We admit it; we’re a little obsessed with the value of video in the world of marketing. In last month’s blog, we explained how video is a highly preferred, crazy versatile and easily accessible medium for storytelling and message sharing. Here, we focus on that second benefit mentioned: versatility. There are virtually limitless ways to leverage sight, sound and motion to promote your business, but today, let’s explore eight of the most common types of marketing videos.
1. The Inside Look
Your customers may know all about your end products or the ins and outs of your services, but how much do they know about where the magic actually happens? Seeing is believing, as they say, and taking your audience behind the scenes of your operations can help build trust while increasing general interest in your business. Check out how precision components manufacturer DFF Corporation did just this for a video that highlights their capabilities in assisting various industries.
2. The Look Back
Just as valuable as a look at your company’s daily operations is a peek into its past, especially if the story is, well, a storied one. While this can be the case for any organization, longtime family businesses—such as Braman Pest Elimination and Noonan Energy—tend to have some great tales to tell, and personal recollections are often the way to go. On the other end of the spectrum, international corporations can enrich a corporate video—like this one from Vlier Products—through the use of a historical framework.
3. The Explainer
As its label implies, an explainer video explains the ways your products or services can help your customer solve a problem or achieve a goal. It certainly can (and often should) include a basic company overview, but simple, concise coverage of the “why” and “how” will be your key content. In fact, rather than offering further explanation here, we invite you to check out a pretty great example—our own explainer video, here on our home page.
4. The Demo
On the heels of the explainer, you might be wondering how a video called “the demo” differs. The two are related for sure, but being short for “demonstration,” a demo video typically explains the use of a product, often breaking it down into easy-to-follow, visual steps. (The demo video’s other cousin, the “how-to,” usually focuses more on process than product.) This video on its MediBubble® web page demonstrates the use of Louis & Clark Pharmacy’s signature pill organizer.
5. The Testimonial
A tool as old as business itself, the word of a current customer can sway a potential new customer in ways no other marketing strategy can. That value only grows in the case of a testimonial video, a more personal platform than a written post. A testimonial video can be particularly effective in B2B marketing, where your audience is likely to identify with the general needs and challenges your loyal subject describes. Check out these examples from Cornerstone Bank and Sinclair Risk and Financial Management; if you own or manage a business, they’re sure to resonate.
6. The Personal Message
While customer praise can build credibility, your own words can go a long way in building trust. You don’t have to be the CEO to relay a sincere, influential sentiment to your customers, current or potential. In this peak-of-pandemic video from The Dowd Agencies, a variety of employees let their valued clients know—face to face—that trying times only fuel the team’s commitment to outstanding service.
7. The Case Study
Like a customer testimonial, a case study markets by example, sharing an actual story of success with your product or service. This kind of video presents a “problem” and proceeds to explain, through narration, interviews, graphics or any combination of these, just how your company solved it for the customer. In this case study video, international energy giant Dalkia, EDF Group shows and tells how they helped a major hospitality client transition to more sustainable operating solutions.
8. The Interview
Think talk show (we’ve even got the set to make it your very own!); invite an employee or someone outside your company sit down with you for an on-camera Q&A session. This is an excellent opportunity to offer information about anything and everything discussed previously—from a range of services to historical anecdotes—framed just the way you want it. (A popular variation, the “Ask Me Anything” video, or AMA, has the speaker addressing the camera directly as they answer customer-submitted questions.) In fact, why not make it a series, as Giombetti Associates did? Consider featuring a different employee for each episode, creating diversity in both perspective and expertise.
Our studios can play a starring role in these and nearly all types of marketing videos, and our agency partner can help bring any creative vision to life. On set or on location, let us know what’s on your mind—we’re ready to make it happen.
