This is part II of a two part article. If you have not read the previous article please do so HERE. And for those who did… I hope you are ready to crush it! So, lets go…
Chapter III
Once you have your strategy laid out, it’s time to think about the actual video s or type of videos you want to create.
Every type and every style of video has its own pros and cons. Some video are more effective for particular business types, while mimicking the same for a different business type may not be as effective. You may also be surprised that Video Marketing is NOT for Every Business. Figuring out which video style is more effective for your business/brand is crucial when it comes to strategizing your next step(s).
If you don’t know the difference, you’re not alone. Her are the most common video types that global brands have identified to strategize their own video marketing campaigns.
Most Popular Types of Video
From brand videos to FAQs to instructional videos to explainer videos to animation videos, there are multitudes of video types to choose from.
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Despite there being so many, certain types of videos are better suited to meet your marketing goals. Once you’ve got your goals strategized, you can start learning about how each video type differs and pick the ones that is right for you.
- Online Commercials
The online commercial can seem like a confusing concept. True. Commercials are more of a television thing right? But many global brands are now adopting to go with online commercials. An online commercial can be your company’s best features with a dynamic scene, beautiful imagery, or summary of exciting features, and end with a clear call to action. These are the same exact type of commercials you see on the TV. They are often less than 30 seconds. The primary goal of online commercials is to attract new customers, often appeal and provide only the most important and relevant information a viewer might need.
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And, most importantly, they’re memorable! Memorable as in the commercials leave a “striking” visual or image that makes a huge impression on the viewer, that they will remember. This is exactly how television commercials work: once you seen too many of the same commercial it will leave an impression in your mind. Once you see the product in a supermarket isle, you will remember the commercial to actually make a buying decision.
- Social Content Videos
The combination of social media and video marketing is the most powerful way to reach potential customers. This has been proven to any company regardless of size, product or service.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube are thriving with video marketing. In fact they have given more prominence for video searches, and this will continue to grow. Videos that are hosted in any social media platform could be considered as social content videos.
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Social videos are often done in an entertainment quality. They may vary on the length, type, and are often engaging and have the power to attract new customers. This is a vital element small business owners cannot ignore. To create socially engaging videos that are entertaining and inspiring, you need to be aware of how each of these social platforms host their videos.
For an example facebook has an auto play when your video is shown as an impression on a timeline feed. It is already muted on autoplay. You can take advantage of this mute autoplay to creat an endless loop or an important one line description about your business or a special promotion. Instagram videos have a time limit of 60 seconds, so get creative on what you can deliver within 60 seconds. In short try to build trust, credibility, and a positive word of mouth about the videos you upload.
- Explainer Videos
If the service you offer or the product you sell is a little bit more complex and requires more info, then the ideal way to bring this out would be an explainer video. An explainer video teaches your audience more about what you do, how you solve a problem, or how you significantly affect and improve peoples lives. Almost any video could be an explainer video, but if your video focuses on what your company/brand does and how it would solve a problem or improve things a lot more, then it can be considered an explainer video. An explainer video could be a comparison between two similar products and how one product stands out from the other.
Check out this explainer video and be like John and Mark selling air charter business.
Explainer videos are excellent introductions to your brand. They should quickly and efficiently explain what your company does and why that matters. An explainer video should answer four questions:
- What is the problem (faced by potential customers/clients)
- How will your product/service solve this problem.
- How you have helped other clients/customers in the past
- Why your potential clients/customers should choose you
- Product Videos
Picture this: You’re looking for a new electric car online, and you find what seems to be the perfect one for a fraction of the cost. But you are still not sold on whether to make a buying decision yet. What would convince you to make a buying decision?
Product videos tell your audience about your best-selling products or services and their top features. It helps improve consumer confidence and help build more credibility to your company/brand.
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Product videos should be done with a focus on attracting new customers, who are in the first stages of researching and comparing similar products. Not only will you want to show the features of the products but show how your product sets itself apart from the competition. Plan on doing two videos for the same product: first a 30 second quick wrap up and another lengthier one. The lengthier video could be made in a way that it is done by a customer (unboxing videos). This will make the video independent and the review independent. Most global brands are doing this. Why not you?
- Testimonials
The biggest champions of your brand are the customers who have already done business with you. Honest personal feedback from a customer is stronger than anything you could say about your own company. Online reviews drive more than 90% of the buying decisions and are certainly impactful and influential in establishing credibility to any business or brand. So why not have your best customers talk about how you have helped them? And instead of a written review, how about if you put them in front of a camera?
Client Testimonials – How To Get Them and What To Do With Them
Make sure your testimonials sound whole and authentic. If the testimonial is forced or fake your audience will realize it and will have a negative effect than a positive effect. Also some customers may not be ideal in front of a camera, so pick who you think will rock and have them champion your business to other potential customers.
Chapter IV
What Style of Video Should you Create?
Picking the right video type is crucial to the success of your video marketing strategy. Picking the right video style is also important. Style is a more broader term than type (discussed above). Style relates to the tone, setting or concept. Style affects how you tell your story. It also depend on the budget you have allocated. Will you be using professional actors? Graphics? Dialogue? Specific locations? Or even celebrities? These elements will drastically change on how you communicate with your audience. Below are specific video styles you can adopt:
Lifestyle
A lifestyle video is any video that appeals directly to your target demographic. Lifestyle videos you’re your audience understand how your prdoucts/services can elevate their lifestyles or even transform them. Beautiful visuals, actions shots, and stunning imagery should set the mood and epitomize the lifestyle you want to associate with.
Mini-Doc
For the average internet browser or your target audience the word “Documentary” is a dirty word. Normally it is the more educated type who prefers documentaries, not the average viewer. Mini documentaries often focus more on expressing your company’s core value or mission statement in a documentary-style format. This is usually is accomplished by interviewing founders, CEOs, executive staff or other key associates who make up a company or a brand. So to make the average viewer involved make sure that your mini docs are kept short, simple, sweet and quick to the point. Mini docs have to establish their story quickly and are often come with the intentions of the video mentioned at the very beginning. Remember, people want to know more about the companies they do business with. But that does not mean they want to spend hours watching videos about them. So try and establish sixty seconds as the maximum you want, but in the event you want to elaborate a more broader story it can be a bit longer.
Narrative
Narrative videos are probably the most recognizable style of video. These are the classic story telling videos. Narratives can introduce characters; can introduce conflicts and how the characters resolve conflicts. Narratives can create a journey that a consumer may want to join and it could include more videos. Because narratives aim is to tell a story, these videos also could be the driving force behind your sales. Whether you tell the origin story of your company, its founder, how it became public, make sure to inspire your audience.
Remember, to craft your stories within the bounds of your companies vision and mission statements. Don’t stray too far. It is easier to get lost in it, but make sure why you are doing this and the purpose behind it.
Animation
When done right animations have the power to engage and captivate your audience like no other video type or style. Animation can explain difficult concepts or ideas; they can infuse a ton of entertainment. When doing animation videos you are also bound to the creative efforts and experience of the animator, so picking the right animator or the animation company is crucial.
Keep in mind that animation can be less costly to create (no equipment, less time on set, etc.) but can take much longer because of the technical skill per frame that it requires. Keep a pros and cons list handy before deciding whether animation is right for you.
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