Getting started with video: What kind of video do I need?
Using video as a corporate marketing platform has become increasingly popular. Video is no longer a want, but a need, especially after the pandemic when in-person communication was nearly nonexistent.
If you’re looking to make the leap into using video for your business, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Here's a look at two common types of marketing videos and some tips for deciding which is the best fit for your current and future needs.
Explainer video
If you’re not currently using any video, but have a decent website, an explainer piece is usually a good place to start. This “about” video can live on your home page to provide visitors with a glimpse of what you do and why you do it. You may already have this content written in text on your home page, and that’s OK. A video with similar content is more digestible and more likely to be seen, decreasing your bounce rate and keeping potential customers on your website longer. People retain more information when watching a video compared to reading it in text. Even with similar wording close by, having a home page video will provide a better understanding of your product or service, as well as capture a more human element by showcasing your team. Footage can include brief interviews with members of your company, as well as shots of your product, service or facility. You can even include a voiceover (a professionally recorded audio narrative) along with your footage to provide more details.
Customer testimonial video
If you already have an overview video, a great next step is to capture customer testimonials. When we look at the buyer’s journey, the explainer video helps convey what you do, but then customer testimonials validate that you do it well, reassuring the buyer along their path to making a decision to purchase.
Do you have a client or two who raves about your product or service? Consider asking them to sit down and share those thoughts on camera. If you’ve ever done a written case study or success story, this is similar but more engaging. You can even turn your existing written content into videos and package the two together on a web page. Customers also benefit from an additional free or split-cost marketing piece they’re excited about and are usually willing to share through their channels as well.
A more in-depth version of a customer testimonial is known as a “hero’s journey.” The difference is that this testimonial more deeply focuses on the client, how their problem was seriously impacting their lives or business, and how your product or service was key to helping them achieve their goals. This type of video zones in on the client more than on your company, but is often more effective as it’s more relatable. The viewer feels that if your company helped someone similar to themselves, then you can help them too.
Continuing your video journey
Explainer and customer testimonial videos are standard options for sales and marketing purposes as you get started on your video journey. To continue onward, take a look at where your sales are falling short and where you can use video to redirect buyers in their journey. For example, maybe you notice you're not getting a lot of website visitors. You can use this knowledge to your advantage to start creating videos for social media to help generate awareness about your business and drive traffic to your website. These videos can even be shorter cuts of your home page explainer or customer testimonial videos.
Or, maybe you are getting people to your website, but they're not following through and contacting you or making a purchase. That could mean they may be confused about your product or service and require more educational video content like FAQs. This is a great opportunity for a video that dives deeper on a services or product page than the explainer video on the home page. Your website visitors could also be confused about your pricing. Crafting a video that clearly explains your pricing can help provide clarity. These are just some examples of ways you can use video outside of an overview or testimonial piece.
There is also a wide range of opportunities to use video as an internal resource. An example of this could be if you are looking to train a national team on a new product. Record a video that can be watched at everyone’s leisure across different time zones or viewed during internal meetings. Another great use for video is for onboarding new hires. This keeps the process standardized and ensures you are delivering the same information to each new employee.
We hope this helps get you started on or continuing along your video journey. If you need more assistance with determining what type of video content would be most beneficial to your business, reach out today to schedule a time to chat with us!