Video has become an indispensable part of marketing in today’s digital landscape. As humans, we just seem to respond better to dynamic visual media rather than plain text. Recent tech advances have made creating sleek, professional videos easier and more affordable than ever before.
But with so many options out there, how do you know where to focus when building your video marketing strategy? What types of videos should you prioritize – and which can you safely ignore? In this post, we’ll explore nine must-have video formats that engage viewers across every stage of their journey with your brand. From explaining complex services, to showcasing products, to tugging at heartstrings with origin stories – video can help you connect with customers in vivid and memorable ways text alone often can’t.
The Rise of Video in Digital Marketing
Over the past decade, video has gone from a “nice-to-have” to an essential aspect of digital marketing. Today, video accounts for over 82% of global internet traffic. And get this – viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading the same content as plain text.
With internet users increasingly expecting video content from brands, it’s become almost mandatory for companies to incorporate quality video as they market themselves online. The reason video converts so well is it helps prospects emotionally connect with brands on a deeper level. Video also spreads virally across social media, expanding reach.
One especially powerful format is the event promo video. A slick event teaser trailer drums up hype, boosts registrations, and gets viewers pumped to participate live when the day comes. As video production specialists catering to virtual and hybrid events, we continually see firsthand how an event promo video done right truly excites and mobilizes audiences.
Now let’s explore nine other must-have videos that need to be part of your marketing arsenal…
Quintessential Video Types for Modern Marketing
Video content captivates modern audiences in ways traditional media struggle to match. Advancements in technology have placed versatile, high-quality video production within reach for organizations of all sizes. To cut through the noise and connect with your audience, a diverse blend of video formats is essential.
Explainer Videos: Simplifying Complex Concepts
Explainer videos use crisp narration, snappy on-screen graphics and motion design to break down intricate concepts or elaborate tech processes into easily digestible segments. They help viewers wrap their heads around novel ideas or understand complex offerings without getting bored or overwhelmed by dense blocks of text.
For example, say you’re the CEO of a hot new enterprise SaaS company. You could hire a talented video team to create an animated explainer video walking customers through how your product works under the hood, mapping out the issues in their operations it aims to fix. This explanatory tour reduces the learning curve around assessing and onboarding your admittedly complex software solution.
How-To Videos: Educating Your Audience
Everyone loves a good tutorial. How-to videos provide practical, step-by-step instructions for successfully using a product or executing specialized processes. They empower audiences to better leverage goods and services in their everyday work and lives.
For example, an established software company might produce a series of snappy how-to videos for its platform, unveiling insider tips and tricks for saving time or unlocking hidden features. These teach customers to more fully capitalize on tools they already have access to, rather than requiring expensive new purchases. They also quietly nurture leads further down sales pipeline by building self-service product mastery.
Testimonial Videos: Building Credibility and Trust
Peer endorsements go a long way, especially when coming from ideal customers already reaping value from working with you. Testimonial videos feature exactly that – case studies and first-hand accounts of enjoyable experiences with your company. They lend you credibility by proxy and assure prospects you deliver results.
For example, an elite boutique consultancy could interview prominent clients discussing engagements, highlighting business impact and ROI. Their sincere on-camera validation provides social proof for fence-sitters to pull the trigger. Even in B2B, authentic word-of-mouth recommendations still influence decisions – and testimonial videos let you replicate this at scale.
Product Demos: Showcasing Your Offerings
Product demos offer live previews that showcase key features and functionalities. They provide an authentic glimpse into real-world usage that prospects could expect themselves. This makes abstract benefits and solutions feel tangible – and builds perceived value.
For example, a hot new SaaS platform aiming to disrupt could record short video demos highlighting capabilities like data analytics, customizable reporting, role-based access control, and more. This helps concretely communicate what the technology delivers, instead of just describing possibilities through static images or dense documentation. Video brings positioning to life.
Brand Story Videos: Humanizing Your Brand
Every company has an origin story worth spotlighting – a journey filled with challenges, milestones, evolution. Brand story videos offer audiences exclusive behind-the-scene looks at roots, mission, values and culture. They forge emotional bonds by humanizing entities that otherwise seem faceless and corporate.
For example, an ecommerce clothing retailer could trace its narrative from scrappy upstart to industry leader, while introducing key players who believed from those early days. Highlighting character and vision in this way generates affinity and connection with the heroes customers are now supporting through purchases. Even B2B buyers want to get to know the humans behind brands.
Thought Leadership Videos: Establishing Authority
Thought leadership videos spotlight internal experts analyzing industry trends, predicting emerging shifts, and advising peers on best practices. They cast subjects as forward-thinking authorities in their niches and validate status as trusted media sources audiences should tune into.
For example, a marketing agency could have execs face the camera doling out wisdom on breaking innovations, paradigm changes underway, and strategies for harnessing technologies like automation, AI and VR to thrive amidst disruption. Publishing this commentary cements perception as a leading firm at the forefront driving transformation.
Social Media Videos: Engaging Your Audience
Social media introduces avenues for playful, interactive content suited for everything from 15-second TikTok clips to 30-minute YouTube webinars. Videos crafted for these platforms entice viewers to like, share and comment – while subtly integrating informative or promotional messaging they’ll recall later.
For example, a hip fast fashion brand could post behind-the-scenes unboxing reveal videos on TikTok – slowly cracking open delivery crates with crowbars to unveil upcoming styles and seasons. These theatrical sneak peeks excite fans, generate buzz for new inventory about to drop. The retailer could also repost user-generated photos and clips of customers modeling purchases for organic peer advocacy.
Live Streaming: Real-Time Engagement
Live video streaming enables brands to broadcast behind-the-scenes access and insiders’ perspectives out to audiences in real time. The transparency and authentic interactivity forged through chat comments differentiates companies from competitors who remain distant and opaque.
For example, a rare coin ecommerce site could run live steams giving collectors intimate shop tours while a charismatic numismatist appraises and educates about new acquisitions. Viewers bidding in auctions could chat appraisals and history lessons elevating discrete transactions into valued community experiences where customers feel acknowledged as enthusiastic partners beyond just anonymous credit cards.
Animated Videos: Engaging and Memorable
Animation provides limitless creative options for finding just the right blend of information and entertainment – one that holds viewer attention while clearly communicating messages. Illustrations distilled into logical sequences guide audiences on concise journeys using visual metaphors and for symbolism matching concepts.
For sophisticated services, animation helps divisively break down intricate ideas into digestible, memorable nuggets amplified by bold graphics, smooth voiceovers and ambient music. These cinematic explorations feel more like mini movies than commercials. And animated brand mascots take on lives of their own – becoming beloved icons who make marketing messages impossible to ignore.
Final Thoughts
Video dominates the average user’s daily digital diet – meaning brands must increasingly embrace multimedia to earn precious seconds between distractions. While formats abound, concentrating efforts around the core nine video types outlined here provides the greatest return across the customer journey.
Each style serves distinct strategic purposes from intrigue to consideration to conversion and beyond. But rather than blindly adopting every option, brands should reflect on long-term objectives and identify where video content can uniquely support milestones in nurturing lasting customer relationships.
As both video specialists and leaders continually optimizing virtual events, the team at We & Goliath stands ready to help craft multimedia marketing strategies tuned for your goals. Let’s connect to explore possibilities and bring your vision to life through compelling video worth watching and sharing.
