10 different types of video content you can use to grow your business
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With excellent ROI and high conversion rates, video can be a vital element of any strong content marketing strategy. Whether you’re using video to boost brand awareness or close a sale, it’s a highly effective medium for generating and converting leads.
With more than 85% of internet users regularly watching videos online, marketers have a gigantic pool from which to find a high-intent target audience.
Clearly there are benefits to getting into video, but you can’t just jump in without a plan. You’ll need to strategize what types of video to make and distribute for each step of your customer’s journey. We’ve gathered all the pertinent information about the different types of video content to help show how each can help support your business goals.
Types of marketing videos
All types of video content are not created equal. Each type, however, can support your business through different stages of the marketing funnel. We’ll briefly summarize each stage of the funnel and highlight the video types that fit best within the stages. By deploying these different types of video content, and following other video content marketing tips, you’ll be well on your way to developing a strong video marketing strategy.
Awareness stage
Sitting atop the marketing funnel is the awareness stage. To do business with you, people have to know that you exist. In the awareness stage, your audience doesn’t know who you are. They also don’t have a need for your products or services.
This is where you create videos that catch your target audience’s attention. Drab content will not get the job done. This stage of the funnel allows for a ton of creativity. Consider your audience’s pain points and think about how you can create videos that not only address those issues, but also entice viewers to learn more about your brand.
Here are some types of videos content that work well in the awareness stage:
Emotional videos
The best videos connect with viewers on an emotional level. Think about what your target audience’s biggest emotional drivers are and how your product addresses them. Is it fear? Is it love? Is it stress? Is it joy?
Once you know what emotions will play best to your audience, you can decide what types of video content to create.
For example, Apple does a great job of tapping into people’s emotions with their annual holiday commercials. Sure, the products and brand are in there, but it’s the emotional tug of family that is the main focus. Try not to cry.
Humorous videos
Nothing grabs people’s attention quite like good humor. Use your funny bone to create humorous videos that get viewers laughing and sharing. Your hilarious video will not only create a connection between the audience and your brand, but also encourage viewers to share with their friends.
GEICO is a master of humorous video content. Their quoteworthy commercials have made the car insurance carrier a household name, putting them in a better position to attract new leads.
Research stage
At this stage of the content marketing funnel, the consumer might need to fulfill a need or overcome an obstacle. Your audience’s main motivation in this stage is to gather information on what could solve their issue. As with your videos in the awareness stage, your goal here is to create and build connection rather than sell.
Create videos that address your audience’s pain points straight-on and also give them a deeper understanding of who your brand is. Show them you have the expertise to solve their problem. Show them why they should continue learning about your brand and product offering.
Educational and how-to videos
Educational and how-to videos are excellent fits for the research stage. You’ll be able to showcase your brand’s expertise and authority, building trust with the audience. Remember, you are educating on the subject matter, not your products and services.
Pep Boys does a good job of creating educational content that showcases their expertise without sounding like a used car salesman. Check out their video on checking to see if you need new tires.
Behind-the-scenes video
Behind-the-scenes videos are a great opportunity to showcase your brand values and the people who drive them forward. This type of video content is a good follow-up to the awareness stage videos that give people a taste of your brand.
Behind-the-scenes videos are also a cool way to show your potential customers how your brand thinks and comes up with answers. Even if you offer the same exact product as five other competitors, a person will ultimately choose the brand that best aligns with their own interests and values.
Take Pela phone cases, for example. Their ‘How it’s made’ video showcases how their biodegradable phone cases are manufactured while also focusing on the environmentally friendly values of the company. For a person with similar values searching for a new phone case, Pela’s behind-the-scenes video makes a lasting impression.
Consideration stage
Here in the customer’s journey, they know they have a problem. Now they are considering whether or not you are the right brand to solve it. In the awareness and research portions of the funnel you have made a connection and established expertise in your field or industry. In the consideration stage focus should be on building the trust that your products or services can get the job done.
These different types of video content are excellent fits for the consideration funnel:
Product or service videos
This is the moment you’ve been waiting for: your chance to showcase just how amazing your product is. Show how and why it will work to fulfill your customers’ needs. Put it up against the competition to display its superiority.
Video is an excellent vehicle for displaying all aspects of your product, so don’t be afraid to get detailed with it. Highlight what makes your product unique.
Take mattress maker Purple for example. Their product video shows us why their mattress is good for our backs, and how it’s better than other mattresses.
Testimonials
One of the most highly effective types of video content are testimonials. These videos unbiasedly show your audience that you have plenty experience successfully solving customers problems. Let your viewers hear and see it directly from those your products and services have satisfied. Your product testimonial can go in-depth with one very happy customer, or you can piece together praise from several different satisfied patrons.
Universities are great at showcasing testimonials from students in order to entice applicants. Check out UC Berkeley’s testimonial video.
Action stage
Good news! Here in the content marketing funnel your audience is ready to buy from you. However, this doesn’t mark the end of the funnel. This is where you want to make sure the customer feels like they made the right decision and answer any lingering questions they may have. You can do this by creating videos that go in-depth on how your product works, as well as FAQ videos.
Instructional/tutorial product videos
Now that the customer is ready to purchase your product, you’re obliged to make sure they know how to use it. Create videos for each of your products that go over basic setup. Show the customer best practices for using your products. Highlight ways to troubleshoot should any issues come up.
Dyson has a slew of instructional product videos they’ve produced to supplement their printed owner’s manuals.
FAQ Videos
FAQ videos are a quick and simple way to answer common questions people have about your product. These videos can be as simple as someone reading the questions and answers, or even just text on a blank background. The goal of FAQ videos is to quickly give people the information they need.
Epson released an FAQ video for a new printer model. They compiled their list of FAQs based on real questions they received at trade shows.
Retention stage
You’ve turned your audience from viewers to customers. Don’t lose them! You’re going to want to keep your audience engaged so that they keep coming back. Create videos that make your customers feel appreciated and acknowledged. Then, go a step further and try to think of types of video content to make customers feel special, like they’re part of something bigger by buying into your brand.
Thank you videos
One of the most effective ways to create a loyal customer base is to show them appreciation for their business. A simple “thank you” can go a long way. Create videos that show your gratitude and let your customers know they aren’t just another sale.
Even giants like Amazon aren’t above saying thank you. The ecommerce behemoth could probably get away with creating zero video content and still make sales. But the fact that they went the extra mile to explicitly thank the millions of people who use their services brings a human touch to their brand and makes existing customers feel appreciated.
Brand-forward videos
Brand-forward videos are those that give customers the deepest understanding of who you are. They have little to no selling incentive and are really meant to strengthen the relationship that currently exists. These videos should make your customers feel like they are part of something bigger.
Brand-forward videos should make your customers feel good about purchasing from you and encourage them to stay loyal to you for years to come. They should make your customers feel proud to be your customers.
Brand-forward videos can be longer in length. They may have nothing to do with your actual product and more to do with your brand’s vision and mission.
One brand that does brand-forward videos extremely well is Patagonia. Commercially, they are an apparel brand but their activism video series shows they are so much more. Check out their Voices of the Ocean video. It makes you feel like being part of the Patagonia brand means being part of a great effort to save the oceans.
Types of video content for social
Integrating social media and video is a must for digital marketers. In general, many of the videos you create to support the content marketing funnel can and should be posted to your social media channels.
Popular types of video content for social media include, tutorials, how-tos, brand-forward, and humorous content. However, you might want to consider the different types of audiences on each platform. For example, you might find that your Facebook followers have the patience to sit through a whole how-to on how to use your product while Instagram followers only have the patience for a 30-second funny video.
To cater to Facebook users, make sure your videos are visually appealing and have accurate captions. About 85% of viewers on Facebook prefer to watch videos on silent.
Content marketers should look into utilizing Facebook Live. Engagement is heavy, especially if you can showcase a special guest that will catch viewers eyes. If you have the budget, you can also pay for views through their ad program.
With Instagram, video content marketing revolves around in-feed posts and the very popular 15-second Instagram stories. Using the popularity of Instagram stories as a measuring stick, it’s safe to assume that Instagram users prefer short videos. Keep this in mind when optimizing your videos for this social media platform.
Users on Twitter are keen to watch videos on the platform. Feel free to post all different types of content marketing video. Marketers can pay to promote their videos and run ad campaigns on Twitter. With video auto-play, Twitter claims users are more likely to watch a video from beginning to end.
YouTube
Part video hosting service and search engine, YouTube is also very much part social media platform. Of course, you’ll post all types of video content on YouTube, but especially post those that engage viewers. Get them to leave comments on the comments section. Heed the good advice and tips for YouTube beginners and reply to those comments. Vlogs and listicle videos tend to elicit many responses from viewers.
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