Fight it if you want, but video marketing is here to stay. People consume a surprisingly high amount of video content every month, and with each passing month, your competitors are learning this more and more.
There are two reasons video is becoming more popular: modern tools make it easier to create, and there has been significant growth in video distribution platforms. In the last year, every single social media platform has made it easier to upload video content to share with your followers.
The marketing team at JotForm has found that video is a pivotal communication channel. Our YouTube videos have collectively been viewed over a million times, and we’ve always included them on help guides or blogs. Plus, with emerging video viewing capabilities on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and LinkedIn, there’s never been a better time to create videos for your customers.
Getting started with video from scratch can be daunting, which is why we’re here to help. Below are seven types of videos your team can create as you explore the possibilities of this medium and make significant progress in engaging new audiences.
1) About Us Company Video
If you were to create one video for your company, this should be it. Whether you prefer live action or animation, these “about us” videos should concisely sum up your company’s value proposition and give your potential customers some idea about your company beliefs and values.
2) Customer Education
Regardless of your business type, you’ll build a better relationship with your customers if you educate them — whether it’s about your service offering, tips for improving their business, or anything else that may be useful. Here’s a fun fact: according to Google, searches related to “how to” on YouTube grew 70 percent from 2014 to 2015. Feed your customers’ curiosity by offering engaging, educational videos.
3) Case Studies
Your customers are your best marketing tool — so film them! Video case studies are a compelling, rich way to tell stories of your biggest advocates. No matter how many different ways you tell a potential customer how your product will work for them, it will never be as effective as showing proof that it helped someone else find success.
4) Feature Advertisements
Do you want to tell the world about a new feature or service offering? Explain it in a 30-second video and distribute it to the masses. Video is one of the most compelling ways to demonstrate not only how a new feature works, but also why a customer should try it. And if you’re looking to get the word out about it, YouTube (through AdWords) and Facebook advertising dollars stretch pretty far in exchange for the number of views you’ll generate within your target audience.
5) Blog Content Videos
Just about any content you create for your blog can be repurposed and reimagined as a video. You can also embed the content directly onto your blog at a later date, since it could be the way some of your audience prefer to digest the information. Especially consider doing this for evergreen blog content that gets pageviews well after its publish date since it’ll be more worthwhile to create a video for it.
6) Messages From the CEO
Sometimes a message needs to come straight from your CEO, and what better way to share it than with a video? Whether you’re wishing your customers “Happy Holidays” or you need to issue an apology (hopefully the former!), a video of your CEO speaking directly to the camera comes across as sincere. It also serves as a great way for customers to make a more personal connection to your CEO and, in turn, your company.
7) Recruitment
Having a hard time convincing talent to work for your company? Consider investing in a recruitment video that showcases your company’s culture and core beliefs, as well as office amenities and job perks. Great recruitment videos can feature interviews from the president or CEO, as well as testimonials from employees who talk about what it’s like to work at the company. A high-quality recruitment video might be what convinces someone to go through the application process in the first place. If you have a “jobs” section of your website, a video like this can live there permanently.
Creating your first video doesn’t have to be a time-intensive or expensive affair. If your only tools are a smartphone and iMovie, it’s still worth a go. After you dabble in it, you might just find video is worth the investment and be willing to pay more for professionally-produced final products. Either way, there’s never been a better time to try.