10 Video Types Every Business Should Consider Using

A comprehensive guide from ReelSmart Productions on the best ways to utilize video for your business.
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Video is one of the most powerful marketing tools out there. It can be used to communicate your brand’s story, engage with customers, and promote your products and services.

And because it’s such an engaging form of content, video content is a valuable asset to just about any marketing campaign.

But how can you get started with video marketing?

Here are ten types of videos that every business should consider using:

Animated Videos

Who doesn’t love a good cartoon? Animated videos are a powerful tool for explaining complex concepts and telling stories. When used effectively, they can help you capture your audience’s attention and communicate your message in a clear and concise way.

At ReelSmart we specialize in two different types of animation: flat vector animation and digital collage animation. In short, vector animation is the cartoon-style animation often used for explainers, while collage animations rely heavily on combinations of photographic, and other mixed digital media in the compositions. Below are examples of both styles.

Production Process for Animated Videos

The pre-production process for animated videos is relatively simple. First, you need to write a script. Usually, the script we start with is the actual narration that will be read by a voiceover artist and will also include visual notes and cues to guide the next stage: storyboarding.

Storyboarding is the process of visually mapping out each scene with still-image mockups. Our graphic designers will create a PDF layout of each scene for the client’s review. You’ll want to make sure you’re happy with every scene during this phase to avoid costly overhauls after the animation begins.

After the storyboarding process is complete, we will hire a voiceover artist to record the video narration. This stage may also include selecting a background music track. Once you approve the voiceover and a background track, we’ll move on to the animation phase. At ReelSmart, we bring your animated videos to life with the magic of Adobe After Effects.

With three rounds of revisions included, the process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the length and complexity of the video. Generally speaking, animations that require character animation will take considerably longer than those that do not.

Tips for Creating Animated Videos

Only make it as long as it needs to be. The average attention span is only eight seconds, so you’ll want to ensure your video is concise and to the point. Typically, two minutes is a good maximum length for a web video. If you need something longer, it might be better to approach the production as a series of shorter, digestible (30 – 60 second) videos.

Make sure the visuals are clear and easy to follow. The last thing you want is your audience to be confused by what they’re watching.

Map out each scene in advance. Make sure you have a storyboard that details each scene before you start animating.

Choose the right voiceover. Voiceovers can make or break an animated video. Choose a voice that is clear, engaging, and appropriate for your target audience.

Animated Video Showcase

Brand Videos

The purpose of a brand video is to build awareness of your brand and help the audience develop a specific idea or emotional association with the brand. In other words, the idea is less about directly selling a product or service than selling a feeling. 

Accordingly, all brand videos should be created with the lifestyle, values, and motivations of your target audience in mind. Who are you trying to reach? What kind of message do you want to send?

Production Process for Brand Videos

Think about some of your favorite brands and ask yourself what ideas or words that you associate with them. For a brand like Nike, it might be words like athleticism, endurance, strength, perseverance, winning, etc. Whatever ideas spring to mind are very likely the result of impressions you’ve received from seeing Nike “Just Do It” brand ads over the years. 

That said, some brand videos may also incorporate direct discussion of a product or service, but at the end of the day it’s the emotion, the feeling, the lifestyle that you speak to that is the driving force behind a good brand video. Below is an example of a recent brand marketing video we created for the educational training startup Robin. What emotions, feelings or ideas does the video convey to you?

Tips for Creating Brand Videos

Be clear about your objectives. If you don’t know how you want your content to make viewers feel or what you want it to make them do, your video will likely fall flat.

Keep your audience in mind. As with all marketing efforts, your target audience should be at the forefront of your mind when creating brand videos.

Make sure your video is on-brand. Your brand’s theme should resonate throughout your video, from the clips to the colors.

Always include a CTA. Your video should always include a call-to-action so viewers know what you want them to do after watching.

Brand Video Showcase

Commercial Videos

Not every company has the budget for commercial videos, but if you do, they can be a great way to reach a wide audience and promote your products or services.

Stylistically, there’s some overlap between the concept of a brand video and a commercial video. But while brand videos tend to emphasize an emotion or idea associated with your brand, commercials often focus on a specific product, service, or offering.

Commercials can be anywhere from 15 seconds to several minutes long and are typically aired on television or streaming platforms like YouTube, or as a social media ad campaign.

Production Process for Commercial Videos

From a production standpoint, both commercial and brand videos tend to be fairly complex, involving the hiring and management of actors and larger crews, finding and booking locations, and even set and wardrobe design. 

Yet while quality, creative commercials can be costly to produce, they’re also one of the most effective types of videos for driving sales.

And since they are typically designed to be served up as targeted ad campaigns on social media, TV or streaming platforms, you can specifically reach your ideal customer with your commercial.

Tips for Creating Commercial Videos

Get the main idea across in five seconds or less. Lots of platforms your ad will be placed on will allow users to skip an ad after five seconds. So make sure your commercial says exactly what it needs to right away.

Inform your audience. One of the best ways to write effective commercial copy is by sharing important information about your product or service.

Put your brand at the forefront. Since most people will only see your commercial briefly, it is best to make your brand the star of the show. If your company logo or product aren’t immediately noticeable, there’s a good chance viewers will forget about your ad entirely.

Commercial Video Showcase

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Corporate Videos

When it comes to attracting top talent and boosting employee morale, your employer brand is paramount.

Corporate videos are the way to go if you want to show your company’s human side or give viewers an inside look at what it’s like to work for you.

These videos can be used to show off your company culture, highlight employee stories, or introduce viewers to your team.

And since they tend to be more lighthearted and fun than other types of videos, they’re a great way to show potential customers that your company is approachable and trustworthy.

Production Process for Corporate Videos

There are a few different ways that you can go about producing a corporate video for your company. The type of video you create will depend on whether it is for internal or external use.

Internal corporate videos are usually about company culture or employee stories and are meant to be shared with current employees.

On the other hand, external corporate videos focus on promoting your employer brand to potential customers or job seekers.

In both cases, your corporate video will have a few of the same components:

  • An introduction: This can be either a title card or on-screen text that tells viewers about the video.
  • B-roll: This is additional footage that can be used to break up the main footage or add context to the story you’re telling.
  • Interview clips: These are sound bites from employees or customers that highlight positive experiences with your company.
  • On-screen text: This is used to provide additional information about your company or the story you’re telling.

Tips for Creating Corporate Videos

If you’re creating an internal video, focus on employee stories. These are always a hit with current employees and help boost morale.

If you’re creating an external video, make sure your employer brand is front and center. This is your chance to show potential customers or job seekers what makes your company unique.

In both cases, highlight diverse members of your organization. 76% of jobseekers prefer companies that are diverse and inclusive, so it’s important to show off your company’s commitment to diversity in your corporate video.

Corporate Video Showcase

Explainer Videos

Generally, explainer videos are animated short videos that explain a complex concept or product in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

They are usually between one and two minutes long and occasionally use humor to keep viewers engaged.

Explainer videos can be used to introduce a new product, explain how a complex service works, or even promote a cause or social issue.

And since they are so concise and to-the-point, explainer videos are the perfect way to grab viewers’ attention and get your message across quickly. They are also a helpful tool in marketing your product or service since they can be used to address common objections or questions that potential customers may have.

Production Process for Explainer Videos

The production process for an explainer video is relatively simple since they are mostly animated.

First, you will need to write a script that outlines the main points you want to cover in your video.

Then, you will need to create storyboards or sketches that visualize the scenes in your video.

Once you have a clear idea of what your video will look like, you can start animating, testing, and revising it.

As we previously mentioned, the animation process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the complexity of your video.

Tips for Creating Explainer Videos

Pay attention to the structure of your script. One of the best structures to use is the PAS framework. This stands for problem, agitate, solution. Start by highlighting the problem that your viewer is facing. Then, agitate that problem by showing the negative consequences of not solving it. After provide a solution in the form of your product or service.

Make sure your video is consistent with your company’s branding. This means using the same colors, fonts, and overall aesthetic that you would use in your other marketing materials.

Know your audience. If your target customers are very knowledgeable about your industry, you can use more technical jargon in your video. In most cases, it is best to explain things in layman’s terms so that a wider audience can understand.

Explainer Video Showcase

Product Videos

Whether you have an Amazon product or you’re running a seven-figure ecommerce brand, product videos will be the difference between selling a product and having someone click away to find something else.

Product videos are designed to showcase your product in the best light possible and give potential customers all the information they need to make a purchase.

And more importantly, they help brands give potential customers what they want. 87% of Gen Z prefer to watch branded videos about products before making a purchase.

Another benefit of product videos is that they are shareable. Especially if they’re posted on TikTok or YouTube, product videos have the potential to go viral and generate a ton of buzz for your brand.

Production Process for Product Videos

The best product videos will highlight the features and benefits of your product, show it being used in real life, and provide an in-depth look at what makes it special.

In most cases, you can keep the production process for your product videos relatively simple by filming them in-house.

If you don’t have the necessary equipment or resources, you can always hire a freelance videographer to help you out.

For this type of video, you could also encourage user-generated content from customers who have already purchased your product.

This is an excellent way to show off your products real-world and give social proof that your products are worth the purchase.

Tips for Creating Product Videos

Product videos should be as informative as possible. Be sure to include product specs, dimensions, weight, and materials.

Show real-life applications for your product. This will help viewers understand how they can use your product in their everyday life.

Testimonials and customer reviews are key. Encourage user-generated content if possible and be sure to showcase any positive press or reviews that you’ve received.

Be as authentic as possible. If your video comes off as staged, viewers will be less likely to trust your brand.

Product Video Showcase

Promotional Videos

Promotional videos could be considered the “catch-all” category for any business video that doesn’t fit into one of the other categories.

These videos can promote a sale, announce a new product, or simply generate brand awareness. Brands can also use them to promote an upcoming sale or event.

The key to promotional videos is to make sure that they are creative and attention-grabbing. After all, you only have a few seconds to make an impression on your viewer.

Production Process for Promotional Videos

When creating a promotional video, the first thing you will need to do is decide on a call-to-action.

This could be something as simple as “sign up for our free trial” or something as complex as “purchase our new product.”

With promotional content, the call to action isn’t always vocalized or even explicit.

In many cases, the CTA can be implied through the visuals or the overall tone of the video.

Some of the best promotional videos encourage the audience to call themselves to action through a sense of urgency.

A perfect example of successful promotional content with a unique delivery is the Coinbase ad that aired during the Super Bowl. This ad was nothing but a QR code floating on a screen for 60 seconds.

The point of the ad was to encourage viewers to download the Coinbase app, redeem $15 of free Bitcoin, and enter to win $1 million.

With no words, this ad told its audience, “scan this code to see what happens,” which immediately piqued the viewer’s curiosity.

Tips for Creating Promotional Videos

Know your market and get creative. A huge part of creating effective promotional content is being in-tune to what your target market will respond to.

Tell your audience what to do next, vocally or otherwise. Your promotional video is likely the first step in a larger marketing funnel.

Know what the next step is before you create the video. This way, you can create content around results rather than guessing what might work.

Promotional Video Showcase

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Sales Videos

A sales video is any type of video content that is used to close a deal or sell a product.

In most cases, sales videos are created for B2B companies and are meant to be shown to potential clients during the sales process.

The goal of a sales video is usually to build trust with the client and demonstrate why your company is the best choice for the project.

For example, a SaaS company that sells project management software might create a sales video that demonstrates how their software can be used to streamline the client’s current workflow.

This type of video would likely include testimonials from other happy customers, case studies, and an overview of the features and benefits of the software.

In some cases, sales videos are slideshow presentations to prospects that the sales team has put together. These videos are often used as a leave-behind after a sales meeting and can be sent electronically to follow up with the prospect.

It’s important to note that sales videos are not promotional videos.

Promotional videos are meant to generate interest in a product or service, while sales videos are meant to close the deal.

The two types of videos serve different purposes and should be used as such.

Production Process for Sales Videos

When creating a sales video, the first thing you need to do is identify your audience.

Who are you selling to? What are their pain points? What are they looking for in a solution? How can we communicate our value proposition in a way that resonates with them?

This begins with a holistic understanding of why your customers use your product.

According to the jobs-to-be-done framework, customers “hire” products to do a specific job.

It’s your job as the salesperson to figure out what that job is and then craft a sales video demonstrating how your product can get it done better than anything else on the market.

This is one of the most important steps in the process because it will determine the direction of your sales video and how effective it ultimately is.

Tips for Creating Sales Videos

Keep it simple. Overselling a product can seem disingenuous and turn potential customers off. The best sales videos focus on a single value proposition and communicate it clearly and concisely.

Use real footage. People are naturally distrusting of anything that seems “too good to be true.” To combat this, use real footage whenever possible. This could be customer testimonials, footage of your product in use, or animations of realistic scenarios your target viewer might relate to.

Make it personal. If you’re making a sales video for a specific prospect, include their name, their company’s logo, and information about their specific pain points.

Avoid personalization at scale. Just including a prospect’s name isn’t enough if it’s followed up with a completely robotic script.

You probably aren’t trying to sell your product on the spot. A sales video is meant to drive awareness and interest, not close the deal. That being said, you should still include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages your viewer to take the next step in the sales process.

Social Videos

Social media content is among the most shareable and, therefore, most effective video content out there. It’s also some of the easiest to produce, which is why social videos are a great way for businesses to get started with video marketing.

The key to creating successful social videos is understanding what platform your videos will perform best on (and what types of content work best on each platform).

If your company is in the FinTech industry, for example, LinkedIn videos might focus on thought leadership and industry news highlighting your company’s strengths.

On TikTok, you would be better off releasing short-form educational content that helps viewers make better decisions about money.

Production Process for Social Videos

Unless you’re financially able to have an in-house team, you’ll probably need to hire a video production company to produce your social videos.

They will be able to handle lots of the strategy, planning, and execution of your social video campaigns, leaving you with less to worry about.

It’s important to have a clear idea of what you want before reaching out to production companies, as this will make it easier for them to give you an accurate quote and timeline.

Finding a video production company that understands your brand and can produce content that aligns with your company’s values is also critical.

Tips for Creating Social Videos

Stick to a social media content calendar. This will help you ensure a consistent flow of videos and help you track your performance over time.

Consider the different stages of your buyer’s journey. Top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) videos should focus on awareness, middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) videos should focus on interest and education, and bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) videos should focus on conversion.

Pay attention to social media ad specs. If you’re planning on running paid social media ads, make sure your videos meet the specifications for each platform. For example, the aspect ratio for Instagram Stories is 9:16.

Convey your message with visuals. 85% of social media users consume content with their sound turned off. If your social video won’t work without sound, it won’t work at all.

Training Videos

Training videos are internal videos meant to educate employees (and sometimes new customers) on how to use a product, system, or service.

They can be used as part of an onboarding process for new employees or as a reference tool for existing ones. Training videos can also be helpful for customers who want to learn more about how to use your product.

For remote teams, training videos play a critical role in employee onboarding and education. They can be used to introduce new employees to the company culture, values, and mission.

They can also be used to train employees on specific processes, procedures, and systems.

When done well, training videos can help reduce the time it takes for new employees to get up to speed and become productive members of the team.

Creating training videos can be a time-consuming and expensive process, but once they’re completed, they can be used over and over again.

Production Process for Training Videos

The process for creating training videos is sometimes very straightforward.

You can simply record yourself (or someone else) using the product, system, or service you want to train employees on.

For small businesses, Loom is a great way to quickly and easily record training videos. Because the content can be recorded in a day or less, it’s a cost-effective way to produce training videos. In addition, Loom’s simple interface makes editing and publishing videos easy, so you can focus on creating quality content.

However, training videos will require more planning and production time for larger businesses. This is because the content must be carefully scripted and edited to ensure that it is both accurate and engaging. In addition, large businesses will likely need to hire professionals to develop and record the videos.

Tips for Creating Training Videos

Explain everything as if you’re teaching a five-year-old. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to remember that not everyone is familiar with the product, system, or service you’re training them on.

Include quizzes and tests. This will help ensure that employees pay attention and learn the material.

Add realistic examples. Some of the training content you create (such as CRM training) needs to be specific to your organization. Otherwise, employees won’t be able to apply what they’ve learned.

Video Series (Bonus!)

You should consider creating a video series if you’re serious about your video marketing strategy. A video series is a group of videos released over a period, typically weekly or monthly.

Video series help you build relationships with your audience by providing consistent, valuable content. They also help you show off your brand’s personality and values.

A video series could be:

  • A video version of a company podcast
  • Weekly product videos
  • Tips and tricks for using your product
  • Industry updates
  • Vlog-style content that showcases your brand in action
  • Industry-related content (for example, a surf brand might release videos of sponsored surfers)

Production Process for Video Series

The production process for a video series is similar to that of other types of videos.

You’ll need to come up with a concept, script the videos, and then film and edit them.

However, you’ll need to be extra organized because you’re creating multiple videos. This means creating a production schedule and ensuring that each video is released on time.

It’s also important to ensure that the videos in your series are cohesive. You’ll need to plan your content far in advance to ensure that each video ties in with the others.

Tips for Creating Video Series

Create a schedule and stick to it. This will help you stay on track and ensure that each video is released on time. Most social media algorithms also pick up on this consistency and will index your videos higher.

Double down on the content that works best. Trying to do everything will just spread you too thin. Instead, focus on the content that performs well and double down on it.

Make sure each video ties into the others. This will help create a cohesive series that your audience will want to watch from start to finish.

Don’t forget to promote each video. Just because you’ve released a series doesn’t mean people will watch it. You need to actively promote each video to ensure that people see it.

Video marketing sounds like a lot right?

And it’s only one component of your holistic digital marketing strategy.

ReelSmart does the hard work, so you don’t have to.

Instead of setting up a content calendar, figuring out which videos work best for your brand, and managing the production process—let us do it for you.

ReelSmart is a full-service video marketing agency specializing in creating high-quality videos for businesses of all sizes.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you take your video marketing to the next level.

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