11 Different Types Of Video Content (& When To Use Each One)

Video is taking over on all mediums!

Why? 

Because over the last few decades attention spans have plummeted. 

Video serves us best by (not) forcing us to go through the effort of reading something. On average, you yourself watch about 8 hours of content on your smartphone every day. 

And there are tons of video content formats that you can incorporate in your marketing mixes. 

In this post, we’ll break down each of the different video content types and let you know when to use each one.

Basic How-To Videos

Once in a lifetime you’d have begun with “How To” do something on the search page. The How-To videos are a popular and somewhat old format that never goes out of fashion. 

Why?

Because there’s always someone who wants to know how a particular thing is done. There’s also a huge scope for marketers for investing in How-To video content if they want to educate their buyers about the product or service. A relevant example is Tide detergent, who curated its video library with How-To videos discussing every essential detail of dealing with stains.

If you’ve never been doing how-to videos yourself, you can take advantage of the pre-designed templates prepared by Wane.video. They offer plenty of different videos for multiple industries to either adapt to your business case or borrow some video design ideas.

When to use them: Ideally, the How-To videos work best when you want to educate your customers about how a product is used to its full potential

DVCs

In this video content scenario, the D took over T (or, you can say TV ads got an upgrade). 

In the old days, we used to produce, run and market products via video commercials on TV sets. Today the focus is shifted towards digital platforms. Everything remains the same except there are no TV commercial breaks during your favorite show on prime time. Instead, you’d have to watch a 30 second video commercial on YouTube or other video streaming website with an option to skip.

When to use them: DVCs are an ideal content format when your audience is on social platforms and you want to market a new product, feature or a solution to your target market. You can customize your DVCs according to different electronic devices (mobiles and tab screens) to offer a personalized experience to your buyers.

Animated Video

No one said that your videos have to be boring and stale!

Ever seen a cartoonish video with sound effects and funny transitions? Well, this format is getting traction with 100% engagement rates (even if the subject is boring in real life). 

Let say you’re tasked to explain a 10,000 year old fossil and the content is full of information (but lacks engagement). How do you add the element of interest of a 10,000-year old animal that no one wants to know about? 

Why not animate your content?

When to use them: Ideally, animated videos are the best option when you want to tell your business story in a different (but creative) way. You can narrate the whole process with the help of characters and make it memorable due to the fun aspect that you added in your story.

Business Videos

In the old days, we used to organize grand events to showcase the size of a company.

Today, we’ve found a smart way to impress potential investors and attract talent.

With business video content, you can connect people with your ideas and take them to the mission of your business (virtually, though).

When to use them: A business video can be used for showcasing the company culture for attracting new talent to join you. It also helps in garnering the trust a potential investor seeks when investing in a new project or when contacting you for a joint venture. In other words, you can add the ‘human factor’ via a business video in this digital world.

Solution Explainers

Ever seen a video that unveils a solution?

You might have seen a video explaining about a new CRM, lead generation software or maybe a video conference app with better features. This is the kind of videos that we call the ‘Solution Explainers’.

When to use them: Such videos are ideal when you want to explain the full potential of your newly developed software. You can talk about its interface, the benefits a user can expect and share the success stories of existing users. Such video content works best on landing pages to persuade a lead to purchase.

Tourism Videos

Every country wants to cash in on its tourism sector and for that, they use different marketing mediums.

For small travel agencies trying to attract foreigners (or even citizens from other parts of the country), they can utilize the video medium by investing in tourism video content.

They can add the element of fascination via video marketing and invite the tourists to spend their holidays in that particular region of the country.

When to use them: The tourism videos can help travel agencies create a positive image of the place. It can convince the tourists to put the place on their ‘Top Visiting List’ when they plan their holidays. Travel agencies can partner with top travel vloggers and create trust as well as interest in their tourism packages with the help of tourism videos.

Real Estate Videos

The real estate industry generates more than 80% of its revenue via digital marketing services.

Well, they can double the conversion by keeping the expenses to minimum if they invest in video marketing. We’ve termed such videos as real estate videos as they focus on different selling aspects of a facility.

When to use them: Real estate videos can include many topics around selling a property. The best part is that the buyer doesn’t have to visit in-person, yet they can understand and experience everything via video.

Non-Profit Videos

Stories influence our moods and emotions. When non-profits use video as a marketing medium, they can unlock new markets to raise funds and get better solutions for their NGOs.

When to use them: Non-profit video content has different stages that NGOs can incorporate into their video marketing strategy. You can attract new donators via a story-based video involving a beneficiary of the charity, then re-target them with follow-up videos on the beneficiaries’ progress.

Healthcare Videos

If you’re an organization that has clients in the healthcare industry, you can include video marketing in your promotions, too. This one is a broader industry that can be segregated on different levels to educate and convert the end benefactor.

When to use them: Healthcare videos are the best option when you want to educate your patients about a severe disease in full context. You can explain the different stages of that particular disease and how they should go about treating it. Plus, you can breakdown the expenses the treatment requires to encourage them for a session at your clinic instead of using a self-diagnosed treatment plan over the internet.

Software Explainer Videos

With the help of a software explainer video, you can market your software creatively and increase your conversion rates. 

When to use them: You can use this video content format for educating your potential customers about the key differences from existing, ineffective, software options. From testimonials to usage and even comparison, you can display so much about the software to convince your leads to purchase your product.

Agency Videos

Agency videos are one of the best ways for new startups that are on a tight budget for marketing. You can start with quick videos that are focused on the problems your targeted industry faces.

When to use them: Agency videos can help you showcase the ideas effectively backed by the research and numerical evidences about the industry. You can start with problems, mention the drawbacks of your competitors, and then turn it towards the solutions that your startup can offer. This way, you can seek their attention and convert build trust in your solutions.

Bonus: Event Intro Video

Gone are days when you had to send out cold emails to attracting attendees to an event. With the advent of social media platforms, your work is easier than ever. You can invest in event intro videos and not only attract the attendees, but also attract sponsors and key media personalities.

When to use them: This content format works magically when you want to raise funds for an event. You can start with the potential networking opportunities amongst the companies and show them the big names that are attending your event. Plus, you can sell tickets prior to the event date, online, just by displaying all the ‘best’ features of your event. 

And there you have it! 11 different types of video content you should be using within your business.

Looking to hire a freelancer to create video content for your business? Post up a job on Twine and hand-vetted freelancers will contact you with their rates.

Once your project is underway, streamline the revision process with ReviewStudio, which allows you to annotate video drafts with detailed notes for the freelancer.

Researched and written by James W. – Branding expert at fullstop360.com – a logo design company.