How to Use Video in Your Marketing Strategy
by Alonso Mayo
Do you want to use video as a marketing tool for your B2B or B2C business or nonprofit organization? With so many options, it can be tricky to figure out what type of video best suits your needs. In this guide, we’ll outline how different types of video can help during each step of your customer’s journey, using the four stages of a typical sales funnel.
Every organization is different and will have different video needs. Only you will know what type of video best fits your needs, be it a single video to achieve a particular goal or a series of videos to form part of your marketing and social media strategy.
Although we’ll outline some basic brand video types, these are just general templates. There are as many types of videos as you and your video production partner can come up with and bring to life.
So how to choose the right type of video for your needs? One way is to take a look at the different stages of a typical “sales funnel,” or the journey that your audience takes from first discovering your brand through purchase and beyond.
A typical sales funnel includes the following stages:
Awareness > Consideration > Decision > Retention
Of course, many video projects might have specific goals that fall outside the typical sales funnel, or you may consider that you might not need video for a particular stage. But still, matching the types of video to their possible use in a sales funnel can give you a good idea of how to include video in your overall marketing strategy.
An overview of the stages of the sales funnel and the types of videos we will cover include:
Awareness Stage. Video content that maximizes the first contact your audience has with your product and your brand and inspires them to learn more. Video type: Video Ads.
Consideration Stage. Video content that goes in-depth into how your product solves a problem and creates trust in your brand. Video types: Product Videos and Brand Introduction Videos.
Decision Stage. Video content that reassures your audience that they are making the right decision by choosing your product and your brand. Video types: Testimonials and Case Studies.
Retention Stage. Video content that keeps your customers loyal and your social media audience engaged with your brand. Video types: Tutorials and Branded Content.
On to the stages!
1. Awareness Stage
There are a lot of products, brands, and content out there, and it can be hard to cut through the noise and reach your target audience. The awareness stage is all about cutting through that noise.
At this entry point, your target audience may have had no previous contact with your product or brand, may have an outdated view of your brand if your company has gone through a rebranding, or may be unaware of a new product that you are launching.
Even though we are using the word “product,” it equally applies to service-based companies or mission-based nonprofits. Your product is what your company or organization offers to your target audience, be it an actual product, a service, or even an idea.
Videos in this stage should be short. Like, really short. We’re talking 30 seconds to a minute and a half max. Why? Because most of the time, you haven’t earned enough brand trust for your audience to commit to anything longer. Would you watch a 5-minute video from a brand you’ve never heard of?
And even if you’re an established brand launching a new product, it’s still essential to keep it short because the goal of this stage is to capture your target audience’s attention and pique their interest. You want to inspire them to learn more and enter the “consideration” stage, where you will have more time to go into the details. But for now, all your focus should be on cutting through the noise.
We will only cover one type of video for this stage, the video ad, because there is so much flexibility in the video ad format. An effective video ad perfectly encompasses the goals of this stage: it creates awareness and does so in a very short amount of time.
Video Ads
Video ads are short brand videos directed at a specific audience through targeted promotion tools like paid ads on social media channels like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. The best way to think about video ads is to think about TV commercials since they share many similar features, just done at a different scale.
TV commercials are short and engaging, and they only stick to the most crucial details. They also rely heavily on creating emotional reactions like happiness, fear, humor, or passion. Some concentrate on the problem that a product solves. Some inspire audiences by showing them what their life “could be like” if they only used a particular product. Others find fun ways to entertain as a way to earn brand recognition. Of course, not all video ads need to be structured like TV commercials, but they can be.
Video ads can take on many formats and styles. They can be live-action or animation. They can be fiction-style, using actors and sets, or documentary-style, using real people and places. And you don’t have to make just one; if your budget allows, you could plan to make a few and see which one gets the best traction. The sky is the limit as long as they are short and inspire your target audience to find out more.
Some examples of video ads include:
Problem/Solution Video Ads. As their name implies, problem/solution video ads focus on the problem that affects a particular audience, the challenges the problem brings, and how the solution, your product, can solve the problem.
Inspire Videos. Inspire videos show audiences what their life, business, or even society or the world “could be like” if they used your product. They can be hopeful, fun, or classy and stylish.
Short Animated Explainer Videos. For more technical products, short animated explainer videos can explain concepts that may be hard to show otherwise. They can take on some of the qualities of a problem/solution or inspire video, but usually in a fun, informal tone.
Short Brand Introduction Videos. For companies that offer individualized services or where brand trust is paramount, short brand introduction videos can give audiences a glimpse of your team, your mission, and your values. They should provide the “feeling” of your company.
2. Consideration Stage
Once you have captured your audience’s attention and piqued their interest, it’s time to give them more information about your product and brand. The goal in the consideration stage is to continue building interest in your product and to start building brand trust. You do this by answering all the questions that your audience might have about your product and your brand. This is the stage where you really set yourself apart from the competition.
The two types of video we will highlight for this stage are:
Product Videos
Brand Introduction Videos
In the consideration stage, you have more flexibility in the length of your videos since you already have an interested audience. However, it’s usually a good idea to keep your videos under 5 minutes and preferably under 3 minutes. By the end of this stage, your audience should feel like your product is the right solution for them, feel confident in your brand, and very well be ready to become customers.
Product Videos
A product or “explainer” video goes in-depth to show how your product solves your audience’s problem, including features and benefits. Again, even though it’s called a “product video,” it applies to anything your company or organization offers to your target audience.
In contrast to video ads, product videos don’t need to spend too much time explaining the problem or what life “could be like,” since the focus is on the tangible solution. Apart from features and benefits, it’s helpful to think of all the reasons why your potential customers might pick a competitor’s product instead and tackle them systematically.
Product videos can be fun, professional, or helpful in tone. Above all, an effective product video should motivate your target audience to become customers.
Some examples of product videos include:
Live-Action Product Videos. Videos that show your product in use as well as key features and benefits. They can include interviews with your team members or customers, use a host or expert product guide that showcases the product, or rely on voice-over.
Animated Explainer Videos. Similar to animated explainer video ads but this time with the main focus on the solution. They are a fun alternative to live-action product videos and let you easily visualize hard-to-shoot concepts.
Short Product Demos. If your product is app or web-based, a short product demo is a great way to see it in action, usually through a screencast recording and voice-over or using a host or expert product guide.
Brand Introduction Videos
Also called “Company Videos” or “About Us” videos (because they live on your website’s “about us” page), brand introduction videos, as the name implies, introduce your company or organization to an audience. At its core, a brand introduction video should answer the fundamental question of “who are you?” Of course, this is very general, and brand introduction videos can have a variety of focuses, including:
What is your brand story?
Who makes up your team?
What is your process?
What is your mission?
What are your values?
Why are brand introduction videos important? Because by showing who you are, especially if you’re honest in your approach, you can gain your target audience’s confidence and build trust. Audiences want to know who they are dealing with. They want to put faces to the name. They especially want to understand what you stand for.
While most brand introduction videos are client-facing, sometimes you may want to make a recruitment or “company culture” video, which is a type of brand introduction video focused on team, mission, and values and usually geared at attracting new employees.
One common pitfall with brand introduction videos is that it’s easy to try to fit too much information into a single video. For example, including too many focus areas or trying to make an “all in one” video with elements of a brand introduction video and a product video.
One way to avoid this pitfall is to break up the video by focus areas from conception. Instead of planning a single, long video that tries to tick off all the boxes, a company might plan a series of shorter videos with specific focuses. All the footage could still be captured in one continuous shoot with your video production partner, but multiple videos would be produced during the edit. For example:
A short brand introduction video.
A live-action product video.
A longer brand introduction video.
A team video.
A mission and values video.
Regardless of what type of brand introduction video you want to make, it’s always essential to keep the target audience in mind. At the end of the day, even though brand introduction videos may appear to focus on you, the brand, the real focus should always be on how you can help your target audience.
3. Decision Stage
By this point, your target audience is aware of your product and brand; they understand the features and benefits of your product and have gained confidence in your brand. But while they may be seriously considering becoming customers, they’re not quite there yet. The goal of the decision stage is to cement the trust that you’ve been building and reassure your target audience that they’re making the right choice by becoming customers.
But giving your target audience additional information is not enough. At this point, you need to show them proof. How can you do this? By providing concrete examples of your product and your company in action, using real-world examples with current customers.
The two types of videos we will highlight for this stage are:
Testimonials
Case Studies
Testimonials
Testimonials are videos that highlight your current customers’ experience with your product and your company. Video testimonials have been around since the beginning of video, and there’s a good reason for that: viewers like to see and hear other people’s experiences. They are the video equivalent of the written review and can be an effective tool to put potential customers “at ease.”
Although testimonials sometimes get a bad rap because many poorly made testimonials are too “corporate,” self-promotional, or just plain dull, they don’t need to be. Testimonials can be fun, professional, or thought-provoking.
How can you make your testimonials more effective? It’s not that hard. Instead of focusing on praise for your product or brand, put all your focus on your customer’s story. Focus on the ins and outs of their life or business, their challenges, and the practical solution that you offer. Be as objective as possible. Be light on praise and heavy on solutions. Audiences appreciate an honest approach.
Testimonials are usually produced as a short series of 3-5 videos or as ongoing “customer stories” or “customer success” series, which you can include as part of your social media strategy.
Some types of testimonial videos include:
Simple testimonials solely based on customer interviews, where they narrate their experience with your product or company.
More complex testimonials that include customer interviews and b-roll, or supporting images, of their typical daily life or business activities, as well as their interactions with your product or company.
Case Studies
Video case studies are similar to testimonials in that they focus on your customer’s experience. The key difference is that case studies are much more focused on a particular challenge and specifically outline all the steps needed to overcome that challenge. They show your process in action. Since case studies often focus on collaboration, they can also include your own team as part of the narrative.
Case studies can be produced as stand-alone videos that spotlight particular projects or as an ongoing case study series, which you can include as part of your social media strategy.
Effective case studies should reflect your organization’s work and process, but also your mission and values. Case studies are a great way to let your audience see what you do, how you do it, and who you are as a company.
Some types of case study videos include:
Simple case study videos solely based on interviews, where your customers, partners, and your own team narrate the ins and outs of a particular project.
More complex case study videos that include interviews of all involved parties as well as b-roll, or supporting images, of key moments of the project, including collaboration between all parties.
4. Retention Stage
The main focus of the retention stage is to keep your current customers loyal and your social media audience engaged by providing helpful and relevant video content. Another way to view the retention stage is to see it as the “building and maintaining a community” stage. It’s more of an ongoing process than a set stage since you should always support customers and engage your social media audience.
It’s important to note that many people may join your social media channels without becoming customers yet, as a way to “test out” your company. If you offer valuable content, you’ll earn their trust and they’ll stick around, giving you more opportunities to earn their business.
The two types of videos we will highlight for this stage are:
Tutorials
Branded Content
Tutorials
Tutorials are educational videos that help your customers learn the detailed workings of your product, give tips on particular use cases, or offer inspiration on other possible uses. Tutorials can be helpful to a wide range of companies and product types, especially if you get creative. They can even form part of an ongoing series, which you can include as part of your social media strategy.
While tutorials can be very practical and “down to business,” they can also be fun. Try looking at the tutorial and “how to” social media space for inspiration. In fact, if you don’t have a video tutorial strategy and your product becomes popular, you can be sure that a YouTuber will create one. People will always seek tutorials and if you don’t provide them directly, they’ll find them elsewhere.
For some companies, especially in the B2B space or with products with a learning curve, video tutorials can be an integral part of a customer support strategy. Some companies create complete “learning academies,” made up of collections of tutorials, and sometimes even include educational material on related fields that might also be helpful to their clients. This way, you can support your customers through their complete product journey.
No matter what kind of company you are, prominently displaying tutorials on your website also reassures potential customers about your support options.
Some types of tutorials videos include:
Simple tutorials made up of screencasts accompanied by a voice-over that explains what is being shown.
More complex case tutorials where a product expert or a host guides the viewer through product features, including screencasts that show product feature details.
It’s also possible to use the animated explainer video format with tutorials, though this can quickly get pricy if you need to make many of them.
Branded Content
As we outlined earlier, you could make an ongoing series of testimonials, case studies, and tutorials and use them as social media content. But since those videos are directly about your brand and customer experience, they wouldn’t be considered “branded content.”
In true branded content, your brand acts as a sponsor in creating content that may not be directly about your brand or that doesn’t promote your brand in any other way than by being the sponsor of the content.
But why would you invest in content that is not about your brand? First of all, companies have been sponsoring content for ages in print and TV, but until recently, this was cost-prohibitive for all but the biggest brands. Not anymore. By sponsoring content, you act as a “guide” and offer your audience relevant information or entertainment. In return, if the content is valuable, you earn brand trust and engage and grow your social media community.
It’s important to note that just because branded content isn’t directly about your brand itself, that doesn’t mean it’s any type of content geared at any audience. It should be content that is in tune with your brand mission, shares your values, and is directed at your target audience.
By making branded content, you can explore issues that affect your field, community, or target audience. By creating branded content, you can become an authoritative thought leader in your field and community.
Some examples of branded video content include:
A limited or ongoing series of short videos, or a short documentary, that explores particular challenges, developments, or noteworthy projects or people in your field, in your community, or in a cause that you champion.
A “talk series” comprised of conversations between thought leaders in your field about relevant topics. You could include a team member as a moderator or bring in an external moderator. Talk series can consist of short interview-based videos or longer video podcasts.
That’s it! By identifying at what stage of your customer’s journey you want to reach them using video, you should be better able to satisfy their needs and achieve your own project and brand objectives.
If you know what type of video you want to make and are ready to go on to the next stage of the process, we recommend you read our guide: 5 Questions to Consider Before Making a Brand Video.
We hope this guide has been helpful and wish you the best of luck on your video production journey. If your organization ever needs a boutique video production company specializing in documentary-style brand content, please check out our work, view our services and process, and drop us a line.
Artwork credit: AI Art Generator by NightCafe.
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