Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.
Robert McKee
Videos are one of the most effective ways of engaging your audience. Remember using visual imagery will always enhance your storytelling. When asking yourself what video type should I use in my video production always remember the story you are trying to tell.
Prior to deciding a video type you should ask yourself these questions
What problem does your product or service address?
A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
Duke Ellington
The reason people watch videos are to solve a problem they have or to be entertained. Some viewers will completely understand the problem they have others may only have a vague understanding of their problem. There is no solution that you can provide that will appeal to all your viewers. By answering the “What” question you will define the problem you are solving and this will help in choosing a video type.
How does your particular solution work?
When the solution is simple, God is answering.
Albert Einstein
By answering this question you define the unique value that applies to your product or service. It is this uniqueness that will help differentiate your video content from your competition. This is the key to selecting your video type.
Where does the problem solution take place?
Sometimes the most complex problems can be solved with the simplest solutions.
Bijan Shrestha
The location where you solve the problem provides physical limitations. Not all locations are suitable for filming because of budgetary limitations, aesthetics and accessibility. An example would be a high-end perfume manufacturer located in a modern industrial setting. This image does not portray high-end luxury product where packaging is everything. A perfume manufacturer using centuries old distilling processes in a historic environment screams luxury and craft. A sterile modern high tech environment would be an ideal location for a pharmaceutical product.
Services on the other hand can provide more complex location issues because it can often be difficult to know where the service takes place. This can have an impact on your video type.
By answering these questions you will be in a better able to choose your video type. There is no “one size fits all” approach to video marketing and only by understanding your audience and your particular solution can you choose your video type wisely.
Video Types
Products
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; you just need to share your unique perspective on why the wheel is important
Jon Ball
Product videos are a core staple for video marketing. A good product video should answer all your customers’ questions and anticipate any potential queries they may have. Nothing annoys a customer more than having to contact a business to answer basic questions that should be freely available on their website.
Product Videos
Product videos are all about solving your audience’s problems. Demonstration videos can be you or better still your customers showing actual problem solving. These can be pre-recorded or can use available live stream services such as YouTube, Google Hangouts or phone apps such as Periscope and Meerkat.
Product Tips
These are support videos for new and existing customers that highlight unknown insights into product use. Investing in these videos has the side effect of reducing direct expenditure on customer service and reassuring potential customers. Sometimes your customers develop unusual ways of using your product to solve new problems, they should where relevant be encouraged to share these.
Culture
Think like a customer
Paul Gillin
These are videos that give insights into your brand and the people behind it. They typically include
Events
A well-run event can give a unique insight into your brand. By creating a video to record the event you can create a sharable insight into what makes your brand so special.
Behind the Scenes
These make great video content because they make your audience feel part of your brand. We all like to get the inside track on a particular brand, product or service as we can share this insight with our networks later.
Interviews
Never under estimate the strength of a “talking head” video production because if we like the contributor we will usually buy into what they are saying. No matter how big the Internet gets we all still like “buying from individuals” not just a corporate entity.
Interactive
As marketers, we should be changing the mantra from always be closing to always be helping.
Jonathan Liste
Interactive video allows the audience to use this interface to give them greater choice over how they consume their video content. At a basic level it is about creating a point in a video where you are allowed to choose the next option to be viewed. At its most complex level it a is full suite of software allowing you to interact with a full range of multimedia such as animation, photographs, reading material and the ability to influence the entire course of the video.
Brands are already embracing this to allow customers to use video to get relevant customer support. It is also being used to create market places to allow viewers to instantly buy featured products.
Interactive video content is more expensive to create and manage and should only be considered where there is a measurable Return On Investment.
Despite the fact there are hundreds of different video production variations online, by addressing the question of your product or service video and videos explaining your culture you have covered the most important part of your story.