Whether you're an individual contributor or running a business or a department, video can play a vital role in your marketing efforts. Not only this, video can help your company as a whole chase the dream of limitless growth.
Are you already using video? If so, that's fantastic. But, you should still revisit your strategy from time to time, run experiments, and make sure you're using the right video formats for your business and audience.
To help you get the most out of video, whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned video vet, here are some marketing areas where you could experiment with video:
- Explaining Concepts and Products
- Product Tutorials
- User-Generated Content (UGC)
- Advertising
- Employee Advocacy
- Podcast Promotion
- Education and Entertainment
- Employer Branding
- Use Cases and Sales Enablement
[#TOC1]1. Explaining Concepts and Product[#TOC1]
Oftentimes, the concepts behind what you do, or the actual products you create, are unique and unfamiliar to audiences. This can make them difficult to explain, especially if you’re trying to do so with a blog or a downloadable PDF.
Videos are great for explaining different concepts, like those that pertain to your business or those your audience is simply interested in.
Why? Because your audience wants you to show, not tell.
Video allows you to visualize a concept or a problem. This helps you simplify complex topics and present them in an engaging format featuring compelling visuals and audio.
It’s no wonder why 91% of people have watched a video to learn about a new product.
The most popular type of video used for this purpose is known as an explainer video. As the name suggests, an explainer video breaks down a topic or your product itself for your audience.
Any time you have a complicated topic, or proprietary products or software to cover, consider this kind of video approach. Incorporate helpful, clean visuals to make complex topics easier to digest.
Here is a nice example of an explainer video by Slack. In just a little over 1 minute, it introduces the product, shares clear benefits, and ends with a clear call-to-action — all in an engaging way.
When making any kind of explainer video, make sure the pacing is steady and appropriate for your audience. If it’s a very top of funnel topic, you want to keep things light without getting too lost in the weeds. If it’s for a seasoned audience, you can likely be a little brisk with the pace.
[#TOC2]2. Product Tutorials[#TOC2]
Video tutorials are great for both internal use, and for teaching your audience how to use your product. Unlike written tutorials, videos can benefit from a combination of audio and visual instructions that make complex processes easier to understand for your audience.
What’s more? Your audience retains 95% of the message when it’s presented via a video.
Tutorial videos can not only help your audience better understand your product, it can help smooth out the sales process and improve the overall customer experience.
The above HubSpot video is a great example of a product tutorial. It details a rather complicated process, offers engaging visuals and screen caps of the platform itself, and helps the audience learn a valuable skill.
Here are some tips to help you crack tutorial videos:
- Identify a process that your audience needs help understanding (a certain feature of your product that they can’t understand).
- Work with the relevant team to create a plan and script that succinctly covers the topic.
- Incorporate visual and audio cues throughout your video to help the viewer keep up and focus on important details.
- Don’t be afraid to make a longer video, as tutorial videos are typically more in-depth than a brief explainer. You want your audience to leave with the knowledge they need to fulfill the task.
Once your tutorial video is complete, distribute it through the appropriate channels. Internal videos should be shared via email and posted on your company intranet. Customer-facing videos deserve the social treatment, and a spot in your knowledge center or blog.
[#TOC3]3. User-Generated Content (UGC)[#TOC3]
If you have access to user-generated content (UGC), you’re sitting on a goldmine.
It could be a testimonial, an unboxing video, or just a quick how-to clip featuring your product — made by real people who use your product. And an important distinction here is that they create this content on their own accord.
Whatever that content is, make sure to utilize it to your full advantage.
Not only is UGC typically less work on your end, it’s also trusted. In fact, Millennials trust UGC 50% more than traditional branded media.
Make sure to get consent from the user before incorporating their content in your marketing. This can either be a one-off video featuring a single user, or a mashup that combines multiple user testimonials.
Even something like a real user enjoying your product or simply unboxing it can count as UGC.
Have fun with your UGC, make sure it feels organic, and be sure to re-share it on your social channels only after getting consent.
[#TOC4]4. Advertising[#TOC4]
Video ads are a trusty tool for any company looking to promote their company or specific offerings. You’re likely already using other, more traditional forms of ads, which are essential to most companies and worth investing in.
But, with video ads you get the added benefits that come with video — knowledge retention, appealing to other learning types, engaging with different audiences, and so on.
An added perk? People who watch video ads are 17% more likely to purchase than those viewing a traditional ad.
Identify where you need a push the most. Is it a new product? A product that’s lagging behind in sales? Or a simple awareness boost for your brand?
Next, work with your team to create a succinct ad that speaks to your audience. Think about the channels on which you’ll share this ad and tweak it to match. For instance, an ad that works well on LinkedIn, might not work as well with your audience that’s hanging out on Facebook or Instagram.
You also want to make sure your ad is customized to get the most out of the platform where it lives. Does the platform offer space for a button beneath the video? Are the dimensions different? And so on, and so forth.
The above example from Dialpad does a great job introducing the company and their product, while staying short enough to work well on any platform. As an added benefit, it’s got a ton of humor and is highly engaging.
[#TOC5]5. Employee Advocacy[#TOC5]
It’s one thing to talk about how great your company is.
It’s another when you have your real employees sharing opinions and testimonials via video.
Employee advocacy videos are therefore a powerful, organic way to promote your brand. On top of this, employee advocacy videos will benefit from the same persuasiveness that makes video ads so effective.
Employee advocacy videos can fulfill a number of goals depending on the approach you take. If you have employees focus on the company and your product itself, they can help promote your brand and products. If you’re interested in hiring, employee advocacy videos are an excellent way to showcase why people should work for you (although this falls more under employer branding, which we’ll go over shortly).
When making employee advocacy videos, make sure you set your team up for success. Give them a resource kit that includes branded materials, video templates, and also a reliable video editing platform like VEED.
If you have an in-person workspace, try providing a space to record the videos and any equipment they might need.
Remember: just because these are employee-created videos, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look professional and on-brand.
Here’s a nice example from our very own Samuel Beeks (VP of Product at VEED), introducing VEED Clips on his LinkedIn profile.
[#TOC6]6. Podcasting Promotion[#TOC6]
Podcasts are all the rage these days. But, you want to make sure you get the most out of your podcast efforts before you start recording your hot takes and thoughts.
Instead of delivering an audio-only experience, incorporate video, since 64% of podcast listeners prefer podcasts with video.
Make sure your recording area looks clean and has top-notch audio and video. For guests who can’t meet in-person, require they at least have video available during the recording.
Recording videos of your podcasts not only makes for a visually engaging experience, it makes it easier to chop your episode into snippets. These snippets are great for promoting the upcoming episode before it’s live, and for drumming up further interest on social media.
And of course, people can still listen to the audio if they’re driving to work or doing the dishes.
Lenny Rachitsky's podcast offers a great audio experience, but also includes video. On top of this, he gets more mileage out of his efforts by drafting up quality LinkedIn posts that drive further engagement and reach more audiences.
[#TOC7]7. Education and Entertainment[#TOC7]
Videos focused on entertainment or thought leadership are great ways to get your name out there, engage with your audience, and even gain some respect in your space.
For entertainment-focused videos, you don’t have to necessarily focus on something related to your product. It’s a good idea to at least cover something slightly relevant to your space, but above all else make sure it’s content that will resonate with your audience.
Thought leadership videos should relate to your space, at least. Make sure it’s an area where your featured voice is confident and authoritative, as this will make the video more effective and help establish you as a thought leader in the space.
In either case, these videos are great for YouTube and social media. Social media is especially great for topical entertainment videos, like those themed around a certain holiday or time of year.
The above video from Hootsuite is a great example of how you can be entertaining, topical, and on-brand. The video is not only entertaining and funny, but also tied to the holidays. Making a topical or seasonal video can help you with a social push, and potentially improve engagement.
[#TOC8]8. Employer Branding[#TOC8]
Showcasing your company's unique culture, values, and work environment is just as much as marketing’s job as it is HR’s.
Videos are a powerful tool to drive employer branding, as they allow you to tell impactful stories in an engaging format.
Team up with HR and brainstorm ways you can use video to help with employer branding. Some ideas include:
- A day-in-the-life type videos that showcase what it’s like to work at your company
- Behind-the-scenes videos that show the work that went into different product features
- Videos of employees having fun at outings, participating in community service, etc.
- A document-style video where an employee takes you through a day in their life
No matter the approach you take, make sure your employer branding video accurately captures your company. And most of all, let your team have fun with it. This kind of energy will show in the final product.
The above example from Salesforce is stellar, as it’s short, puts the spotlight on a real employee, shows the culture of the company, and teases at the success of the company by mentioning their growth.
Best video format: employer branding videos can be very low-lift, simply using a lot of footage you may already have from events. You can also go the high-production route and transform them into mini documentaries.
[#TOC9]9. Use Cases and Sales Enablement[#TOC9]
Written case studies and customer testimonials are great sales enablement tools. But, stories captured via video can help you go the extra mile and really impact the bottom line.
Don’t take our word for it. 87% of video marketers say video helped them increase sales.
These kinds of videos can take many forms:
- Recordings of customers talking about how your product helped them
- Video presentations of case studies and the impact you made
- Videos highlighting numerous real-world uses of your offerings
- Mashups of customer wins (which also double as testimonials)
Typically, these will be on the shorter side, especially if you’re making a more testimonial-oriented video. But, case study videos can be on the longer side, especially if you want to offer a deep dive.
The above video featuring JetBlue does a great job succinctly highlighting how Tableau helped them fulfill their mission. The video is short, to the point, and features real people.
Tie Your Content to Real Business Impact
Whether you’re creating an explainer, showcasing how awesome it is to work at your company, or trying your hand at leading some thoughts online, any video you make should ultimately serve your business goals in one form or another.
The worst thing you can do is spend time and effort making a video simply because someone else is doing it. There’s only so much audience attention to go around. Making videos with purpose in mind will help you capture some of that.
Make videos with your bottom line goals in mind, monitor their performance, and tweak as needed. Over time, you’ll find a repeatable recipe for success. And that’s when the real fun begins.
