There are many types of videos on the web and TV and it can be daunting trying to figure out which type best suits your needs. Below, we’ll discuss six common video marketing types and what each one of them can do you.

Types of Videos

Commercials
Corporate Videos / Business Overview
Product Launch / Demonstrations
Testimonials
Events
Recruitment

1. Commercials

We all know what commercials are and, usually, most people have a negative reaction them. Watching your favorite show just to be interrupted by a bunch of sales tactics doesn’t sit well with most people. With more people cutting the cord and streaming or using their DVR to record their favorite shows, commercials are being viewed less. That doesn’t mean they don’t have value.

Commercials aren’t only for the boob tube, like other types of media they have migrated to the World Wide Web and even to your favorite streaming service. A commercial usually runs 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds. They can be used to inform the value of your services such as our trip advisor commercial, present a new marketing idea or tell someone about a special promotion.

Most people associate a high cost for commercials and they can be costly, but they don’t have to be. Being able to tell a story or an idea in a short time is a great way to help your business. A great 30-second commercial on your site is going to be viewed much more than a 6-minute video.

Commercials usually work best as a 2nd, 3rd or 4th video for your business because of their very limited length. They can be more costly than other video types also because there is an expected quality associated with them. I put these number one because I believe these are the best videos in any video marketing plan.

2. Corporate Videos / Business Overview

Being able to show someone what services or products you provide is always better than telling them.Marketing videos are great for landing pages or home pages for your site. If you put them front and center, it juts begs to be clicked and watched.

Knowing your market is important to make these videos effective. Let’s say you’re a non-profit and you want to help raise money, awareness and get volunteers to join your cause, how do you address this in a video under 3 minutes. Or, perhaps your company does SEO and you want to let businesses know why you are different from the other SEO companies. Both of those videos tell the stories the businesses needed to tell, and all under 3 minutes.

You want to inform people, but don’t forget you also want it to be entertaining. Hiring a great video production company will make this effortless on your part. These videos can do much more than any text or even any pictures. They are a powerful tool that brings you up to the big boys in the business world.

3. Product Launch/ Demonstration

Do you have the next big thing that no one can live without? How will anyone know that this life-changing product even exists?

The answer again is a powerful and effective video. These sometimes can be commercials although usually if it’s a completely new product a longer video is needed.

A great product video allows you to visually show why your product or service is something people NEED. A video can show how your product or service can help their life, or provide them with something they are lacking. A great video can sell people on the idea of what the product or service is, and not just rely on your features and benefits presentation.

Selling people on an idea, the “why,” is a much more powerful way to sell. Click here to watch a great Ted talk that covers how Apple is so successful by leading their messaging with the “why.” It’s a video that could forever change the way you describe your products and services.

Even the most intuitive products need to be demonstrated. How many of us have searched the web for a product we are either interested in, or already own, and want to know how to properly use its features. There may be an issue that you’re having and you need to troubleshoot the problem, and having a video for customers to watch can make this easy for you and them. Demonstrating your product can also help boost consumer interest and sells. Who knows your product better than you do?

Other times you have an item that needs to be demonstrated to show its unique benefits. Sometimes you can add this to your overall product video, but sometimes it’s nice to have a separate video showing this. These videos aren’t just for potential customers either. Existing customers may also like to see how your product works, or how they can fix a problem or troubleshoot. Using your video in a bit more detail. This allows you to provide extra value to your product by showing all of the ways it can be used in common situations. Just make sure and make these videos not dull. No one wants to feel like they are watching a video that is no more fun than listening to a teacher lecture!

4. Client testimonials

Even if, you shout from every rooftop about how great your services or products are, is it really a surprise that most people are hesitant to work with you? We as a culture don’t always have positive views on sales people or services. We have all had a negative experience with a product or service that was promised to be the best thing since sliced bread, and it turned out to be far from that.

Smart shoppers look at product reviews and research before they make a buying decision. What if you could have your top clients tell prospects how great you are? Wouldn’t those prospects be much more likely to believe one of your existing clients than you?

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment and imagine making a purchase on Amazon. If a product has a low star rating or has a lot of negative reviews, aren’t you are less likely to purchase it? However, if you read, or watch a review that tells you how great a service was, isn’t it likely that you will feel more comfortable purchasing that service? What kind of credibility booster would it be for your company if someone said you were “superhuman?” If you want to see what that’s like click here to watch a customer testimonial video for our client, Howell Construction.

Here are a few suggestions to make sure you create an awesome testimonial video:

Be completely honest – No one is perfect. If all your testimonials only say good things, you may not be taken seriously. If your testimonial says that you screwed something up but made it right in the end, and the customer is now happy, that’s a great testimonial.
Never, never create a fake testimonial – Don’t be tempted to pay someone for a fake testimonial. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how often it happens.
Include more than one customer in your video – If you have the option of including more than one person in your testimonial video, by all means, do so. Having multiple reviewers in one video saying nice things about you can be very powerful. Here’s an example of another powerful testimonial video for one of our construction clients, Howell Construction.

5. Events

Your business may hold special events that would be great to share with the world. Perhaps you have seminars that teach employees about new procedures, policies or new products you may be launching. Having a video of your event is an easy way to make sure that everyone gets the information they need, without having to travel. Special events like networking, holiday parties, trade shows and speaking engagements can be great tools to have on video. Make sure that you work close with your videographer when planning your event. Some special requirements like lighting and sound may need to be set up to make sure you get the best audio and visual possible

6. Recruitment

Finding the best person for a position at your business can be difficult and time-consuming. There may be candidates who are applying that don’t understand the nature of your business, so wouldn’t a video help them? Showing what the position entails is only one way you could generate buzz and clear up possible confusion. You may work for a company that does something unique and exciting. We shot a video for BMW (link) that was used in a job fair. With some great music and visuals, you can really have people apply that have more than just a passing interest in working with, or for you.

Also, if you are a music artist having your live performances filmed is a must. A lot of people love going to live shows but want to make sure that you sound good live. Have a camera crew capture the entire set and then split them up online for small consumption later can also help market your music.

This list of 6 common types of videos is just a partial list. Some businesses require specialty videos for their needs. You may want to put together a video showcasing a new prototype project for investors, a video outlining a future project for sites like Kickstarter.

There are quite a few more that can help your business for different reasons. Maybe you would like to share a corporate event you held or you put a seminar (1BC) with the information you want to share. Perhaps you’re looking for new employees and you want to show them how awesome it is to work for you. There is a perfect video for your business just waiting to get made! or even a special video to tell a customer that their order is ready! The most important thing to keep in mind is to choose the right video for your business, regardless of your size or budget, putting together the perfect video can help achieve your goals.

Let us know what type of videos you’ve created. What videos have been the most successful? In other words, what videos achieved your goal for creating them in the first place?