Suddenly everyone wants video. But only the smart few are really killing it with brilliant ideas and execution.
Does your mouth go dry just thinking about standing in front of the camera? Or maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the pressure to “go viral”?
Hang in there. I’ve collected some of the best and most engaging video content ideas for your creative projects. If there’s a way to make it work for you, it’s on this list!
Introduce your team
You have a bunch of brilliant people in your team, so why not use that to your advantage? Of course, not everyone loves the eye of the camera… so you need to find a creative way to introduce both introverts and extroverts and let the personalities of these people rub off on your brand. Add a sparkle of that peculiar human charm to your website and you won’t regret it.
About us
It’s a similar concept to team introductions, however, in this type of video you should focus on the organisation’s mission and vision, its culture, goals and business philosophy. It’s a simple and easy way to give your prospective clients a great first impression. What makes your company unique? How are you better than everyone else? And why should they spend their money on you? Remember, authenticity always sells best.
Interviews with industry experts
Want to be recognised as an industry influencer? Then start building relationships with experts in your field. The interview format is wonderful in a way that you always get unique, fresh angle and can top up your video library with valuable content. Harnessing the potential of influencer marketing is a smart strategy for businesses that have ambitions to become industry leaders.
Video testimonials
Watch out for bland customer testimonials – they can do more harm than good. The sole purpose of video testimonials is to showcase your relationship with customers in a more believable and engaging format. Let them say what they want to say – using their own words and body language. A good video testimonial resembles a friendly conversation rather than a full-on serious interview.
Interviews with clients
Remember that your clients are a great source of content. Like you, they’re creating new projects, testing new marketing tactics, implementing new management methods… there are a lot of hard-won lessons to talk about! Find an angle that is most valuable to your audience and film a friendly tips & tricks interview that will help you nurture your relationship with the client as well as inject new content into your blog.
Case studies
The power of case studies is indisputable. Combining both hard facts and client testimonials, you can win a lot of new business. As a medium, video is incredibly flexible – sprinkle it with elements of typography, design, photography, music and special effects, and you have a strong, attention-grabbing piece of content. What’s more, it’s a convenient way to introduce your features and include screenshots of your product without coming off too salesy.
Information visualization
You’re probably creating a lot of written content – everything from newsletters to e-books to PDF guides. Why not repurpose this content visually? Depending on the information, you may want to go for infographics or data visualization in a video format. One of the flashiest trends in the video world is something called video scribing or whiteboard animation. It’s a creative way to convey information using both text and images, but you may want to hire a professional to do it for you to avoid disappointment.
How-to tutorials
It’s a pretty straightforward format that doesn’t require expensive props, acting talent or complex scenarios to produce high-quality material. I’ve recently written about various types of how-to tutorials that many brands experiment with to delight their audience, but, in a nutshell, if executed smartly, this type of educational videos can generate a lot of value.
Behind-the-scenes look
Tapping into people’s curiosity is always a good idea. Who doesn’t want to peek behind the curtain? Make a quick behind-the-scenes video to show your viewers the nuts and bolts of your ideation and video production process (or anything else, for that matter!). Don’t be afraid to talk about your failures and hurdles, and how you overcome them – it just makes you more human.
Company culture videos
This one is brilliant. You can go as bonkers or silly as you want as long as it captures the soul of your business. Time after time we’re reminded of how powerful a cult-like company culture can be in terms of driving sales and customer acquisition. Everyone wants to be part of something cool and special and it applies to your customers, too. They’ll pay not only for the quality of your product, but also for that lifestyle and vision you’re selling indirectly.
Video showreels
Have a lot of video content sitting in your library? Make use of it. Create a video showreel to pull together your best work and play to your strengths. It’s also a great format for end-of-year summaries or hitting-a-major-milestone kinds of announcements.
Market overview
There are some topics or themes that you discuss every day.You follow industry news, analyse competitor moves, produce reports and battle out innovation projects in team meetings. Your take on the industry’s status quo and future projections is gold. Use it to build authority and create a name for yourself and your company. In fact, push all your managers to be visible and share their insights online. The only way to be memorable is to give people a reason to remember you.
Product videos
The killer statistics of video marketing are on the first page of Google search – why aren’t you all over them? People are more likely to buy a product after watching a video, that’s a hard fact. No matter what you sell or where you’re selling it – there is a way to talk about your product like it was handed down by the gods. So just do it.
Making-of videos
Let your prospective clients and viewers watch you work! There is so much people can learn about you, the team, your business ethics and the general level of skills just by observing your journey from point A to point B. How and why you choose to accomplish various tasks in a way that you do is often more revealing than the final result. So don’t be afraid to share your work process – it’s definitely something that people are curious about.
Product reviews
There are various tools, apps and products that you use as a businesses. And then you also have a whole bunch of products that your team members are raving about. Why not put together a simple “Top 10 tools in our office” video (or something similar?) to share some product love and tap into this bottomless opportunity? Give first, ask for favours later :)
Event videos
If you’re one of those event lovers who attend at least a dozen different calibre gatherings a year, consider making simple videos to capture your highlights and share the insider’s views. It’s also likely you’re on the other end – organising weekly, monthly or annual events as part of your marketing strategy. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to let people get a taste of what it’s like to be in your audience (or on the stage!).
Educational content
A little bit like educational how-to tutorials, these videos fit nicely within any content marketing strategy. People are willing to learn to keep up with the always changing world, so jump in on this train of personal and professional development. Educational content can take many forms – from video quizzes to instructional step-by-step guidelines to simply sharing your personal best practices.
Animation videos
With many creative tools out there, animation doesn’t have to be a mission impossible. It’s a fun way to spice up intense (or let’s not be afraid to say boring) topics and keep viewers engaged. Experiment with new content ideas from time to time to stand out and tickle people’s curiosity.
Feature demos
Celebrating a successful feature launch? Don’t just stick your press release on the blog with raging hopes to become an overnight success. These kinds of announcements often require more context and background information – what does the feature mean on the bigger scale? If you get in front of the camera, you not only get a chance to talk through the key points of the new feature, but also (eventually) touch on the whole purpose and mission of your business. And that’s the way to go.
Screencasts
If you’re in the tech world, screencasts may be your bread and butter. Don’t ever assume that your product is so intuitive that people will just get it from the first go. Some will, others won’t. Producing a helpful screencast for new or prospective clients is a must if you want confident users that stay with your business longer than the free trial period.
Creative content
It’s a broad category, but if you nail it – it’s often the one that brings the most engagement. Just think about the videos that you like to share with your friends and colleagues – what are they all about? It’s mostly humour, a lot of cats and a few good stand ups. Whatever you decide to go with – office pranks or horror trailers (yep, I tried that…) – don’t be afraid to be different.
Seasonal greetings
It’s such a fantastic way to connect with your audience, remind them about yourself and spread some good vibes. Don’t try to sell with these videos, because it can go horribly wrong. Just take the opportunity to show the human side of your business.
Report summaries
If your team has just come out with a bang-on report on an important topic, use video to promote it and accelerate the interest. Before someone decides to sink their teeth into x pages of text, they’ll probably need a little reassuring that it’s actually worth their time. And if they’re perfectly satisfied with your video summary, they’ll come back for more.
Stats & Data
Like report summaries, this idea will capture professional’s attention. Design vibrant data visualisations to enrich the video with graphics and better explain the trends and concepts. We live in a constantly rushing world – if you can make it sweet and short, you will be hailed.
Q and A’s
If prospective clients don’t have any questions, you’re doing it wrong. Questions often signal engagement and interest. The more questions you get, the better are your chances of establishing your brand’s authority and meeting the customer’s needs early. Collect all the questions you get via social media, email, live chat, in person or over the phone. Group them in relevant categories and host a video Q & A session. Since this type of content never gets old, you can expect it to continue generating leads long after you’re done with it.
Important company announcements
Have some really exciting company news to announce? New investment? Breaking a milestone? Got an award? Announce it in an exciting way! With thousands opting for video over written content every day, you must develop a new habit of getting in front of the camera to grab prospective client’s attention.
Entertaining content: parodies, office life, cool nonsense
Let’s get the obvious out of the way… how does this help you grow your business? Well, the truth is, you don’t have to talk about your brand all the time to make it memorable. Just think about Nike. Do they rant about sneakers or sportswear in every commercial? No. They work hard to celebrate the best athletes in the world and athletics in general. Then, take a look at what BuzzFeed is doing. True, they’re a bit cheesy sometimes, but their strategy is genius. And it’s working. So from time to time, encourage your team to indulge in silly things (like impersonating their boss on camera?) and put a smile on people’s faces. As long as the content is not offending anyone, you’re running no risks.
Stop-motion videos
Team birthday parties, brainstorming sessions, casual Fridays, project debates, coffee breaks, last-minute deadlines and all kinds of important moments in your office may go undocumented. Unless there’s someone running around the office with a camera every day? But it doesn’t have to be this way. Stop-motion videos are quite simple to produce using tools like Animoto – snap pictures of something in action and compile them together to achieve a stop-motion effect. Simple as that.
Unique product uses
Demonstrate unique product uses that elevate your brand. You know the 101 myths about Coke being great for cleaning toilets, polishing brass cutlery and so on? Well, that’s what you want to avoid. Be creative, but be reasonable.
Whiteboard
As you probably know, video scribing is killing all top charts. So there’s something mysteriously appealing about watching people write or draw on a whiteboard. Get your camera on a tripod, hang a whiteboard or a chalkboard on an empty wall and get drawing!
Unboxing/unpacking
Okay, maybe it is borderline shallow, but it gets them every time. What’s in the box? :) If you have gadget geeks in your team or have loads of packages delivered to your office (Amazon Prime, anyone?), use this opportunity to produce something fun and engaging. Share your daily experiences to connect with your prospects on a friendlier level.
Business trailers or explainer videos
If you don’t have a business trailer yet, start working on it! Your customers are not expecting a Hollywood-style blockbuster trailer. All they want is a clear, succinct explanation of what you do, how you do it and why that matters. Think about it as the pre-screening phone interview – you have one chance to make a good impression. Make it count.
A public poll
Are you having much luck in surveying people online? It’s a tough job to make them open your email, and that’s not the end – you then need to make them click… Another option is to just go out on the street. It’s not the best way to get segment-specific answers, but there are so many other valuable insights that you can gauge from passers-by. Show them your product, ask for feedback and capture their reactions on video – the possibilities are endless. Don’t be afraid to ask for help (in exchange for cookies or hot beverages, of course!).
Long-form content recap
Did you finally get cracking on that bestselling book? Has your content team been busy crafting long-form content such as guides, eBooks or an occasional beast of a blog post? Well, good for you. But why not use this as an opportunity to be helpful? Film book reviews or recap on long-form content to make those insights more accessible to those who never have time (so, everyone).
Time-lapse videos
How did they do it? This question is always in the back of my mind when watching or reading about someone else’s impressive achievements. If you’re working on a big project, set your camera up to film the process and produce an all-encompassing time-lapse video to put all those questions to bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
You must have the FAQs section on your website. If your prospect ends up there, it can mean two things – s/he’s either curious and scrambling for more information or s/he’s frustrated, starting to hate you already. Don’t leave them on their own. Why not put yourself out there and add a quick video under each question? It’s efficient and definitely more enjoyable than scanning generic answers to find what you need!
Round-up video clips
News-style quick video round-ups can be a great hit if you’re producing a lot of content. Don’t let all of it sit on your blog, waiting to be discovered. In the social media world as noisy as it is now, one message has to be repeated dozens of times to bring some results. Weekly, biweekly or monthly round-ups is a great way to repurpose what you already have.
Before & After
Well, you get the gist of it. The process of transformation – and I’m talking about any transformation here, from refurbishing your office to redesigning your website – can be a wonderful well of inspiration for others. It’s enough to compile a bunch of great images to produce a stop-motion video and demonstrate the before & after effect.
Office tour
It’s like welcoming someone to your home – makes people feel special. Depending on how happy you are with your office space, it could be an easy and quick win. Get your camera ready for when the beer o’clock strikes for the best vibe!
Online course
A consistent, video-based learning experience is something that people are truly fascinated about. What does your company excel at? Film a series of video lectures to share what you know best and drive people to your website. Online learning is sweeping the Internet – jump on this trend while it’s hot.
Pre-launch videos
Working on a huge project that spans over a few months or even longer? Don’t forget to tell the world! Pre-launch videos give you the opportunity to hint at exciting company news and reassure your audience that there are a lot of cool things in the pipeline. Build intrigue, keep your prospects informed.
Conference summary
So you went to that conference that everyone’s raving about. Great! But how about making a quick conference summary video? Maybe even while you’re there? Piggyback on the momentum that’s already there, share the video with your team and push it to social media. It shows that your business strives to stay at the pinnacle of industry trends.
Videostory
The phrase says it all. Tell a story that is relevant to your business. Maybe it’s about your journey to where you are now, maybe it’s about the most embarrassing things you’ve ever said in a meeting or perhaps your recruitment philosophy. There’s no right way to do this – it’s your story! :)
Opinion piece
Whether there’s something controversial happening in the industry or the Internet is ablaze with cutting-edge trends, cut in on the buzz. It’s a window of opportunity to make your brand seen, so you need to be nimble and seize the day.
Voiceover
This type of video could go down so many routes. You can make a parody of some of your older videos or record a great explainer video using bold graphics. Let me tell you, it’s not easy to find a good voiceover artist, so if you have this talent in your team…go get it!
Competition announcement
It’s a personable technique to generate more interest when you announce any competition and a great way to deliver good news to the winners. It can take as little as half an hour to record a good vibe video, but a good vibe video can go a long way…
Publicity stunt
This is one of the most difficult ideas to pull off, because there are several conditions to meet to bring it home. You’ll probably need a budget, a spectacular idea and meticulous planning to pull the trick. But hey, if you can do it, you’ll be bathing in social love.
List of ideas
Did you just skim through this list, reading just about every second line? See, that’s why I need to produce a video to rant off my 50 video content ideas and lock your attention in early. Watch this space for quick recap…
Busting myths
No, it doesn’t require you to blow things up. Find myths that are associated with your industry or have something to do with the product/services you sell. It’s one of those BuzzFeed-type pieces of content that allow you to actually be fun. Food for thought or myth #1: if you start your own business, you’ll have more freedom, control and work-life balance. Eh?
Thank you video
Say thank you. Thank the people who entered your competitions, your current customers, guest bloggers, loyal blog readers, social media followers… It’s a simple but genuine gesture that shouldn’t be overlooked.
So… I will take my own advice. Thank you for sticking till the end! Here’s your bonus treat: follow this link to download an awesome entrepreneur’s resource with 116 growth hacking tools and apps. Make it happen!
Read more:
- How to Pitch a Video Concept Your Client Will Love
- Best Video Editing Software for eCommerce
- Video Editing Software for Small Businesses to Improve Video Marketing
