Are you planning to create your first marketing video and don’t know where to begin? Or maybe you’ve already made one but you’re looking to go ahead with your video marketing strategy.

No matter if you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, you may know that video nowadays is the most engaging content on the web. In fact, video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year and achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness thanks to video content.

So, if you’re planning to invest in your next video, you know that you’re on the right track. You just need a little help to choose the best type of video for your business right now. Here you’ll find that guidance you’re looking for.

In this article we’ll review the most popular types of videos, their benefits and how they fit into your buyer’s journey.

Let’s start with a quick review of that beautiful process.

buyers journey

The Buyer’s Journey

From the moment they realize they have a problem to the final purchase, your prospects go through a process with three different stages and in each one they need different kinds of information.

Awareness: in this first stage your prospects are not quite sure about what they need. They haven’t figured out their problem thoroughly but they are experiencing some issues. They look for general information about those issues or pain points.

Consideration: Now they are fully aware of their problem and they feel determined to find a solution. It’s time to inform them about your product as the best choice to solve their problem.

Decision: The third stage is the sale time! Your prospects have been doing some research about all the possible solutions for their problem. Now you need to convince them why your product or services are the best. This final stage is all about building brand trust.

Remember that in marketing, timing is everything so you should leverage different types of videos for each stage of your buyer’s journey. In this way you’ll provide the information your prospects are looking for and your investment will be rewarded with more conversions.

Different types of marketing videos and their benefits

Commercials

This type of video content is well known by all of us. Unless you’re a Martian, you have already watched a TV commercial once in your life. It’s one of the most ‘salesly’ types because it doesn’t hide that it’s promotional.

They are great to raise brand awareness by spreading your brand’s message.

Leverage commercials in the awareness stage to establish a first great impression with your future customers.

Let’s watch an example:

Educational videos

This is an educational video about what an antibiotic is created by a pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare company:

As you’ve noticed, this video provides clear details about a general topic related to the company’s business. Since this information is useful for their target audience, the brand will be found online even when they aren’t promoting a specific product. This genuinely enhances the brand’s value by establishing it as an expert in its area. Meanwhile, their target audience will value the fact that they share information generously.

This type of video works great also in the awareness stage because you can provide information about your prospects’ problem and help them understand the situation and its solution.

Explainer videos

An explainer video introduces your product and explains how it fits your target audience’s life. They are great to show complex products/services and explain how they can help your prospects in just a few seconds.

There are different styles of explainer videos. Let’s review them:

Motion Graphics

Motion graphics are pieces of digital footage or animations which create the illusion of motion or rotation. You can harness this power to show a technical product in full detail. Let’s watch an example:

Whiteboard Video

The Whiteboard technique provides a simple and clean style to explain complex products or services. You‘ll also engage your target audience with an entertaining story. Whiteboard videos have three basic elements: the white background, a continuous black drawing and a hand. Let’s watch an example:

 

Cartoon style

The key advantage of cartoon videos is that they make your brand feel more relatable. They convey your business idea by entertaining your audience with a humorous story. Animated characters reflect your audience, allowing them to connect with the video. Here’s an example that helped CrazyEgg boost conversion rates by 64%:

Product videos

Show how awesome your product is in just a few seconds! This type of video is focused on your product’s benefits and how your audience will enjoy it in real life. That’s why they work great in the consideration stage.

There are a lot of video styles to do that but an impactful one is to combine motion graphics with live action like they’ve done in this video:

How-to videos

This is a special type of educational video that is focused on a process and how to do said process. They work great in the consideration stage because your prospects will be looking to solve a particular problem and you can help them with a how-to video.

Do some research first to identify a topic that hasn’t been covered yet or provide a new approach to an issue. That way you’ll stand out from the crowd thanks to a new step-by-step explanation.

Testimonial videos

Testimonial videos are one of the most effective types of video when used in the decision stage. Just think about it, there is nothing more compelling than watching and hearing your happy customers endorsing your brand in front of the camera. Their positive experience will boost your brand trust and give your leads that final push to the purchase decision.

When producing this type of video, the worst mistake you can make is trying to script your client’s testimony. Let them talk naturally about how you‘ve provided value to their business. Check out this example:

Company videos

This type of video also gives you the chance to build trust with your prospects, showing them who you are, who your brand really is and what it stands for. Employees and managers will speak about your company’s values and why you do what you do to establish that precious bond with your leads.

Remember that everybody wants to feel that they are a part of something big. Tell your company’s story and they’ll want to be involved with your brand.

Get to work!

Now you know the most popular types of marketing videos and their benefits. Of course you can’t make all of them at the beginning. Just be smart and plan a video strategy according to your own business and your target audience.

Use analytics tools to know what kind of information they are looking for and try to answer with a couple of videos. In this way you’ll accelerate the journey of leads in your funnel.

Don’t hesitate anymore and boost your marketing strategy campaign using video!