Video is known to have one of the most successful conversion rates throughout all types of media. Businesses from small startups to large enterprises have to invest some money into video advertising if they are going to be able to create a comprehensive marketing campaign. But there are a multitude of different types of videos that a business can invest in if they’re looking to reach out to their customer base — and starting can be overwhelming. If you’re just starting a video marketing campaign, the below five videos are where to start.

1. About Our Company

• Creates a sense of company culture and identity — while also reinforcing trustworthiness and brand identity.

• Establishes a sense of rapport between the company and the consumer, in preparation for building a relationship.

An “about our company” video tells the story of a business while also outlining its mission statement. This type of video is exceptionally valuable at the beginning and middle of the sales funnel. For business to consumer sales, an “about our company” video gives them a firmer idea of the company that they’re going to be working with — and whether or not they can trust the company to provide the best in products or services. For business to business sales, an “about our company” video generally gives them more of an idea of where your company stands within your industry and how it relates to them, and may occur later on in the sales cycle.

Storytelling is a large aspect of this type of video, which is designed to personalize and humanize your business. It’s important that this type of video be an accurate representation of the company’s ideals and values, as this is what’s going to target the company’s media and inform its future branding. At the same time, an “about our company” video shouldn’t be too long or too detailed; additional information simply isn’t useful to the consumer. Even though this type of video is about the company, it’s really more about the company’s promise to the consumer.

2. Customer Testimonials

• Improves upon customer trust through the use of relatable and reliable media.

• Reaches out to specific customer demographics and buyer personas.

Customer testimonials are one of the most effective forms of advertising available. A customer testimonial is inherently trustworthy; it is a customer who is talking about their personal experience with your brand and how your brand was able to help them. The more straightforward and honest the testimonial appears to be, the more valuable it will be to your marketing and advertising campaign. Further, a customer testimonial is also one of the least expensive types of video to shoot; it only requires a professional setup and a willing participant.

When customers see testimonials they are able to immediately relate to the buyer. This gives a company the unique ability to reach out to specific buyer personas, by looking at their customer demographics and choosing testimonials that are most likely to speak to a large subsection of their potential prospects. Customers see someone who is just like them and who has similar problems as them — they then see that your company was able to resolve these issues. Like an “about our company” video, this serves to further humanize and define your business as more than just “a business.”

Customer testimonials absolutely have to be earnest. Most customers can detect insincerity and they can detect things that “seem too good to be true.” The more authentic the customer testimonial is, the better it is for the business. Companies may want to request testimonials from their longstanding and valued clients, so that they can get a testimonial that truly speaks to their company’s mission and character.

3. Promotional Videos

• Prompts customers to make a purchase now that they understand more about the product.

• Educates the customers about the ways in which the product or service can help them.

Promotional videos are essentially commercials, though today they are often posted on the Internet rather than through more “traditional” channels such as television. Promotional videos generally center around a specific product or service, and often a limited time offer is involved — such as discount pricing or a specific one-time event. Promotional videos are very much geared towards time pressure and selling, in a way that other videos on this list are not. They are very important towards the end of the sales funnel, when the customer has been educated about the product and is strongly considering a purchase.

A promotional video should be detailed without being lengthy. It needs to describe a problem that the customer has in addition to how the product itself is going to solve that problem. Promotional videos often assume some level of familiarity with the product or the brand. They are usually targeted towards a specific buyer persona, in an event to reach directly to the customer and to make them feel valued. Because of this, multiple promotional videos may be designed to reach different core demographics.

Promotional videos are versatile. They can be reused and can become a mainstay of the company’s content. They should be designed with the company’s branding, values, and mission statement in mind — and ultimately they will become a part of the company’s content marketing.

4. Live Videos

• Gives customers the feeling of being a part of something greater than themselves.

• Engages and entertains the customer in a unique and personal way.

Social media platforms have made it easier than ever to broadcast live videos directly to customers. Live videos are usually recorded at large events, but they can also be used in a more intimate setting — such as a CEO explaining a change that a company has made, or a lead engineer describing a product. Live videos engage customers more than pre-recorded videos because they have the experience of actually interacting with the business. Being able to take questions and respond to them on-the-fly gives the company a connectedness to its customer base that it would otherwise not be able to achieve.

Live videos can be a challenge because they require a lot of preparation to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Equipment must be placed to provide for camera switching with ease — and the individuals on the video need to be skilled at acting in front of a camera and responding extemporaneously. If technical issues do occur, there must be contingency plans in place (such as an alternative broadcast). But when live videos do go well, they can be extremely engaging and momentous. There is a reason that live video streaming is becoming one of the most popular methods of content consumption today.

Once a setup has been achieved, live videos can also be very affordable for an organization to shoot. Businesses can use live videos to consistently engage their customers through their social media. By building a following, they can build organic traffic and ultimately improve upon their sales funnels.

5. Explainer Videos

• Goes more in-depth regarding products and services offered by your business.

• Answers questions customers may need answered before commitment.

Explainer videos not only build your content base (and establish your authority within your industry) — they also serve the purpose of “tipping” over customers that are on the edge of a purchase. Explainer videos are designed to go into detail about particular products and services. Unlike promotional videos, they are designed to be foremost educational; they are not urging the customer to buy, but rather just outlining some information that the customer might need to have. Customers who are already interested in the product but want to learn more will generally end up at an explainer video.

Explainer videos also don’t necessarily have to be about a product or service that you offer. They can even be general “how to” videos about your industry that relate to your potential customers. This is a way to build and strengthen the relationship that your business has with the customer; if you are more trustworthy, they will be more likely to make a purchase. An explainer video is going to go a long way towards educating customers who may have just learned about your business and may be more interested in the quality of your products.

In terms of resources, explainer videos are also very affordable to shoot. They may only require narration or a single “explainer,” and they usually don’t need any particular cinematographic effects; instead they are solely focused on the product or service involved.

A solid video marketing campaign is going to include all of the above types of videos and more. Building out a content library requires a large inventory of media, which will ultimately form the representation of your brand to your customer base. On a whole, these videos need to be produced professionally and in a consistent tone — and together they will be able to tell a story to your customer about your business and your brand. Though video marketing can be an investment of both time and money, it ultimately has one of the highest returns on investment compared to other forms of media.

Article by Joe Forte, co-owner and producer of D-Mak Productions, a full-service video production phoenix company.

Original article was published at http://www.webvideomarketing.org/wvmblog/5-types-videos-every-business-needs/

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