The demand for content is rising. We’re all aware of how the pandemic altered the way we communicate and perceive business. More and more people are taking the leap to be their own boss. In the last couple of years, one of the top searched words was “freelancer.” According to Exploding Topics, there were 5.4 million new business applications last year. The struggle to stand out is greater for freelancers and small and medium-sized businesses. Your content will be what helps you. For marketers or those managing their own marketing campaigns, the kind of content you produce can affect how successful your company is. You want people to be captivated by your brand. And what kind of content is popular right now and can promote your business? It’s video content. That’s right, potential customers want to get a glimpse of your lovely face and learn more about your company’s values and brand. You need more than just writing in today’s world.
In this blog, we’ll dive into all the aspects you might need to know about video content. Forewarning: there is a lot of information here, so feel free to come back and visit when needed.
Anything that is promoted, commercial, or advertised through a video is referred to as video content. GIFs, vlogs, tutorials, and webinars are just a few examples of what this can be. Who doesn’t love a good gif? You can share this content on social media, by email, or on your website. Videos can vary in length from short-form to long-form. Videos can be made in a variety of styles, including live action, animated, and screen recorded. Depending on where you want this to be, time can matter. Sometimes reading isn’t your thing, or you want something that will save you time. You can’t 2x your reading. Trust me, I’ve tried.
It’s the most popular type of content. SemRush informed us that video content, with a 37% performance rate, was the most popular type of content in 2021. And this year, Wyzowl said 86% of businesses will use video as one of their marketing tools. Marketers, agencies, and businesses are seeing the importance of having this form of content. Current or prospective consumers are 99% likely to continue using video in their strategy this year as well. Additionally, 87% of marketers claim that video has helped them achieve a generally positive ROI.
We start with company culture videos. These are all about who you are as a brand, your values, and what you do. According to Sprout Social, 71% of consumers either strongly agree or agree that it’s important for brands to raise awareness and take a stand on sensitive topics. Your consumers want to know what matters to you and your opinions. The digital world is changing from companies rarely sharing thoughts on life happenings to now speaking up on various matters. Videos are a way to do just that. 93% of marketers say video has helped them increase brand awareness. That’s a pretty high stat, especially if you’re building a brand or wanting to grow your presence. When launching a new company, invest some time into recording a few of these videos to go on your site. Examples include things like “about us,” “recruiting,” “q & a,” or “your company’s mission.”
Websites and social media are the best places for this. Whether it’s on your welcome landing page or an organic post, people can see who you are. You want these to be short-formed videos ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
We’ve seen them all the time on YouTube or on TV between shows. The term “video advertising” refers to a type of paid programmatic advertising in the form of video that appears prior to, during, or after streaming video content. There are many platforms where you can view ads, including those mentioned above, as well as social media content and display ads.
These videos range from as short as 5 seconds to 2 minutes. Given that viewers can skip after 5-10 seconds, the ideal length is 15 seconds or less if you want to keep their attention. Additionally, if you keep them this short, you can use them on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Social media videos are one of the most versatile pieces of video content you can have. The top channels marketers plan to use this year are YouTube, LinkedIn video, and Instagram video. When wanting to make your brand more human, videos, whether organic or paid, are a great way to do that. It’s a fantastic way to introduce new products, respond to inquiries, and establish your brand identity. There are an endless number of ways to do this by going live on your page or posting a recorded video.
When using recorded videos, your posts on your story or page will be short-formed videos. Sprout Social states that 66% of short-form videos are the most engaging type of social content. When live streaming, the recommendation is to stay on longer than 10 minutes to get more exposure on your stream.
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Webinars are online presentations or events in real time. This can range from fireside chats to keynote speaking at a virtual conference or lead nurturing events. Since the pandemic, virtual events have increased. Based on vFairs’ reports, 92% of businesses continued hosting virtual events even after physical events resumed. At this moment, virtual events are maintaining their hold, and it doesn’t look like they’re leaving anytime soon.
Event planning or hosting and wondering how long the event should go? Well, most events can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Most live webinars last for an hour. An hour gives various guest(s) the opportunity to share their presentations and answer questions at the end. The goal when hosting or organizing an event is to stay on long enough to share your input and information. But you also want it to be short enough that you’re not holding the participants for long after the conversation is over. Recently, some groups have held an intro chat before the event and made it optional for the audience. If you’re wondering about what tools to use, you’ll be able to see more in the Live Events section below.
Blogs are great, but what about a vlog? A vlog is a style of blog where videos are used as the content rather than written posts. People can learn more about your company’s customers and product development through vlogging. It gives your audience a deeper insight into who you are. Making a connection with your customers will increase their motivation to make a purchase. You can take advantage of the chance to market your work when a new product or service is released. Currently, 6 out of 10 people say they prefer watching videos online to watching television. That says a lot. Be one of the people they watch.
The time range of vlogs varies from a few minutes to an hour. To keep your audience focused, we recommend keeping your videos to about 15-20 minutes. On their websites or social media accounts, the majority of vloggers also have 30 to 90-second trailers or introductory videos. Just something to be mindful of. People who vlog use platforms like YouTube, which is currently the leader, or Vimeo to display their videos. YouTube is the most used tool, with 88% of users planning to use it this year.
If you want to shake up your newsletters or emails, video emails are the best option. GIF videos, embedded videos, and videos with links to other platforms. By doing this, you can improve the likelihood that your emails will be forwarded, increase engagement with your subscribers, and increase open rates. You can use some of the other video content ideas to use in your video email.
Typically, you want to put the video at the top of the email. To get more open rates, let your subscribers know there’s video in the email. Most of these videos last between 30 and 90 seconds. You can use tools like MailChimp, GetResponse, SendinBlue, and others.
Educational videos are informative videos explaining a certain topic or concept to help educate the audience. First off, these are wonderful for all of us who run businesses. New information is constantly available. Another way to monetize your work or services is to create a course. You could also start teaching others yourself. There is always someone willing to learn, whether the subject is photography, web design, or something else. Creating your own course gives you the option to go as in-depth as you want on an industry-specific topic.
Having said that, educational videos are more likely to last a bit longer than some of the earlier mentioned videos. They can be in either long or short form, lasting only a few minutes or several hours. The typical duration is between 6 and 12 minutes on average. Additionally, it can be set up as a single video or a collection of videos. Check out websites like Udemy or Skillshare if you’re interested in teaching or enrolling in a course.
Fighting the urge to say, “If you’re happy and you know it,” but really, this is about when you have some great news to share with your followers and clients. Or maybe you want to give them a preview of what’s to come. Whether it’s a company birthday or you have a new product launching, it’s a great way to inform your clients. You want to build excitement about what’s going on in your company. Other examples are: company events, customer shoutouts, and company awards.
These videos are short-form. The length of a video is two minutes or less. You can use these videos internally or externally to reach out to your community. When focusing on outreach, it’s best to post your videos on your social accounts.
Similar to educational videos, these videos provide informative tours of a business’s product or service to assist in bringing on new customers. In an effort to address the majority of your questions, they will guide you step-by-step. These are frequently used to demonstrate new digital software or online tools. They’re meant to help users feel more comfortable with the interface and more acclimated to the product. As part of this, users are shown any new or crucial features as well as management advice for the tools.
The length of instructional videos can vary depending on if they are promoting new features or onboarding a new team.
We feel complete when our clients tell us we’ve met and exceeded their expectations. It’s satisfying to have the chance to hear and see them express their ideas to others. Testimonial videos help you achieve this by allowing your customers or clients to share their positive experiences in a video format. Although written endorsements are great, nothing says more about the value of your work or product than hearing or seeing how it affected someone. We all understand the power of word-of-mouth recommendations! If you’re trying to attract new clients or customers, this video content is excellent to have.
The length of the video is about 2 minutes or less. Most of the time, the preferred time is about 15 to 20 seconds. This video can be used not only on your website but on your social media, ads, and email marketing as well.
Case study videos show prospective clients why you are the best choice by highlighting the successes and experiences of your clients. Case studies in general are a fantastic way to promote your business’s efforts and attract new customers. It demonstrates how your company tailors a solution to your customers’ problems. Ensure that the advancements you communicate are supported by data and analytics. You want to include on-camera interviews with your clients or customers.
The length of the case study video is about 45 seconds to 2 minutes. We will overlap some other content types by including testimonials, but you could also include videographics (we will be adding this section soon). You can embed them into an email, your website, or share them on social accounts. Here’s a guide to help you build out a case study.
As mentioned before, virtual events are a great way to engage with your current and prospective clients. Here we will just list out some software you can use for event hosting. If you want to balance multiple streaming services at once, check out Restream.
I know we talked about social media videos above, but we wanted to drop a little more information for you here. The recommended tools to help are:
Insert a graphic of the few ways to measure success. You can do one, a few, or all of them.
You’ve made it to the end. I know it may seem like a long read, but if you’re looking for more information, no worries. We plan on making this a dynamic blog where we add updates or new information. So, check back occasionally. If you’re still wondering if you should do this, just remember what we said earlier: 99% will continue using video content in their strategy this year. Yes, you heard that correctly, 99%. For anyone not camera shy, this is your time to shine. And if you’re not, no worries. We are your number one fans. Let us know if you need a cheer! Digital media, how we manage various forms of content, is changing, and right now there’s a strong winner of that content. Video content is on the rise. Yes, that’s right, video content is changing the world. As we run through this blog, you will learn just how important video content is.
