Online video is quickly changing the way individuals, businesses, and brands use the internet. At the same time, more people are using mobile devices and tablets to access the internet than ever before. The reason for this is that more people are rushing through everyday life and online usage is more focused on watching for short status updates and video, versus reading long content on a website.
While all of this is going on, millions of professionals, businesses and brands keep pushing ‘video creation’ to the side and saying they will start focusing on it in the future. Instead of pushing video content and promotion to the side, brands need to instead be focusing on what’s happening right now — which is the massive growth of video online!
So the big question is, how can you start incorporating video into your existing website, business or brand?
To answer this question and walk you through the process, we have listed six different ways you can start using video within your content and marketing strategy right away. With so many sites already relying on text and images as their main source of content, most of the work is already done. To take advantage of video, all you need to do is convert your existing content into video format (through animation or live recordings), then add your new videos to your existing content while also utilizing social networks and video sites like YouTube.
Enough with the chit-chat… let’s dive into the world of video and how you should be taking advantage of it!
Pre-Sell Videos
Of all the places where online videos are used, few places can return a high-ROI like pre-sell videos do. If you’re familiar with online marketing and lead generation, you will no doubt have already seen these videos and know how influential they can be. As a regular internet user, I’m sure you’ve seen these videos as well.
Pre-sell videos are much like commercials, except they are used online. Most lead-generation and sales pages will have these types of videos. The focus of their content is to first pull the audience in and grab their attention, then usually keep them engaged for 5-10 mins, then ultimate unlocking a special offer or clickable button they can proceed to place their order with.
Pre-sell videos work extremely well versus text content, as audiences usually don’t have the time or attention span to read through long-form text content. However, that simply isn’t the case with video.
Explainer Videos
There are many different types of videos that can be created, but explainer videos have quickly found themselves as the most sought after lately. Keeping with the theme of people no longer having the time and patience to read through endless amounts of text, explainer videos simplify the process while also keeping your audience engaged in the process.
Explainer videos are usually done in a black and white sketch concept. For some reason, this mix of moving pictures, animation and voice over just keeps the audience sticking around and wanting more. The whiteboard and sketch theme also works quite well in pre-sell videos.
You can see an example of one of our recent explainer videos below.
UnBoxing Videos
Whenever a new product (such as a mobile device) comes out, everyone heads to the internet to learn as much as they can about it. Sites that take advantage of this type of opportunity and come out with their own ‘unboxing video’, can get thousands (if not millions) of views through sites like YouTube and Facebook. It’s also a video that can keep bringing in new traffic and visitors for weeks, months and sometimes even years to come.
The concept of an unboxing video is quite simple. All you need to do is find a product that is relevant to your audience and niche, take a video of yourself opening it out of the box and doing a thorough review along the way. While this is commonly seen in the electronics space, we’ve seen lots of people create unboxing videos with toys, company products, top-sellers on Amazon and much more.
Corporate Tour Videos
When a customer visits your website, all they see is the content in front of them. What your audience doesn’t see is the real people behind the company, the office building you work in and the massive hard work and effort it took to get to where you are today.
One of the best ways to deliver such an experience is through the use of a corporate tour video. Many companies have become the successful brands they are today because of their personal approach and openness when trying to deliver quality corporate videos through their site. Such methods include a walkthrough of your office location, interviews with different team members, videos demonstrating how products are packed and shipped, and anything else that might be contributing to the overall success of your business that the average site visitor normally wouldn’t see.
Don’t settle for having an average and boring “About Me” page. Put in the time and effort to make it stand out and provide value like no one else in your industry. Your audience and customers will definitely notice!
Infographic Videos
For any websites or businesses that have a lot of important data to share with their audience, it’s crucial to use infographics to display such data in a useful, engaging and fun way. There is simply no better way to accomplish than through infographics.
Scratch that… there actually is a better way than infographics to deliver your data and content — and that is through video infographics! Instead of just offering your audience a large graphic to consume your data, offer them an interactive video with animation, music, and even voice-overs. Not only is video more engaging, it also opens up a whole new world of opportunity for reaching new audiences. Sites like YouTube, Vimeo and DailyMotion get billions of video impressions daily. With video, you can use these sites to gain exposure and even bring in new visitors and clients with an infographic video of your own.
Want to see what it would be like to turn your infographic into a video? Just check out the example below!
Testimonial Videos
How many times have you seen company or shopping sites with testimonials or quotes from their customers, along with a picture of their face? I’m sure you’ve seen them all over the place.
While this concept works quite well, imagine how well it would work if there was an actual video of this customer and them talking about their experience. Not only would this be more believable, it would be a true testimony for the site and product — further increasing legitimacy, user engagement, and trust in the brand.
Yes, video does take some extra time, work and effort… but at the end of the day it’s your website versus the world. Put in the necessary resources to gain the trust of your audience and have them as a customer for life!
What Type of Video Can We Create for You?
Now that you’ve seen what’s possible through the use of online video, what areas of your content marketing and outreach are you missing out on? We covered a lot of different angles within this article, many of which you probably already have text and image content working for you. It’s now time to step up your game and implement animated video into the mix.
As stated at the beginning of the article — video isn’t the future, it’s right now!
To learn more about how to start creating high-quality videos for your site or brand, be sure to contact our design team today.
