4 Videos Every Content Marketer Needs for Success

We all know content is king. The savvy content marketer knows that video is king of the content. Creating video content for your audience is one of the best ways to engage with your target market. So if we all agree that video can be wildly beneficial for your brand….then What’s the catch? Well, we will level with you. High quality video content is expensive, both time and dollars. But with the right strategic planning, you can tackle your loftiest video aspirations, without draining your team, or your piggy bank. Here’s how:

The absolute strategic secret is to have the most viable videos in your content marketing toolbox, at the right time. These 4 videos are your yellow brick road to marketing success- but we recognize its often not very realistic to tackle all 4 productions at once. In order to help with video buying, planning, and strategy, we’ve written this article in order of importance.

Hero Video

The very first video that’s a must have for the content marketer is the “What we do” video. Many names are thrown around in the industry for this (and it really is talked about that much) but the Hero video is also most commonly referred to as an explainer or overview video.

Why is it critical? Well, when someone visits a website for the first time, the first thing they’re probably wondering is, “What does this company do?” Text and graphics have generally worked for this in the past…. keyword past. In this new age of content marketing (where nobody wants to read much), we know that having a video makes it easier and faster than ever for website visitors to get the gist of what a company does. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating a What We Do video:

Placement: this video belongs on the homepage, front and center. It is most effective when paired with a clear call to action. Pro tip: make this video accessible from all pages on the website. Sticky buttons, similar to those on the bottom of this page, are great for this!
Length: The longer the video, the more viewers drop off. So, it’s extremely important, especially for this video, to keep the total length to 60 – 75 seconds, MAX. This can be difficult for many content marketers because there’s a tendency to want to touch on everything a company can offer. Pro tip: avoid this by working with a video production agency, most of the time there’s at least one scriptwriter on staff who is a pro at cutting down scripts while also keeping key messaging.
Style: for this video, we advise using live action or 2D animation styles. Depending on what a company actually does can help decide between these two styles. Pro tip: we’ve found that 2D animation works best when used to explain complex ideas (SaaS companies, tech companies, etc.) and live action works best when one of the main goals of the video is to connect/identify with the audience (healthcare, B2C, etc.)

Testimonial Video

People love proof which is why testimonial videos are the next most important type of video every content marketer needs. Once a visitor figures out what a company does, the next thing they’re going to try to figure out is how it worked for others. So, prove it with a testimonial video (or a few).

These videos can validate a company as a viable option and also earn the trust of the viewer. Here are some things for the content marketer to keep in mind when creating testimonial videos:

Placement: this video works best when it follows the What We Do (Hero) video. Pro tip: pairing a testimonial video with a case study will go a long way in proving your value to prospects.
Length: 1 – 2 minutes is the best length for videos of this type. Pro tip: for interview testimonials, get someone from the outside to conduct the interview. Sometimes a fresh take will illicit the best sound bites.
Style: interview style is the most commonly used style and it definitely works well but it can get stale if that’s all you see in the video. Pro tip: mix it up with some side angles, b-roll, animation, or do something completely different.

Demo Video

Once trust has been earned through a testimonial video, the viewer is going to want to see more details about the product or service. This is a great time to go in depth into features and specifications offered. One of the benefits this gives the viewer is the ability to answer some of their questions before they have to reach out to a sales person. This gives a lot of benefits to sales and marketing teams as well since watching one of these videos is an indicator that the viewer is further down the sales funnel.

Having multiple demo videos can allow sales and marketing to know exactly what features viewers are looking at the most and what features a specific viewer is looking at. And there’s more, salespeople can also use these videos to send out to prospects, saving the time and effort of detailing every feature in an email. Keep the following in mind when creating demo videos:

Placement: make viewers work for this a little. It shouldn’t be the first thing people see when they get to your website, they should only be able to find these videos when they’re looking for specific details. Pro tip: because viewers need to search for these a little, it’s probably not best to put these on your social media channels.
Length: if it’s an all-encompassing demo video, 2 – 4 minutes is a good length to be able to show all of your features. If it’s multiple demo videos, showing specific features 30 – 60 seconds is a good length. Pro tip: split it up! Most viewers don’t want to sit through a 2 – 4 minute video, even if it contains information they’re looking for. Splitting these videos up into shorter, more digestible pieces of content will go a long way.
Style: the style here will depend on the type of company/product/service. If it’s a SaaS product, we suggest a combination of screenshots and animations for a longer demo video and mostly 2D animations for shorter videos. If it’s a service, 2D animation works very well and can show the viewer the type of experience they can expect to receive. Pro tip: sometimes live action can be used in combination with animation to make for great demo videos.

Culture Video

This video serves many purposes and can be executed in many different ways. The goal of a company culture video is to show the viewer who they’re going to be working with. It provides the content marketer a chance to connect to the viewer on a more human level, showing them the people behind the magic. Not only is this a great video to show to prospects, it’s great to show to current clients, job applicants, investors, and employees seem to love these videos quite a bit. Pro tip: get employees involved, make a day out of it, order lunch, and most of all, have fun! A company’s true colors can shine here, make sure it’s not stale. For this kind of video, keep the following in mind:

Placement: this is a perfect video to go on many pages on the website such as the About Us page, the Careers page, the Why Work With Us page, etc. Pro tip: these also play really well on social media!
Length: keep this video short and sweet. While it’s good to show many different areas of a company’s personality, know that viewers aren’t going to spend very long watching a video like this. Pro tip: get the audience’s attention early in the video to try to keep the viewer watching.
Style: live action works best for these videos since actual employees can be in it but simple animations can also be added for a little extra spark. Pro tip: comedy is king here. Making these videos funny will help keep viewers watching for longer, will help tease them better on social media, and makes a company much more likeable.

So, there they are! The 4 videos every content marketer needs for success. Of course, these are just a starting point for video. Once these are in your marketing toolbox, there’s much more you can do! Check out some of our other blogs below for other content marketing ideas. And, feel free to comment if you’ve found other videos that are essential to content marketing success!