Types of videos – what’s right for you?
So you’ve heard that your business needs a video to thrive. Maybe more than one video in fact (more about that over here).
But what type of video is right for your business?
This is a question we get asked pretty regularly by our clients and the possibilities really are endless.
Do you need an overview video? A case study or two? Maybe an entertaining ‘how-to’ video? Or something fun and engaging for social media? What about animation? Or a short documentary?
Oh my. That’s a long list. But we warned you – the possibilities are endless.
Here’s the thing though, when it comes to making a video for your brand or businesses, it’s never just as simple as picking a ‘type’ of video, rolling camera and hitting publish.
To truly figure out what type of video (or videos) you should invest in, you need to ask yourself one short but powerful question: Why? It sounds simple enough but you’d be surprised how many people get stumped by it.
So before you even start discussing the type of video you’d like to create, make sure you understand why you want to produce that video in the first place.
It could be to sell your product, build brand awareness, increase your Instagram following or promote your new campaign. Maybe it’s none of the above and that’s ok too.
But trust us – once you work out the why, landing on the right type will be a lot easier.
And now, we’re going to break down the top three videos we think will do wonders for your brand or business.
The ‘About’ video
About videos are probably the most common type of video out there. Seriously, when was the last time you stumbled upon a website that didn’t have one?
But About videos can be used beyond your website too. They’re great to send to potential customers or clients. You could also publish it to your YouTube channel or company LinkedIn profile. You could even add a QR code linking to it the next time you do a run of business cards.
As a rule, an About video will be longer than something you might scroll past on Facebook or Instagram. The latter are usually well below 2 minutes, but your About video should be closer to 3-5 minutes.
Of course, not all About videos are created equal and if the About video you create doesn’t clearly explain to viewers what your business actually does, it’s unlikely to leave much of an impact. Not a positive one at least.
Most people will go hunting for an About video when they’e researching a new company. You’ve probably done it yourself once or twice – our team certainly has. You’ve also probably watched a couple only to be left wondering: wait, what does this company do and exactly how can they help me?
Keep this in mind before you create your own. You never want your About video to leave your audience with more questions than answers. Which is why figuring out your ..er ..why is oh so important.
The ‘Case Study’ video
Do you hear the words ‘case study’ and think about those boring paragraphs you see under the Case Study tab on an organisation’s website: Challenge. Solution. Outcome.
Total snooze fest, right?
Case studies can be mind numbingly boring. Especially if they’re written in the tone of the business without any client or customer input. But case studies are incredibly useful at really showing people what you’re trying to communicate and what the outcomes of that could be.
So what’s the trick to get people to actually take notice of them? A video – of course.
When you share your case study through a video, you can give your viewers a behind-the-scenes taste of your company or brand. It’s also a powerful way to highlight your company’s success, or the success your client has achieved with help from your services.
Include on-camera interviews with your customers if you can. Walk through the steps your company took to solve that customer’s specific problem. Use stats or figures where applicable. And always, always, highlight the benefit of your product or service rather than the features.
It’s worth noting that a Case Study video is not an advertisement – not in the traditional sense at least. While they both market your product or service, an ad is far more commercially-driven and has a clear intent: to persuade your viewers to work with you or buy your product.
A Case Study video the other hand is much more about storytelling. It is an excellent and authentic way to give potential customers a feel for your company and build trust in your brand.
The ‘Testimonial’ video
A great testimonial video can be more powerful than your entire marketing team multiplied by 10 (you didn’t hear that from us though…). But is it really just as simple as politely asking your customer to record something glowing on their smartphone or laptop?
Our honest opinion? No, not really. Sure if it’s a matter of no testimonial or something recorded on a device, always choose the second option. But if you’re going to the effort to create a professional style video with great lighting, an intriguing set and engaging camera angles, why would you tack on a half-baked talking head if you could avoid it?
A professionally filmed testimonial will go much further in building an emotional connection with your viewer. It might even convince them that they can benefit in the same way from your product or service.
Ready to get filming?
We hope these key video types have given you some inspiration for your brand marketing.
Here are they are one more time:
• The About video – to show your audience what your company actually does
• The Case Study video – to give potential customers a feel for your brand and build trust
• The Testimonial video – hand the mic back to your customer and have them convince your viewers how amazing you product or service is!
But remember what we said right at the top of this post? To see the true benefit of video marketing, you’ll definitely need to have more than one up your sleeve. If you’re not quite sure how many types of videos your brand or company needs, we’d be happy to help. Leave a comment below or send our team an email via hello@moonshine.agency.
You can also check out this post called ‘Video types and their uses’ which may help.
We promise that with the right video mix, you’ll be able to guide your prospective client or customer on a journey from awareness to action.
If you paid attention to the video too, you would’ve heard Mike promise a list of all the types of videos you can make. We might not have captured every single one, but here’s a pretty comprehensive list to get you going. Reckon we missed a few key types? Let us know in the comments below!
About Video – Explains what something is about, that could be your company, project or product.
Case Study– A powerful way to highlight your company’s success, or the success your client has achieved with help from your services.
Testimonial- Capture a customer complementing or praising your business
Pitch videos – Explain the nature and benefits of your business to potential customers
Webinars – The digital take on the seminar or conference
Instructional – A how-to or tutorial style video walks your viewers through a process or answers a common question that’s relevant to your product or service
Training video – Dedicated to educating viewers on a specific topic with the goal of teaching a skill or knowledge.
Scripted videos- Might mean using a teleprompter or professional actors and may need mood boards or storyboards
Animation videos- Created with original designs, drawings, illustrations or computer-generated effects
Promotional videos – Used for the express purpose of promoting a specific marketing initiative, sale, or event.
Commercials or Advertising – A video that promotes a product, company or service, backed by media spend
Q&As – Use a video to answers some of the most common questions customers will have about your company or products. Or get an expert on camera and interview them about their speciality topic.
Live videos– Think live streams or webinars
Company culture video – Take your audience behind the scenes of your business
Product video – Put your product front and centre and show your customers why they need it in their life
Explainer video – Short online marketing videos used to explain your company’s product or service
User generated content – videos that have been created by your customers about your product or service and shared
Event recap video – Create videos from your events or ones you attend.
After more video-making advice? Time to subscribe to our YouTube series Moonshine Moonshot. New episode every Tuesday!