheel versus watching a video.
It makes a big difference.
10. Product Launches
Did you know videos on social media are 12 times more likely to be shared than text and images combined? Well, now you do.
Product launches are one of the most successful types of videos marketers use, especially when it’s in parallel with a promotion on said product. These videos can be done live or during a week span.
The idea is to offer a limited time deal. For example, sell the product or service at 75% for the first week it’s on the market. Alternatively, you can offer a free bonus item during the entire first week of sales.
Product launches work on several levels:
- They promote a sense of urgency
- They create hype
- They give a new sales item a running start
- They generate leads and can add subscribers to your email list
- They improve brand awareness
11. Event Coverage Videos
Event coverages are popular, especially live videos.
Spend months promoting a special event over social media, email campaigns, and paid advertising to create hype. By reserving viewing slots, you can build anticipation as well as a sense of urgency.
Finally, provide unique and behind the scenes coverage for your followers to help them feel privileged and grateful. If you want to tie in a promotion or two, that’s up to you.
12. Animated Videos
Animated videos keep things simple and easy to understand.
This type of video is especially useful if your product or services are somewhat complex by nature. Similarly, animated videos make great use of charts and statistics, if your marketing strategy relies heavily upon numbers.
Finally, there’s something about animations that seems to make everything seem happier and lighter. Animated videos leave your followers feeling good about what they’ve seen and consequently, your business.
13. Video Series of Short Stories
If you are creative enough to create an entertaining and captivating series of short stories, this type of video series can win over serious clientele.
You can do short stories based on your products and services, your business’s history and origin, or even on you and your staff. It’s even acceptable to create fictitious and/or animated stories that reference your business and what it does.
The key is to grab the attention of potential customers. Be different than your competitors, people respond to genuine authenticity.
14. Roundup Videos
Roundup videos are the listicles of the video world. Listicles are the quintessential top 10 lists that everyone loves to read.
Why? Because listicles are:
- Entertaining
- Informative
- Easy to read
- Easy to remember
It’s really that simple.
Roundup videos do essentially the same thing. Pick a topic and create a top 10 list surrounding it. FYI, it can be any number, not just 10.
These videos are nearly guaranteed to get clicks. There’s even a scientific study about them because they’re so popular!
15. Behind the Scenes Videos
One type of video to consider letting viewers in on is a behind the scenes look at what your company does, and how it does it.
Think about it this way, as long as your company isn’t actually slaughterhouse, people want to see how their proverbial sausage is made. If it is a slaughterhouse, however, only do a behind the scenes video if you want to increase the number of vegetarians in the world.
Really though, it comes down to the human experience of seeing real people behind the scenes pulling strings and making everything come together. The more unscripted you make this type of video, the better.
16. Funny Skits
Similar to the short stories videos, using comedy skits as a video marketing tool is a great way to express some creativity, uniqueness, and get on a customer’s good side.
There’s nothing wrong with having a sense of humor, most people do, including your customers. Plus, nobody likes a person or a business who takes themselves too seriously.
In a world full of automated services, online ordering, and social media trolls, all people really want is a little human connection. If that connection comes with a little comedy, all the better.
17. Case Studies
Case study videos are similar to testimonials. Although, this type of video is based more on statistics and numbers than personal experiences.
Look at it as a large scale testimonial. Case studies can consist of several clients who share a common story of success, or long-term studies that look at one or more clients.
Case studies are all about statistics and numbers related to the claims of your products and services. The more factual and scientific they can be, the better.
18. Announcements
Announcement videos are a great way to generate hype and excitement about any new events, products, or promotions coming up.
These can be sent out to your email subscribers to advertise freely to existing customers or sent out to potential leads through social media advertising.
Make a big deal about what you’ve got up your sleeve. Even if you don’t get initial sales, you’ll likely bulk up your email list.
Finally, this is a great type of video to grow brand awareness. Just getting your name out there for more people to see can go a long way towards hitting the bottom line.
19. Text Overlay Videos
Somewhere around 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. This may not seem relevant, but we assure you, it is.
If you post a video on Facebook with you yapping behind the camera, 85% of the people watching won’t even know what the video’s about. Text overlay videos address this problem in an obvious, yet creative way.
By designing your video to be silent but wordy, you can save yourself the hassles of narrating and worrying about the large majority of people who won’t hear it anyway. This gives you a little bit of freedom for the footage you want to use as well as the background music.
Who Are We?
We are Dubb, the world’s conversion-focused video platform that lets you create, share, embed, and track videos from your screen, webcam or phone.
That’s off our front page. But it’s true nonetheless.
We are your number one source for video advertising. Any business, any market, any video. We can help.
Want a preview? Just check out some of our free e-books, or watch some of our own testimonials! You didn’t think we’d write about testimonials and not have them, did you?
Happy filming!
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