Last Updated 1/31/24
If content is king, then video content reigns supreme. Video content is projected to make up 82% of all internet traffic in 2024, making video the fastest-growing type of marketing in digital advertising. The race isn’t even close!
Clearly, videos are a great addition to your online marketing arsenal. They’re an ideal platform for converting sales and informing your audience, without requiring you to take time away from your busy schedule.
Choosing the “best” types of video for your company’s online marketing depends heavily on your unique goals, target audience, and brand voice. However, certain video categories tend to yield consistently positive results across various industries. All can be adapted to your website, social media platforms, and other digital marketing efforts.
The most effective video types include:
Explainer Videos
As their name suggests, explainer videos clearly and concisely explain your product or service in a way that resonates with your target audience. They show who your business is, what you do, and how you can solve a problem for the viewer. Explainer videos are an effective way to lead your audience through a certain process they need to complete. They often include animated text and images, which can range from simple to complex depending on your needs and budget.
- Benefits: Explainer videos increase understanding, boost conversions, improve brand recall, and stand out from the competition.
- Examples: Product demonstrations, service overviews, animated walkthroughs, visual FAQs.
Testimonial Videos
Testimonial videos build trust and social proof by showcasing satisfied customers sharing their positive experiences with your company. They add a human touch and show that what you are offering your audience works. Find some of your happiest customers,sit them down for a talking head video, and let them tell your audience how awesome you are!
- Benefits: Testimonial videos enhance brand image, increase lead generation, and improve conversion rates.
- Examples: Case studies, product reviews, interview clips, user-generated testimonials and feedback.
Educational Videos
Educational videos provide an opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader and attract qualified leads by sharing valuable knowledge and expertise relevant to your audience. They’re a great way to establish your company as an authority in your industry — and boost your SEO rankings in the process.
- Benefits: Educational videos build brand trust and authority, generate leads, and improve organic search rankings.
- Examples: Expert interviews, tutorials, industry insights, how-to guides.
Product or Service Demonstration Videos
If your product or service is more impressive in action, why not show it? Videos that highlight your products or services generate excitement and interest by showcasing key features and benefits in an engaging and informative way. Reading about how something works doesn’t always motivate buyers; seeing it in action might be just what you need to convert the sale. One of our clients has reported excellent results since switching their still product photos to video clips of their color change technology at work.
- Benefits: Product/service demo videos generate interest, educate potential buyers, and drive product exploration.
- Examples: Feature breakdowns, action shots, 360-degree product views, customer use cases.
Storytelling Videos
Storytelling videos connect with viewers on an emotional level and tell a compelling narrative about your brand, values, or mission. Does your website have an About Us page? Consider beefing it up with a video. Tell the story about how your business came to be and what you're all about. People like to feel like they know who they are buying from.
- Benefits: Enhance brand awareness, create memorable impressions, inspire action, and build trust and loyalty.
- Examples: Brand stories, company culture glimpses, social impact initiatives, customer success stories.
Behind-the-Scenes Videos
Behind-the-scenes videos offer a glimpse into your company culture, team dynamics, and work process. This increases transparency, fostering connection and trust. These videos also function as excellent recruitment tools, helping prospective job candidates envision what it's like to work for you.
- Benefits: Humanize your brand, attract talent, and foster customer engagement and loyalty.
- Examples: Office tours, employee interviews, team collaborations, production processes.
Movie or Cinematic Trailer Videos
Cinematic trailer videos are essentially short, high-impact videos that utilize the narrative and visual style of movie trailers to promote your company. They offer a more graphic preview of your business and what you do, complete with epic music, dramatic cuts, and powerful storytelling. This approach is best for marketing to your existing clients rather than trying to explain your services to a new audience. These work great for social media posts or as a background landing page on your website. Check out our homepage video!
- Benefits: Communicating your brand story, generating excitement, attracting talent and partners, and standing out from the competition.
- Examples: Product or service launches, event teasers, culture and team-focused highlights, innovation and technology trailers.
Short & Engaging Snippets
Not all videos need to be overly long or scripted. Short and engaging snippets are like teasers, capturing attention quickly and leaving viewers wanting more.
- Benefits: Drive traffic to your website, increase scroll time, encourage exploration of web pages, and break up text-heavy content.
- Examples: Social media teasers, product highlights, eye-catching animations, user-generated content clips.
Steps to Ensure Your Videos Resonate
There are additional steps you can take to ensure your videos resonate with your audience. Tailor video formats and lengths to align with the platforms you’re using; long-form videos are fine for YouTube, but you’ll need to keep them short and snappy for TikTok.
Adopt a mobile-first mindset for maximum reach by ensuring your videos play seamlessly on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
Monitor your video performance metrics, paying attention to data such as views, engagement, and conversions, to understand what works. Adjust your strategy as needed.
Following these practices will help give your digital marketing efforts a boost and showcase your brand personality in an authentic and engaging way.
FAQs
- What video types are most effective for online marketing?
- It depends on your specific goals, target audience, and brand voice. Consider explainer videos for brand awareness, product demos for lead generation, and educational tutorials to establish authority in your field and improve your SEO.
- Should I focus on short or long videos?
- Adapt video length to the platform. Short snippets work well on social media, while longer content thrives on YouTube.
- How important is video quality?
- You don't need a Hollywood budget to create effective online marketing videos! High quality videos make a professional impact, but even simple and engaging videos can be effective if they resonate with your audience.
- Where should I share my online marketing videos?
- Utilize a variety of platforms to reach your target audience, such as your website or blog, social media platforms, email marketing campaigns, industry-specific forums and communities, and paid advertising placements on relevant websites and platforms.
- What's the best format for online videos?
- Choose formats compatible with your chosen platforms like MP4 for YouTube or vertical videos for Instagram Stories.
- Should I add subtitles or closed captions?
- Absolutely! This improves accessibility and engagement for viewers with hearing impairments or in noisy environments.
- How can I track video performance?
- Utilize platform analytics to track views, engagement metrics, and click-through rates to understand what resonates with your audience and refine your strategy.
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