It’s hard to think of a more effective way to promote a business than videos. It’s informative, engaging, and you can share it as you see fit: make high-quality promo videos for social networks, do live streams, or post short video stories.
A couple of years ago, video was part of content marketing. But technology has made a giant leap forward, and even smartphone cameras now offer decent quality and frame rate. Recent progress gave way to a separate direction – video marketing. In the era of YouTube and Twitch, movies and created music clips get much bigger feedback than text, helping companies convey maximum info in a short time. Depending on your business idea and goals, you can choose between nine video content types, with each having its advantages and drawbacks.
HOW DOES VIDEO CONTENT HELP MODERN BUSINESS?
Internet marketing is developing at an incredible pace. Small changes happen almost every day. New tricks and approaches pop up to attract audiences, and many of those that used to be effective lose their edge and become history. One of the most promising tools today is video marketing – a way of delivering information through video. It can bring any business to the top and make the whole world know about your brand.
The human brain can easily process visual information, which makes online video content so entertaining. We don’t always have time for long reads, but we would gladly find a minute or two to sit through a new vid from our favorite blogger. User activity on YouTube is growing day by day; Facebook also keeps up with its ads in live broadcasts. It’s a new but very promising source for attracting potential customers. All this turned video advertising into the best way to promote a brand.
But the potential of video marketing goes far beyond promotion. It can give much more than it might seem at first glance and open up incredible opportunities:
- Video copywriting replaces traditional copywriting. Laconic text in the ad, eye-catching graphics and a professional voiceover are a super-efficient sales tool;
- You can promote your video content on almost all major networks in the world, from Facebook to Instagram. Make sure you reach out to the maximum number of people;
- You’ll have the opportunity to communicate with your audience directly through videos and live streams, answering questions. Live broadcasts have never been so popular;
- The right video content type can quickly double your subscribers and build an audience around your brand.
SITES AND SOCIAL NETWORKS WHERE VIDEO MARKETING IS CRUCIAL
The key stage in any video marketing strategy is to establish an active online presence. The amount of feedback you’ll get from videos depends on what platforms and social media you’re planning to promote it. Each option works best with certain types of videos, and combining a few of them in one strategy will benefit your brand.
There’s a wide range of websites to choose from, but only a handful of them provide a sufficient viewer base. Below are three main platforms you should focus on to attract as much attention to you as possible.
YouTube
Nothing to explain here. YouTube is what shaped video marketing. It easily beats any other platform for sharing videos. It’s an extensive and powerful tool with huge potential. The main advantage of this website is that it offers a set of useful features for free, and an unlimited video length is a nice bonus. It has everything you need to share and advertise your videos. In addition to that, YouTube is the second largest search engine that covers all age groups. People use it to find all kinds of information, from news to tutorials. Its built-in analytics system allows you to track the performance of your uploads. Another plus is that you can work with almost all types of videos on YouTube, except short stories and live streams which aren’t popular on the platform.
Unlike YouTube, which is a video sharing platform, Facebook is all about social interactions, but still, it gets more than four billion video views every day. Due to its specifics, Facebook is more efficient when used as a communication tool, which makes it a great platform for sharing short and engaging videos but not long interviews or documentaries. Also, the recently launched Facebook Live feature hasn’t yet gained enough popularity to serve as a reliable marketing instrument. The majority of Facebook users are adults, so the content shared through the site should target specific age groups.
The youngest and the most promising social network is proving to be the most effective marketing platform for young brands. But despite its popularity, it doesn’t have much to offer in terms of the video variety. The length of clips is strictly limited (you can’t post a story longer than 15 seconds), but it’s easy to share them on Facebook and between users. If you run a small business based on selling various products, Instagram is the best platform to introduce them to the audience, posting post short reviews and updates.
BEST TYPES OF VIDEOS TO ATTRACT VIEWERS (AND SALES)
A successful digital strategy begins with a plan. It’s up to you as a company owner to decide how to introduce your business to the audience. And while it’s not that hard to choose a platform to start at, the variety of content types might postpone the production of your first ad for a few days. There’s no such thing as an all-type video in marketing, so you’ll have to browse through this list of video types and pick one that suits your goals best.
Tutorials
These are popular daily videos used mostly for sharing knowledge and not for promoting. This format can be called native advertising if you integrate your brand in the video. A lot of users like to learn new stuff. Thirsty for knowledge, they watch thousands of tutorials every day. And you, as an expert in your field, can provide the knowledge they need.
Interviews
The name speaks for itself. Interviews show the level of your company’s expertise in an entertaining manner. Answering the interviewer’s questions, you or your specialists tell why the customer should choose your brand over others and explain how it’s different from the competitors. Among other types of marketing videos, this one isn’t as popular.
Meet the team
Apart from increasing brand confidence, this category of videos introduces the viewer to the company’s mission and its leadership. Such videos often include a few words from the CEO or founders. With them, you can show the whole world how the company operates and solves the problems of potential customers. It works for all types of platforms, from social networks to YouTube.
Product reviews
Reviews are one of the top 3 most effective types of video content. Use them to show what real people think about your product or services. Their efficiency is high because they give new customers social approval and form their attitude towards the brand. Besides, watching a review is much more convenient than reading it.
Life hacks and tips
If you’re promoting a new device or software, stick to tutorials or other types of video. If you’re promoting a brand or a company that produces software or devices, a life hack clip is a better option. For example, if you sell fitness trackers, make a few videos on how to keep fit when there’s no time for the gym.
Before-after
The best way to integrate a makeup company or a fitness club chain into a promo ad is to shoot a before-after clip. This type of videos usually gets thousands of views and likes on Instagram, and, more importantly, it’s actively shared. The only downside is that its production is time-consuming.
Event reviews
These are videos that cover the key moments from various corporate events. In this type of content, video serves as a guide for those who couldn’t make it to the event, significantly extending its reach. Typically, such reviews are much pricier than other video types because they require a bigger crew and a larger set of gear to film them.
Q&A
Just pick some of the most common and fundamental questions about your business or product and answer them – that’s the main idea behind Q&A videos. They show the customer how much you appreciate them and care about their concerns.
Behind the scenes
This type of digital video content introduces the audience to the image, values, and, ultimately, the core of the company. Take your viewers behind the scenes of your business and show them the whole video production process. This will help you get to know your audience more closely and vice versa.
As you can see, different types of videos serve different purposes, and each of them is good for a certain marketing stage. The more interaction options you use and the more engaging and entertaining your videos are, the faster your potential customers will go through the acquaintance stage to purchasing the product.