Are you ready to start using video in your marketing strategy?

Video is the most powerful tool for online marketing right now. If you take a quick look, you’ll see how this content format has taken over all the major social networks. It also powers the second largest search engine in the world—no, not Bing. YouTube!

With such an incredible increase in the relevance of video content, your brand cannot get left behind. It’s time to jump on the bandwagon, and it begins with understanding exactly why you need to use different kinds of videos for the same marketing strategy.

Why is it so important to use different kinds of videos?

Different kinds of videos will cover different needs. A commercial video won’t be as useful to build brand trust as a testimonial video, and if you try to use it that way, it’ll result in the opposite effect!

You have to use specific kinds of videos to cover your brand’s specific needs. Some videos are aimed for conversions. Some are looking to establish trust or brand awareness. The important thing to remember, is that all of your videos need to fit together like a puzzle that connects product features and increases brand recognition.

The key is to know your audience and create videos that are specifically tailored for them. Generic videos won’t work here! You want your videos to speak directly to your target audience. But first, let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones, so you can choose the kinds of videos that’ll fit your brand!

7 popular video styles for online marketing

There are many different kinds of videos you can use to boost your online marketing plan. Every video serves a specific purpose. This is why you can have dissimilar videos coexisting in the same marketing strategy!

These are the seven most popular video styles– and they’re popular for a reason: they’ll work wonders!

Take a look at these examples. You’ll end up as convinced about the power of video marketing as we are!

1. Commercial Videos

Commercial Ads are the same as the video advertising widely promoted on TV. This format has now become very popular in online advertising. It’s an effective tool to introduce a product or brand to your target audience, creating a great first impression. You can find this video format on social media ads, or before playing your favorite video on YouTube. It is so successful that it is considered one of the jewels in the crown of social media marketing.

They’re very engaging, and they’ll leave your audience wanting to know more about you!

Their strength? Generating Brand Awareness.

You should use it for: The awareness stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

2. Explainer Videos

Explainer videos are one of the favorites of marketers everywhere because they communicate the largest amount of information in the shortest amount of time. They’re also engaging and fun to watch.

With explainer videos, you can turn any complex subject into a video that’s very easy to watch and comprehend. They usually don’t last longer than 2 minutes (which is also the ideal video length to get the most engagement), and they use elements like animated characters and powerful storytelling techniques to keep your audience interested in what you have to say.

Their strength? Increases conversions.

You should use it for: The consideration stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

 

3. Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonial videos build brand trust. There is nothing more powerful than a real client talking about how great their experience was with your brand.

Why is it that powerful? Because customers trust their peers more than they’ll trust any other kind of product review. When a client shares their positive experience with your product, an instant bond is created with your target audience. A testimonial from an actual client is pure gold!

Just a tip: Nothing can replace real customers telling their real stories with your brand. So ask your previous clients to share their success stories in a non-rehearsed, non-scripted way.

Their strength? Build brand trust.

You should use it for: The decision stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

 

4. Educational Videos

Educational videos are a fantastic way to make your audience aware of any problems that your product or service can help solve. There’s so much more to educational videos than just selling: people love educational content!

Audiences, especially online, love to learn new things. This makes educational videos highly shareable. This is why having one as a part of your marketing strategy works wonders in building brand awareness.

Their strength? Generating brand awareness.

You should use it for: The awareness stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

 

5. ‘How-to’ Videos

How-To Videos are similar to educational videos because they both aim to teach something or educate your audience about a certain topic. With how-to videos you can teach your target audience how to use your product, and more specifically, how they can solve their problems by using your product.

Take a look at this example from Home Depot. They made a series of live-action how-to videos teaching regular people, just like their customers, how to improve their homes with Home Depot’s products.

A tip? You definitely want to upload your “How-To” videos to YouTube – the #1 platform for searches related to “how can I do/make/build/fix this?”

Their strength? Positioning your brand as an authority in your field.

You should use it for: The consideration stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

 

6. Company Story Videos

Are you ready to share your story with the world?

Well, at least your company’s story! Start getting ready for the camera, because sharing the story behind your brand is one of the greatest ways to make your audience trust you.

People like to know who’s working behind the brand! Share your story. Show your team. Your audience will trust you and they’ll connect with you better than they would with just a brand’s name.

Their strength? Create a bond with your audience.

You should use it for: The decision stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

 

7. FAQ

If your audience has questions and doubts that tend to repeat from time to time, or if you want to clarify a certain thing, then FAQ videos could be useful for your brand. With video content, you can explain difficult concepts in a visual and simple way!

Actually, video FAQs are much easier to understand than text ones. Take a look at this example from McDonald’s Canada:

Their strength? Engaging your audience, and solving their problems.

You should use it for: The decision stage of your Buyer’s Journey.

Let’s wrap it up!

Each kind of video has a specific role in your video marketing strategy. Creating just one video and repeating it each time won’t do the whole trick, because each video addresses a certain need—your brand’s needs and your audience needs! Use them together to weave a network of powerful video content.

Your videos should address the needs of your audience and answer their specific questions. This means you must know your audience! Start by creating some buyer personas, and then identify every step they take during the buyer’s journey

By understanding your audience, you’ll be able to create videos that will fit better in their journey, answer their questions, and guide them quickly and effectively toward the purchase.

 

Have you used any of these video styles in your online marketing strategy? We’d love to hear how that worked for you. Tell us in the comments below.

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