Videos are the most popular content formats on the Internet. They hold the attention of viewers longer than any other format. People remember video content far better and longer than text and photos.
It is not easy to create videos. Video production takes time and effort. However, once you create a video, your returns will be worth the investment. To ensure you get the right returns from the video production, have a clear goal on what you want to produce.
There are many types of videos and the choices can get confusing and, at times, even overwhelming quickly. To help you with this, we have listed the seven most popular video formats to promote your brand, product, or service.
#1 The Explainer Video – The Elevator Pitch for your Brand and your Product
When products are cutting edge, wildly innovative, or sometimes when they are the first of their kind, the audience may need to be educated. They will have to understand the problem the product is solving and why they should care. Explainer videos fill this gap.
Explainer videos are typically short and simple. They are informative and are made to be engaging. They usually begin with a problem statement that the audience can easily relate to. It is followed by an engaging explanation of how the new product can easily solve the problem.
A successful explainer video convinces the audience that the product is the best solution available.
#2 The “How-to” Video – Introducing the Nuances of Using the Product
How-to videos continue to build trust with the audience and continue to convince them about the effectiveness of your product. These videos open up possibilities of how the product can be used in various ways.
How-to videos stretch the product’s utility and convince the audience that it is worth the money spent.
Such videos become critical for technologically complex products or hard to understand instantly. Some companies believe their products are so simple to use that they don’t need to develop a detailed user manual. In these cases, people depend on the how-to videos to learn to use the product.
#3 The Teaser Video – Bringing Attention to the Product Launch
Teaser videos also go by “sizzle reels” and are just like a movie trailer. They give a sneak peek of what to expect from the product before it is launched. These videos are created to generate excitement and curiosity about the product.
Unlike the explainer video, a teaser video does not give out all the information about the product. It shares just enough to keep the audience curious. The main aim of the teaser video is to motivate the audience enough to buy the product and become early adopters.
#4 The Promotional Video – Giving Incentives to Buy the Product
While there are several similarities between a teaser video and a promotional video, promotional videos have a specific purpose. Promo videos are typically used to provide incentives for the audience to experience the product and buy it. So, while creating a promo video you need to pitch the audience about the perks they will be getting if they buy the product in its first sale.
An example of a promotional video can be a real estate company conveying the message that the first 10 apartment buyers will get a 20% discount on the price. This creates the first wave of sales, and the company builds on that to sell the inventory completely.
For brand new products, the first wave of sales is critical. If the first adopters are happy with the product and share their positive experience, it instantly improves sales.
#5 The Testimonial Video – Sharing Positive Experience of Customers
Once a product is launched, and sales begin, invest time in understanding customer reactions. When customers have positive experiences and share them on social media, consider turning this content into testimonial videos.
A testimonial video is a message from existing customers to potential customers encouraging them to buy the product. Testimonials are one of the most powerful tools to build trust.
To understand the power of testimonials, remember the last time you booked a hotel in a city you visited for the first time. You will realize a possible big reason for booking that hotel is because someone shared their positive experience in person or online.
There is overwhelming research that shows that positive reviews have a disproportionate influence on buying decisions. Even with a relatively unknown presenter, a testimonial video is bound to leave a positive impression and improve purchase intent.
#6 The Product Review Video – Sharing First Impressions of the Product
While a testimonial video is a direct sales pitch, a product review video is a more objective and detailed assessment of the product. Positive product review videos are effective and deliver results emphatically. They delve deep into the technical aspects of the product.
There are many ways of creating a product video. An unboxing video records a person’s first impressions when they unbox the product and use it for the first time. Since every customer has the experience of unboxing, these are very relatable.
Another type of product review is a comparison video. These videos compare similar products or brands and explain which is better. A positive experience for the reviewer builds stronger trust than any other type of video.
Finally, a common type of product review video is one that an expert reviews. People always ask the opinion of experts they know in their life before buying an expensive product. Expert reviews mimic this real-life behavior to encourage sales.
#7 The Live Video – Making Live Events Easily Accessible
Live videos are relatively new. Social media platforms made this format of videos popular. These videos give the users the power to transmit live events with just a smartphone and a data connection.
Live videos are most effective in sharing live events with the customer and potential customer base. Organizing events is a part of the regular marketing and sales cycle where the company brings customers over to experience the product. In some cases, events are conducted to build a particular brand for the company.
Whatever the reason for conducting events, they can physically only accommodate a limited number of people. Live videos are the easiest ways to expand participation.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., make it very easy to organize live events. This ease of setup opens a powerful channel for the marketing team to integrate live videos into their overall marketing strategy.
Conclusion
Video content has a measurable impact on sales. One of the most important jobs of any marketing team is to promote its brand effectively. The effectiveness of the branding has to reflect in higher sales.
Thankfully, there are several tried and tested ways in which videos can be used to promote a brand. We hope that these seven most effective types of videos have given you an idea of how to build a productive video marketing strategy.
Target Points
Major social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are prioritizing video posts more and more. Stay at the top of feeds and say more with brand focused videos from Target Points. We take control to help shape your vision and execute as smoothly as possible. Take your business to the next level when you partner with Target Points.
