Updated July 24, 2019
Have you been watching more video online lately? If so, you are not alone—one-third of all online activity is spent watching videos and this is increasing every day. For businesses, video is no longer the future, but a mainstream content marketing strategy.
Why is Video Important?
Consumers want to engage with you. Video allows you to tell your company’s story and connect with your customers in a natural way. You can entertain, educate, provoke an emotion, and more. Consider these video marketing statistics from Smart Insights:
- 53% of consumers engage with a brand after viewing a video on social media
- 93% of businesses say they have gained a customer thanks to a video on social media
- Digital video advertising spend has increased by 53% since 2016
- 72% prefer video over text when learning about a product or service
How Do You Create Videos?
You can put together videos in many different ways. Professionally-produced videos are becoming very affordable, and it is absolutely possible for small businesses to produce their own videos. Here are some of your options for creating videos:
- Hire a professional to produce a short, signature video about your company, product, value proposition, or team.
- Record, edit and post your own videos – the length can vary from a few seconds on Vine, 1-minute on Instagram, or longer on YouTube. Your smartphone has the capability to record videos. These videos can be more informal in nature. Can you identify someone on your team whose responsibility it will be to record video?
- Photo albums and presentations can also be turned into videos.
- Live stream and then save the video for later. Live streaming (broadcasting live) is the new hot trend in social media. Use Periscope, Facebook Live, YouTube or Snapchat to target all demographics
- Webinars are a great way to offer value, and can be recorded and used in the future as well.
What Video Content Works?
Here are 17 ideas for video content that works.
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Testimonial
Consumers trust online reviews. Testimonials are a great way to showcase your strengths.
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Product demonstration
Seeing a product in action is a natural fit for video. Have someone record an in-person demonstration for a quick start in this area.
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Behind the scenes tour
Customers love to see the “real” side of your business, and learn the story of your products and services. This type of video humanizes you, and creates a connection to your business that goes beyond a transaction.
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Team Interview
Introduce members of your team through video. People want to know their stories as well. Team interview topics can include a work anniversary, customer success story, unusual hobby, volunteer cause, or industry expertise.
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Customer Interview
Interview customers on how they use your product or services, what their success stories are, or their favorite tips. This provides real-world examples of customers using your products, as well as making them a valued part of your business strategy.
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Vlog
A Vlog is a video blog. Instead of writing a blog post, record your thoughts in a video. Think of it as having a conversation with your audience.
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Events
Keep the memory of events alive by recording and posting videos of events you host or attend. For recurring events, video highlights can be used in future invitations as well to build interest.
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Presentations
Are you giving a presentation? Record it and make it available for those who couldn’t attend. You can video the actual event, or separately record a voice-over and your slide presentation.
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Product Reviews
Have a new product? Showcase your expertise by using a video to tell customers about it, why they might choose that versus another product, and answer the common questions that come up.
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Explainer animation videos
Explainer videos are 30-90 second animated videos that explain a concept, product, or service. There are a number of companies that specialize in producing explainer videos or use a tool like VideoScribe to create your own.
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Success stories
If you are a non-profit, showcasing the success stories of your organization using video is particularly effective. Donors love to see how their money is being used. For-profit businesses can also use case studies and success stories to build credibility with prospects and to promote their customer’s businesses.
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How-to videos
YouTube is the first place many people look when they want to learn how to do something. Answer your customer’s questions with a how-to video, and you’ll create a customer support resource too.
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Tips and tricks
Think about all the tips you provide on a regular basis. Use these to create a series of short actionable video.
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Welcome video or video invitations
Got a new customer? Use welcome video to introduce your organization. Got an event coming up? Use a video invitation to build interest.
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Expert interviews
Interview an expert in your field to provide industry insights or trends. This can be a manufacturer, business partner, or even one of your employees.
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Community support
Support your local community by using video to showcase local causes and events and your participation in them.
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Company profile
Consumers doing business locally do so for the relationship and experience. Tell your story online with a video profile.
If your business isn’t creating videos, you could be missing out on many opportunities to connect with your customers. If you are new to video, start small, but start somewhere!
