What different styles of video content to use & when

If you want to attract new customers online, increase engagement and grow your business then video marketing provides many benefits. But having decided to use video marketing to grow your business, what style of video should you use?

The answer will depend on the purpose behind the video and where it fits in the customer journey.

Below are seven common styles of video that can be used for different reasons.

1. Brand videos (The story of your ‘why’)

Your brand video is perfect content for raising awareness and positioning your brand in the market. This ‘top of funnel content’ should be targeted at an audience that is early in their customer journey and needs to be created with an emotional connection in mind.

This is where the power of storytelling really shines when it comes to video. Every business has a unique story to tell. What’s yours?

The brand video is powerful because it introduces potential customers to the personal story behind the brand.

Why was your business created? How did you come to offer the products or services that you sell? Why are they so important to you? How do they make a difference to the lives of your customers?

Having a brand video is a great way to showcase why you’re the best choice for your audience. It will serve as a visual introduction, allowing people to become familiar with what exactly your company has to offer.

This is core video content that plays an important role in many video marketing strategies. So important, in fact, that I’m going to dedicate an entire article to the brand video in a future post.

2. Testimonial videos (Case studies & social proof)

People influence people.

Recent stats show that 72% of us won’t buy from a company without customer reviews.

Every business will tell you that you should buy from them. The truly convincing marketing message comes from genuine, satisfied customers who are happy to talk about how buying from a business benefitted them in some way.

And this is where video has the edge over the written word. It’s one thing to read a great review about a business but it’s quite another to see the person on camera, to witness their emotion, and to hear them talking about how much they’ve gained by buying from you.

There’s no better way to show the impact you’ve made than to show the people you’ve impacted. This is the ultimate social proof.

The testimonial video, or the in-depth case study, is a must-have for any business aiming to attract customers online.  It can also be used later in the customer journey during the consideration and purchase stages. I’ll explain why you should create testimonial videos & case studies for your business in a future article.

3. Services (Demos/product walkthroughs)

There will always be barriers that hold people back from buying. Price, functionality, ease of use, time commitments or fear of making a mistake are all common worries.

Product or service demos/walkthroughs are one of the most effective ways to address these issues and show people why they shouldn’t walk away without making a purchase. Because of that, it is perfect content to use during the consideration and, most commonly, purchase stages of the customer journey.

Use a product demonstration or service walkthrough to show exactly how something works or to highlight its value or convenience.

Ultimately, these videos should help potential customers picture what it will be like once they’ve made their purchase. You can help them imagine using one of your products or being supported by a service you offer.

4. How-to (Explainer videos/FAQs)

Sometimes it’s difficult for people to understand what a product or service includes from pictures or text.

A short-form explainer video can help to make your offering clearer and, similar to service demos/product walk-throughs, they are most likely to be used during the consideration and purchase stages of the customer journey.

This style of video highlights the features and benefits of a product, service or business idea in a succinct and compelling way.

You’ll often find explainer videos on a landing page or the Home page of a website, as well as ads on social media.

Another option is to use video to answer your potential customers’ FAQs.

There are different approaches you can take, from product demonstrations to a customer service rep talking straight to the camera. Many businesses also create a series of videos to answer a different FAQ in each one.

The key here is to identify what potential customers worry most about and reassure them with information, advice and experience.

This content can be the difference between people dropping out of the sales funnel and turning into a paying customer.

5. Culture (Meet the team/employee bios)

With so much of today’s communication being done online via email, instant messaging and chatbots, it’s easy for businesses and their customers to forget that there’s a person on either side of the communication.

Like the brand videos we mentioned above, employee bio videos are an engaging way to introduce the people that make the business.

These videos can take the place of a headshot and short blurb on your About or Team Profile web pages or they can enhance the text. They act as a short portrait of your key people, showing why they care about what they do and why this matters to your customers.

After all, it’s not just your business that has a unique story to share – your employees have their own too. Profile videos can showcase their talent and experience, while also beginning what will hopefully be a lasting connection between your customers and staff.

Another option is to create company culture videos that highlight what your business is like behind closed doors.

These videos have great social value and they’re good for recruitment. If you’re keen to recruit new employees, culture videos are the best way to show off what sets your business apart and makes you unique.

6. Community Involvement

Once you’re at the stage where you’re putting out a lot of content then it’s a good idea to mix things up a bit.

How does your business connect with the local community? Are there any initiatives that your employees are involved with? Could your team take part in some volunteering or sponsor a local organisation?

You can use video to show what you’re doing to support your wider community, why you’re doing it and how you’re making an impact. Again, this is a fantastic way to show the human face of your brand.

7. Thank you (personalisation)

The customer journey should continue long after someone has made a purchase from your company for the first time.

Stats show that it costs five times more to recruit a new customer than it does to keep a current one. Repeat customers also convert more easily, spend more and make more referrals than one-time-only customers.

But how can you use video to help with customer retention?

‘Personalisation’ is the key here. It’s important to make sure that your existing customers feel individually noticed and valued. You can do this by sending out a video thank-you message or a personalised welcome message.

How could you use video to grow your business?

So, there we have it, seven different ways in which you can use video to engage with your current and prospective customers. There are, of course, many other ways in which you can use video to grow your business. First of all, assess what it is that you want to achieve and then consider what style of video aligns best with your goals.

How could you use video to grow your business? Contact us to start a conversation.