Branded videos have the power to be effective throughout most, if not all areas of your business. Contrary to popular belief, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ video solution. In fact, there are several types of video, each catering to a specific business challenge. Here are 6 examples of common business problems, and how they can be solved using video:
1. Explainer Video
The problem: Your website is getting enough traffic, but conversions could be improved.
Why it works: Explainer videos spend 60-90 seconds summarizing why your business benefits your target customers. We already know that video is an incredibly effective method of communication, so why not use it to simplify and deliver your value proposition? It acts as the perfect elevator pitch, each and every time.
Where it works: These videos should be embedded in easy-to-find locations on your homepage, or on a specific landing page.
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Helpful hint: The messaging in these videos should be enticing, yet straight to the point – no fluff required!
2. Pre-Roll Advertisement
The problem: You want to gain more traffic, or your existing paid ad efforts are not returning positive ROI.
Why it works: Pre-roll ads harness the power of video into pure advertising form. Adwords and sponsored articles can be a great source of traffic, but your ads are competing with multiple ads all at once. Pre-roll ads are the sole focus of a viewer at the time. The viewer is usually exposed to the ad for a minimum of 15-30 seconds. With text, 15 seconds can’t accomplish much. With video, 15 seconds can deliver an entire targeted pitch. The best part about pre-roll ads is the ability to put your video in front of any specific target you choose!
Where it works: Pre-roll ads are displayed prior to video content selected by the user. Youtube remains an incredibly popular video platform to display pre-roll advertisements.
Helpful hint: If you’re creating both an explainer video and a pre-roll video, use consistent styling between the two in order to improve brand recognition.
3. Brand Culture
The problem: You want to create a certain perception surrounding your brand.
Why it works: With a never-ending supply of competitors, having a strong brand culture is a great way to differentiate yourself from the flock. It provides your viewers with an ‘exclusive’ peek into how your business is run, and can build trust by creating a connection with your team members.
Where it works: These types of videos can be included in blog-posts, about pages, or seasonal newsletters. These videos are effective when shown to an audience that is already somewhat familiar with your brand or industry, so they are not usually homepage-appropriate content.
Helpful hint: A culture video isn’t a sales pitch. Feel free to make it fun (if you want your brand to be perceived as fun, that is).
4. Testimonial Video
The problem: You have a great product/service, but your leads are hesitant to commit.
Why it works: The ideal viewer of a testimonial video is already well within your sales funnel. These videos are meant to be used as lead nurturing, and aim to gain the trust of your viewer. In a study performed by BrightLocal, 88% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. A testimonial video acts as a primary online review of your product/service.
Where it works: Testimonial videos should be embedded onto product/service landing pages, within lead-nurturing email campaigns, or on the ‘contact’ page on your website.
Helpful hint: The testimonial should be as natural as possible. An infomercial-style testimonial will feel too forced, and may fail to achieve its goal.
5. FAQ Video
The problem: Your service department is swamped with easy-to-answer questions.
Why it works: If an irate customer is frustrated with your product or service, they probably won’t enjoy sifting through your 100-page help section. Even if they find the proper section, the lengthy text and lack of visual instruction Videos provide a quick and easy-to-understand visual solution that allows for a simple DIY solution.
Where it works: In case it wasn’t obvious, these belong in the FAQ/Help section. Alternatively, they can be sent to consumers with a purchase acknowledgment via email.
Helpful hint: These aren’t for entertainment purposes. Make these as short and sweet as possible.
6. Training Video
The problem: Your training process is simple, but time is taken away from important tasks to assist with the training process.
Why it works: If you have an intranet, CRM dashboard, or anything that an employee would require some sort of training for, video is a great way to show them the basics! If they have questions, they can seek out help, but for the initial introduction, video provides an easy and time-efficient way for the trainee to learn. A bonus is that they will get to learn at their own pace, and will be able to refer back to the video at any point should they need to.
Where it works: This is dependent on where your training process is set up. Perhaps a dedicated Dropbox folder or intranet thread.
Helpful hint: Create shorter and focused training videos rather than one large video. If the trainee needs to refer back to something, they’ll find it that much quicker!
Author: Chloe Nosko
Chloe Nosko is the Marketing Manager at Simple Story Videos, an animated and live-action explainer video production studio. Simple Story Videos works with companies from startup to Fortune 500 to help simplify their complex messages and transform their stories into video. For more information, feel free to connect with her over… View full profile ›
