As a marketer, you spend a lot of time and money on getting people to your website so you can educate them on your offering—and, ultimately, make a sale. And I'd guess that your website is filled with text. Lots and lots of text.
Yet, video content is the most effective way to help tell your story. Video helps businesses increase brand awareness, generate leads, and ultimately, increase sales. So it's no surprise that 69% of marketing, sales, and business professionals have used video marketing, and another 31% are planning to.
Part of Google's algorithm for search rankings considers the amount of time visitors stay on your website, which is one of the many reasons the amount of video content is growing. On average, sites with video content get two more minutes of dwell time than sites that don't.
You understand that video is powerful, but maybe you're not sure what types of videos you need on your website, so here are the top three types of video that can form the foundation of a solid video content library.
1. Testimonial Video
Testimonials go a long way toward helping you build trust and credibility with your customers.
You probably already have a testimonial page on your website with some strong quotes from happy customers. But a testimonial video will bring life and authenticity to your testimonials in a way that text-based testimonials simply can't. Seeing and hearing a satisfied customer talking about their personal experience with your product or service leaves a good impression with new visitors and helps back up the claims you make on your website.
The most effective videos make people feel an emotional connection to your business. It also goes without saying that having more than one testimonial video (or featuring several speakers in one video) is ideal.
Testimonial videos can be a versatile tool: In addition to building trust and credibility, they can be used to showcase the features of your product, for example, as in this testimonial video by Slack.
Moreover, testimonial videos are affordable. They are less expensive than other types of video because they are simpler to produce: No actors or special effects are required.
On average, testimonial videos range from 30 to 60 seconds. However, if you're combining several speakers into one video, it's perfectly fine to extend the length to up to 2 minutes or so, as in the Slack example.
2. Explainer Video, AKA "How It Works" and "Who We Are"
Let's face it: Explanatory text can be tedious and might be interpreted in ways other than you intended. Explainer videos, on the other hand, take the guesswork out of explaining the benefits and basic function of a product or service.
Accordingly, like a testimonial video, an explainer video helps you better connect with your potential customers by delivering a clear message on what your business can do for them and why they should choose you over your competitors.
Explainer videos have become a popular marketing tool due to their affordability and proven effectiveness in growing a business. The three main benefits of explainer videos are...
- Increasing your conversion rates
- Clarifying your product or service
- Boosting your sales.
They can also be cheeky and fun, like this viral video by Beard King.
Generally, keep explainer videos to under a minute. Other than that, the explainer video format is open: you can explore various options based on your budget and level of complexity, such as animation, whiteboard, and live action.
3. Company-Culture Video
The days of the stiff corporate video are behind us. Today, it's all about letting the personality of your company culture and your employees shine.
The goal of a culture video is to show the human side of your company or brand and connect on an emotional level with your viewers. In addition to being a great marketing tool, culture videos go hand in hand with the HR function, helping companies attract the best and brightest job candidates.
So, what exactly is a culture video? The beauty of culture videos is that there isn't a defined format; you can include slice-of-life employee interviews, team-building days, pranks, birthday parties, bloopers, and everything in between.
For example, Shopify has a few culture videos, including Hack Days, and my favorite, How to Draw an Owl.
The length of company-culture videos can range quite a bit. In general, though, it's best to keep them under three minutes.
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So there you have it—the top three types of videos that should be the building blocks of your video content library. Reach out if you have any questions about getting these three
