5 Video Content Formats Your Business Should Be Using Now
Video consumption statistics say it all.
Facebook has said that 500 million viewers watch their videos every day.
YouTube reports that people watch more than a billion hours of video daily on their platform.
A Cisco study noted that more than 80 percent of online content consumed by the end of 2021 will be video content. It also predicts that people will be watching 3 trillion Internet video minutes monthly – equivalent to 5 million years of video per month, or 1 million video minutes per second.
These are compelling numbers for marketers to ponder.
There is no doubt that video could become an important part of your content marketing strategy moving forward.
Wondering what type of video content you should be making?
Here are some content formats you should get acquainted with. We’ll explain what each format is best at and how it would fit into your overall strategy.
The Company Video
Many businesses use the corporate video to introduce audiences to the company’s history and corporate culture. It can explain the various segments of its business, or highlight social activities.
Videos of this type may showcase the founder, key leaders in the company, and flagship products. Images of the workplace, employee interactions, meetings, and what people wear to work give your brand a personal touch.
The company video can also highlight its contributions to society by way of a CSR (corporate social responsibility) video, an important subset of the company video.
Does your company advocate carbon neutrality? Assist with delivering educational programs in underserved communities? Do you donate to community pantries, or help with bringing water or electricity to far-flung areas?
Well-executed company videos can help you visualize these ideas powerfully and in a matter of minutes.
The Interview
The interview format allows you to connect your brand with a personality or someone influential in your field of business.
You may interview one person, or invite a group of speakers to join a panel discussion. These people should be chosen for their appeal to your target audiences or their knowledge of the field.
Topics of discussion can vary, and they don’t have to deal directly with your line of business. You could, for instance, hold interviews that follow themes reflecting your corporate values, or offer brand testimonials that can boost your products.
If your brand promotes a healthy lifestyle, you might talk about the latest trend in workouts, or health food trends.
If you sell real estate, you could compile stories with soundbites from satisfied residents.
The Video Tutorial or How To Video
This content format is highly in demand, especially if you have a product that is highly technical, requires some skill to use, or solves some troubleshooting issues that your customers may encounter.
This field of video content marketing is vast. Instructional or how-to videos can be formatted in videos as short as 2-5 minutes, or sequenced in chapters to help people master concepts, skills, or tools.
Seen the content on platforms such as Lynda, Coursera, or Udemy? Some instructional content is so in demand that educational platforms offer partnerships for you to appear with them.
Most of the time, however, YouTube and/or Facebook will be enough to help you promote your content, whether it’s a recipe demo, a makeup tutorial, or a how-to on setting up an Analytics account for your website.
The Vlog
The vlog is a great piece of long-form content produced from a first person point of view – that of the video blogger, or vlogger.
The vlog piece usually places the vlogger in a setting where they record something they do. It could be a scuba diving experience, trying out a new restaurant, or traveling to a different country. Sometimes the vlog is a how-to, a personal speech, or a mukbang.
The best vloggers are skilled at editing key scenes, inserting music and personal humor, all the while projecting their personality naturally on camera.
Because the appeal of a vlog is getting to know the vlogger and what they do in daily life, stripped-down, behind-the-scenes videos can create strong and loyal connections between vloggers and their audiences.
It can transform unknown content creators into experienced influencers who create great visibility for the brands they work with.
The Live Webinar or Presentation
Companies who want to discuss industry topics in the current environment are still minimizing in-person seminars and conferences.
Enter the webinar – which is a useful, learning-filled conversation, headed by a host or moderator.
Then there’s the live presentation, usually a single speaker delivering a live, keynote-level speech. The most popular example of this is the 15-minute TED Talk.
The benefit of a live webinar presentation or presentation is that the content is targeted, instructional, or insightful. Using the right promotions, you can bring in interested audiences who pick up useful ideas and engage with the speaker.
It is a way of creating brand visibility by associating you with a personality or a group of ideas people care about.
Depending on the design, a live webinar or presentation can also help establish thought leadership for you in your industry.
Investing in Video Content Creation
Just like good written or visual content, video content creation may not be the easiest or fastest to make. New video creation and editing tools make DIY professional videos available at a fraction of the cost.
You could, of course, engage the creative services of a digital marketing company to do it for you. Just focus on your digital segmentation, your communication objective, and producing unique content that distinguishes you from others.