It’s impossible to imagine the Internet without video content playing an integral role in the browsing experience. Everything from influencer marketing to government announcements, product launches to pop culture promotions, as well as current events and industry-specific content are frequently presented as videos.

According to research conducted that aims to illustrate the importance of videos, 92% of brand marketing teams use videos as part of their digital strategy and state that the format is core to their success. They also say that video has helped them achieve about 87% of their ROI, a vast improvement from just 33% in 2015. More so, we learn from them that videos can be used as a standalone or complementary marketing tool used alongside SEO, paid and organic media, website development, and other digital strategies. Regardless, video has become a mainstay.

Dissecting this further, it’s been discovered that video has helped them achieve specific marketing and sales goals. Video has benefitted brands by generating more high-potential leads over time, improving engagement, deepening customer understanding of products and services, and ultimately, adding to the bottom line.

Truly, video as a marketing tool is a trend that’s likely never going to slow down. How, then, can brands make the most of this invaluable format to maximize its potential? Below are some suggestions.

Create video ads that appear on other platforms

Let’s begin with something basic. For most brands, videos are used as paid advertisements that appear on a variety of online platforms. The clearest examples are brand ads that roll out on YouTube or Facebook, as well as Instagram and sometimes Twitter and TikTok. These videos can be short and straight to the point, featuring a literal product or service. Other times, they can be longer and can appear to be like a short film where there is a story that is humorous, touching, or otherwise just memorable.

More so, these videos can be part of a broader seasonal campaign, teasers, promotions, or opportunities to create virality. You can get creative with how you want to utilize video content in ways that best work for your brand.

Feature explainer videos on your own platforms

Take note that video content does not exist for the sole purpose of promoting and then selling your product or service. Online customers seek other value in video content. Sometimes, they just want to be educated, be kept up-to-date, or learn interesting things from your videos. Provide points of conversation about who you are, what you do, your brand’s history and evolution, and its philanthropic pursuits—there’s truly no limit. And of course, when you post these videos on your own socials, make them share-worthy so that your customers find a reason to share them on their own pages as well.

Consider using a homepage video on your website

Website homepages are a make-or-break experience. First impressions do last. To consider making a lasting positive first expression, make a homepage as dynamic as possible without too much clutter. Instead of bombarding customers with a ton of buttons, a layout that’s too loud, and way too many animated features, a well-placed video that gets customers to stay and understand what they’ll gain by browsing your website should be compelling enough.

Landing page videos can sometimes focus on the company profiles, highlights of best sellers, positive reviews, real-life applications of what you sell, competitive advantages, and other such content that have a “wow” factor.

Craft company story videos that feel real

The keyword here is real. Online shoppers, with all the content they’re exposed to day in and day out, have pretty good discernment in deciding if what they’re looking at is authentic or not. This is especially true for company story videos whose goal is to convince customers that the people who work there have fun, like their jobs and each other, are compensated for their skills and time, and most of all, that the products and services they sell are more than just money-making devices.

Company stories should tug at emotions, that’s true, but should never be tacky or sappy. They should never be a hard sell. These videos should help make customers feel an allegiance to a brand because it’s supposedly a great workplace with even better ethics and work values and has society’s welfare in mind.

Do not underestimate the power of short-form videos

When we talk about videos going “viral,” this is what comes to mind. Short-form videos aren’t necessarily shot the same way as ads or other promotional content. This is where influencer marketing comes in as we most often see this format used in Instagram Reels or TikTok. They can be user-generated videos as well. Sometimes, your customers themselves unintentionally create viral videos featuring your product or service, and when it happens, don’t miss the chance to highlight them. Repost, retweet, or tag the people involved with the goal of getting everyone talking about you and piquing interest in you.

Invest in high-quality tutorials

These five-minute or fewer videos have skyrocketed in popularity because they’re useful, shareable, and are not time-sensitive. Plus, other than showing customers how to use a product or service efficiently, these videos can also include other tips and tricks packaged as insider information to make the ordinary tutorial video more engaging.

Tutorials show how customers can get the most of what they pay for by maximizing all the features and uses of your offerings.

Highlight testimonies whenever you can

Videos that showcase satisfied customers talking about how your brand has exceeded expectations, how it is better than other offerings in the market or has helped them improve their life in one way or another is another great way to market yourself.

Get real people to share their stories about your brand. Focus on experiences of finding solutions, making improvements, and finding “exactly what they need” through your products and services.

Explore conducting expert interviews, webinars, or other live events

Videos don’t just have to be pre-made. They can be shot live, involving real-time participation or attendance by your customers. This was a new trend born out of the two-year quarantine period brought about by the pandemic and has proven to be useful in unique ways.

We saw how brands utilized this format in the following ways: webinars or workshops where industry experts were invited to talk and share their skills, online social events for launches and promotions, as well as live-streamed interviews where celebrities or endorsers were guests of honor and spoke about a brand.

This is an area worthy of exploration for brands that aim to increase their presence online.

All in all, these different ways to create or present video content can be enhanced if they align with the rest of your digital marketing strategy. Don’t create videos for the sake of doing so and don’t miss the mark simply because this format presents lots of room for flexibility and originality. Always connect videos to existing marketing tools, relate them to your call-to-action, and make your branding crystal clear.

As a last piece of advice, regularly check your videos’ performance. There are tools that allow brands to see if their videos are contributing enough and in other instances, not at all. Either way, learn from video analytics and let them guide you in the next round of video creation. It might take a while for you to hit the nail on the head, but when you do, your digital marketing payoffs will certainly be worth it.