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9 types of video marketing for businesses to reach customers
Videos continue to dominate as more people are watching them than ever before. Video marketing offers various ways for companies to boost their brand and connect with customers.
While videos are a popular trend on social media, companies can use them as a form of digital marketing to help connect with their audience. A comprehensive video marketing strategy helps businesses connect with both current and potential customers and employees.
Today, more people are watching video than ever before. The amount of internet videos watched online has almost doubled since 2018, increasing from 8.5 hours to 19 hours per week, according to Wyzowl's "State of Video Marketing" report. People are turning to videos to learn and see new content. Plus, smartphones and tablets make it is easier for people to watch videos anytime.
Not all videos are the same. There are various video content formats to help a company meet its goals and reach its target audience.
1. Explainer videos
Explainer or product videos help connect with an audience by demonstrating the company's product or service and why it brings value. Companies can engage with audiences through short, powerful videos that show why customers should choose their products.
These videos discuss a customer's problem and how the company's product or service is the solution to this issue. The videos should leave viewers wanting more with a clear call to action to contact the company for additional information. The key is to explain why someone needs this product or service to move them past the consideration stage and into the decision-making process.
2. Live videos
Social media platforms offer users the option to create livestreaming videos to engage with customers in real time. These videos can be used for interviews, announcements, events, office tours or other behind-the-scenes operations.
Livestream video platforms also have a chat feature for viewers to post questions. Be sure to address these questions and engage with viewers during the stream.
Companies can livestream on platforms such as Vimeo, IBM Cloud Video and Brightcove. They can also use social media services such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Live or LinkedIn Live.
3. Event videos
If a company is hosting a conference or event, videos are a great way to promote or post highlights from the event. Share interesting presentations from the gathering to distribute information. Create a recap video showcasing speakers, presentations and other highlights of the event.
Companies can focus on the entire event or choose small portions to highlight with their audience. Events are another great way to tap into the livestream platform, whether on social media or a livestream platform added to the website.
To promote an upcoming event, highlight presentations or interviews from the previous years, and show additional footage of the meeting attendees and events that took place.
4. How-to videos
How-to videos are meant to help the viewers solve a problem with a shareable message to reach additional people. The message is centered around one objective with steps on how to meet that objective -- for example, how to turn leads into customers with email campaign software. The video should answer common questions related to the product or service.
These videos have a distinctive structure with clear, step-by-step instructions similar to a tutorial. These videos can be used to help customers reach goals during the sales funnel process. For example, how-to videos are great at the awareness stage to attract interested leads and present the company as a resource. How-to videos can also be used at the consideration stage to show how the product or service is useful.
5. Customer testimonial videos
Customer testimonial videos appeal to the emotions. They showcase a customer complimenting a business, including why they chose their product, how they use it and what they like about it or the company.
The viewers should experience the customer's emotion, so these videos should be authentic using the customer's words and not a script. These videos take online reviews to a new level by putting a face to the review.
Customer testimonial videos can address a case study that showcases the customer journey, such as the background, problem, solution and the impact of the company. They can also show different perspectives, such as various generations, to address the target audience. For example, a testimonial from a younger person can help reach an audience similar in age, which makes the company and the product more relatable.
These videos should always address the pain point to identify with the target audience. They need to relate to the person behind the camera. This can help prospects with the final push to choose the product or service.
6. Video ads
One of the most popular types of videos, video ads are a form of commercial that highlights a brand and product. These ads are promotional with the intent to sell to the audience.
Video ads should be short to keep the audience's attention. These videos can appear on YouTube or other streaming platforms, such as Hulu, before, during or after users view their content. Facebook also has a video ad section for businesses, along with entertainment, e-commerce and news sites.
Successful video ads should be memorable. The information needs to be delivered efficiently and quickly to make sure the viewers remember.
A video ad should create brand awareness with actionable goals, such as guiding viewers to the company website.
7. Company culture videos
Company culture videos highlight more than the business; they highlight the people behind the company. They make the brand feel human and create a connection with the audience.
Customers want to identify with a company and its core values. Company stories and culture videos help highlight what drives the company behind the brand.
The goal of a company culture video is to market the brand as a whole and highlight why customers should feel good about choosing the company. Whether its sustainability or treatment of employees, people want to understand the company completely and spend their money on businesses they support and believe in.
Moreover, culture videos are a great way to attract new talent. Companies should capture passionate employees on camera for recruits to see the potential culture.
8. Educational videos
Educational videos should be engaging and fun. The goal of these videos is similar to blogs: to inform the audience. Choose a topic that aligns with the company's brand and is relevant to the target audience.
Along with blogs, these videos help customers see a company as an important voice in its industry -- and help build brand trust. Educational videos help create awareness during the buyer journey. During the awareness phase, customers may not know all their problems. These videos can spark interest to help them move further down the sales funnel.
Educational content helps companies deliver valuable information. Companies can choose content based on well-performing blog content.
Learn more about why blogs are important for businesses.
9. Social videos
Social platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, have short-form videos for creative ads. These ads are typically a minute or less and are fun and engaging. These videos appear in the user's feed and can get a lot of engagement with trending songs. They enable marketers to be creative, while showing a company's personality and providing a connection to the audience.
These videos should be less than a minute, according to Hootsuite. They can cover various topics, such as demonstrating a product, telling a story, promoting an event or sharing company information. To engage with the audience, ask for shares, comments and likes. Social videos are a great way to boost brand awareness and direct viewers to a website.
Each video should be uploaded to the platform to follow their style. TikTok is a hot trend for businesses for advertising and engaging with customers. Businesses can create their own ads to run in users' feeds or promote user-generated content for others to make their own videos about the company or a challenge to share. TikTok is also looking to grow business advertising opportunities to reach younger generations with its 1 billion active users.
Social media videos can also help reach local audiences by sharing the location. Feeds on social media platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, target ads based on the user's location.
