One of the most important things to remember about video marketing is that it shouldn’t be an independent aspect of your strategy. In other words, video is an important component of any content marketing mix because it can be strategically placed on your social media, in emails, on your website, and more. Users are also more likely to engage with brands after watching a video than by any other type of content. This creates a domino effect – more users continue to visit your site, it will boost your SEO, and in turn, your site will become more searchable on search engines and visitors will increase further.

If you’re convinced you’re ready to get started, your first step is to identify the type of video that will work best to convey your message.

Below are seven video marketing ideas to help you get started on this journey.

1. 30-Second Feature Video

If you have multiple products or are coming out with a new product, demonstrate the product in a short 10-30 second video. Focus on the best one, maybe two features of a product to create buzz and leave users wanting to click to a landing page to learn more. These videos are usually best for social media to gain more awareness of the product, but they can also be great additions to a blog post or on the homepage of a website to capture attention and reduce that bounce rate.

Great Example: It’s hard to believe you can get any information across in less than 10 seconds, but the good marketers can make it happen. Check out the video below:

2. Product Demo (or How-To)

One of the best places to get started with video marketing is doing an in-depth product demonstration video.

You, or another spokesperson, can be the star of your video or voice-over the video and explain what the product is, how to use it, and its benefits. Make sure the video showcases your product from different angles and in different situations. You can approach this as a dry infomercial style clip, or get creative with fun use cases or presentation styles.

Great Example: There are tons of examples out there of business owners explaining how to use different products, but as discussed, you can create a “how-to” video to show off how your product helps with any pain points at all. Videoleap made this happen by teaming up with an influencer in the example below (and of course, you could create something similar yourself that’s just as memorable!):

@zachkingIf you had a real life undo button, what would you do? @videoleap_by_lightricks   #UndoChallenge #ad♬ original sound – Zach King

3. Key Team Member Interview

Create a sit-down interview video with an integral member (or members) of the team at your company. This could be the president, CEO, or product developer. Depending on the member you choose, you can cater the interview to ask them about the company’s history, values, how the design process works, etc. These videos are best to feature when a potential customer is at the bottom of your sales funnel, so consider featuring something like this in an email marketing campaign.

Great Example: SafeHome interviewed an expert in their field who now works for the company providing advice about security systems. You get to learn more about why the subject is important to him in a quick 2-minute video.

4. FAQ

Instead of just having an FAQ page on your website, shooting a video and answering the questions on camera will allow you to explain the answers in a more detailed fashion. These videos benefit the consumer as they do not have to continuously search for the information or contact your team. They have all their answers told directly to them.

Great Example: While there are many FAQ videos out there, it’s important to remember that even a homemade video can work in this case because your audience is those further down in your sales funnel – they genuinely want to know answers to their questions in more detail. The realty team below gets creative by including FAQs in their Instagram highlights (along with other types of videos, like testimonials, so they’re a great team to check out):

5. Customer Testimonial or Customer Q&A

According to a Nielsen study, 83% of customers trust customer recommendations; and 66% of consumers trust and rely on online product reviews.

Ask a loyal customer to give a review on their favorite product or why they trust your company and it will help future customers feel confident in purchasing from your business.

Great Example: This organization chose to interview a student who attended their summer program. A video like this helps create credibility and trustworthiness, and it’s one of their top videos to date:

6. Behind-the-Scenes Tour

Customers love the feeling of exclusivity. Providing a behind-the-scenes video of your warehouse or office will give them an idea of what the day-to-day looks like at your company. When a customer can see your company’s culture and positive workplace, it will give them more confidence that they are supporting a good brand. Videos like this can also be used for recruitment and employee training purposes.

Great Example: This Layla Nielsen agency focuses on representation in advertising for the African American community. You can tell this video isn’t professionally produced, but similar to the FAQ-style videos, those interested are likely already at the bottom of your funnel and trying to get to know your company, so that’s okay! We like how in this video they embrace something important to the staff, illustrating a bit more about who they are:

 

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7. Unboxing Video

Right now, the internet is obsessed with unboxing videos. People love to watch the process from start to finish with cutting open a package, to pulling off the bubble wrap, and opening up the fresh new product. In 2018, 2 of the top 10 YouTube Channels were unboxing channels. These videos can help to showcase not only your product but also your company’s branding and packaging. Include the sound bites of the unpacking and be sure to clearly show each step of the process to intrigue viewers and show them exactly what they will be getting.

Great Example: This nonprofit creates unboxing videos for donations that they receive for the veterans attending their manufacturing programs. It’s a great way to say thank you for donating and show the impact:

The Takeaway

Video advertising is a necessary piece of your company’s marketing campaign. Videos gain more attention than other pieces of online advertising because they give customers a better idea of your company, your products, and your values. As viewers continue to engage with your videos, you will get an increase in visitors to your website and a boost in your SEO rankings online. Overall, marketing videos will increase your brand’s awareness, engagement, and sales.

The next step after laying out your video needs and strategy? Creating the video. We recommend using a video editor app to get your feet wet first before hiring a professional editor – you’d be surprised how much you can create on your own! Good luck and happy filming!

About the author: Amanda DiSilvestro is the Editor-in-chief of Plan, Write, GO. She has been writing about all things digital marketing, both as a ghostwriter, guest writer, and blog manager, for over 10 years. If you’re interested in outsourcing your content, check out her blogging services to learn more!