This video marketing ideas guide will help you earn a share of the millions of hours of video watched each day with 25 actionable tips and ideas to get started creating watchable and engaging video marketing content.
1. Develop Instructional Videos
Instructional videos perform well because they break down complicated tasks into digestible pieces. Look at how easy the team at Buzzfeed makes it to follow along with simple cooking instructions: 20 Recipes You Should Learn In Your 20s
Read this piece from Faculty Focus on how to create useful instructional videos.
2. Use Live Video Streaming Apps
Live video usage has gone up in droves since Facebook launched Facebook Live. In fact, between February and March 2020, Facebook live views increased by 50% in the United States.
Social channels like Facebook and Instagram can live stream video right from the platform.
If your team is looking to break out and try live video, here are some other platforms to check out:
- YouTube Live
- Ustream
- Twitch
- Brightcove
- Wowza
3. Host A Webinar
Webinars are a great video marketing idea which allows you to interact directly with your audience. In fact, the average webinar draws about 260 attendees.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when hosting a webinar:
- Choose the right location to record in
- Maintain a conversational tone
- Pay attention to the sound levels
- Practice beforehand
- Start with a story
- Use humor
- Use the right microphone
This face-to-face interaction and the chance to hear directly from your audience isn’t something you’ll want to miss.
Recommended Reading: How To Do A Webinar The Effective Way [Free Planner]
4. Create Behind The Scenes Videos
Behind the scenes video content is a relatively cheap and easy way to create consumable video content that your audience will love to see. It humanizes your company and reveals the comradery between team members.
This footage can:
- Be Funny – Create an emotional connection
- Be Personal – Show how relatable your company is
- Show Team-Building – Show how well your team works together
- Show Progress – Let your audience know your company is healthy and driven to succeed
Check out how CoSchedule goes behind the scenes with their #overheardatcoschedule content.
5. Edit Your Video Length To Fit Each Social Platform
Video is a natural content addition to any social media marketing strategy. One way you can get your videos to stand out against your competition is to optimize their length.
Taking time to make sure that your video lengths fit the platform ensures that your audience doesn’t miss out on vital information.
The length of video allowed on each platform varies, so check out this blog post for the optimum time recommendations.
Recommended Reading: How to Do Facebook Video Marketing the Right Way
6. Teach A Class Via Video
Teaching a skill via video is another way to bring information to your audience. “Isn’t that the same as a webinar?” Not exactly.
Videos allow your audience to go through content at their own pace while webinars are usually live.
Some things to keep in mind when you’re creating a video for a class:
- Outline the expectations for the video.
- Thoroughly explain ideas, concepts, and instructions even if it seems like something should be basic knowledge.
- Include visuals or demonstrations in the video if you can.
See how CoSchedule uses the power of video to help teach marketing skills with the Actionable Marketing Institute.
7. Film A Mini TV Series
Mini TV episodes can be highly engaging when they’re produced the right way. And they don’t have to be as long as a standard 30 minute TV show – 5-10 minutes will do just fine.
Here are some things you should keep in mind:
- Be consistent
- Create interactive content
- Facilitate conversations around your content
- Optimize for search
- Shareability is important
- Understand your target audience
8. Create A Weekly Video Series
Weekly videos are another tool that can be added to your video marketing ideas wheelhouse. Weekly videos don’t need to be complicated or over the top, just consistent.
Check out this weekly video series from Nextiny Marketing.
9. Partner With Industry Experts To Release Videos On Different Topics
If your video content needs a bit of a boost in views, consider partnering with an expert in your industry. They can help you cover a topic your audience frequently asks about.
Take CoSchedule’s partnership with Convince and Convert’s Jay Baer to host a webinar a few summers ago. Jay is one of the leading experts on content marketing, so it’s a good fit for our team to pull together both our expertise.
Some things to keep in mind when you’re planning your videos:
- Outline what you need for your industry expert.
- Determine what content you’re going to discuss in your video.
- Decide who will be in control of promoting and publishing said video.
10. Shoot A Sales And Promotion Video
Sales and promo videos are a standard part of any video marketing strategy. When done correctly, sales or promotion videos can be a significant player for organizations.
Take a look at the famous “Dumb Ways to Die” video, which was a promo ad reminding people to be safe around train platforms. It’s a catchy song that draws in viewers and hits home with its point right at the end of the video.
Recommended: AI Song Generator
Recommended: Song Title Generator
11. Use Video To Show Off Your Company Culture
Whether you’re looking to hire new employees or show off who you are as a company, culture videos are a fun way to do that.
For example, check out Zendesk’s company culture video:
The video is without a doubt creative, fun and shows off how Zendesk operates as an organization.
Recommended Reading:How To Make A Company Culture Video That Wins Your Customers’ Hearts
12. Film A Thank You Video
Everyone likes to feel appreciated and thank you videos are one way for your company to say thanks to your audience in a fun and memorable way. CoSchedule makes a thank you video every year like this one.
Thank you videos should be fun and light but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a strategy in place first. Check out Constant Contact’s blog post on how to create a thank you video.
13. Interview Customers Or Clients
People trust reviews. More specifically, people trust reviews from other people like themselves.
That’s why things like user-generated video content go over so well with audiences: because the source it is coming from is not being paid for by someone trying to sell the product.
Customer and client testimonial videos are easy to create and publish as long as you ask the right questions.
Recommended Reading: Follow These 16 Customer Interview Best Practices To Get The Answers You Need
14. Interview Team Members
Your team is made up of talented professionals who know information your audience wants to hear. Why not interview them on camera and allow them to highlight the products they know best?
You can also use this video marketing idea to help your audience get to know your team. This humanizes your brand and showcases the people behind the products.
These don’t have to be very long. This video interview from Sprout is less than a minute long, and it’s super effective.
15. Create Product Specific Videos
Creating a product specific video can help aid your team in a new launch and make a memorable impression.
Take the product video that Dollar Shave Club created when they first launched their subscription service. It’s fast-paced, sassy and memorable.
16. Promote Your Event With A Video
Event videos are a great way to build hype and encourage your audience to attend an event you’re hosting or going to. The thing about these videos is that you don’t have to think about your content, it’s already there ready for you to capture on film.
Take this video from the European Pizza & Pasta Show. Their video recapped the event and encouraged people to attend the next year.
17. Share An Expert Q&A Video
Question and Answer videos allow you an opportunity to expand on topics your audience wants to know more about. This is an easy way to bring content to your viewers with little effort.
Live Q&A video sessions, like this one from TellMeBaby, bring in large numbers of viewers and encourage them to interact with the hosts.
18. Get Creative With Your Data By Using Whiteboard Videos
Whiteboard animation videos have grown in popularity over the last few years because of their ability to convey complex information in a simplified way. The possibilities are endless; your team is only limited by what they can draw!
Jeff Bullas breaks down ten things that your team should be doing to create the perfect whiteboard animation video.
19. Create Time-Lapse Videos To Show Processes From Start To Finish
Seeing any project go from start to finish in a matter of minutes is always entertaining and can easily hook your audience in. Show your audience how your projects come together with a time-lapse video.
If you’ve never done this before, read Time Lapse Network’s step by step guide on how to create your time-lapse video.
20. Give Your Audience A Video Tour Of Your Office
Get personal and let your audience see where the magic happens and how you bring them the products or features they love with an office tour video.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Highlight interesting things that happen in your workplace
- Keep lighting and background noise under control
- Make sure your camera is on a tripod
- Objects in the frame reveal office culture
- Show individuals at different levels in the company
21. Recap A Conference Your Team Attends
Your team just got back from a conference, and your brain is full to the brim with new information and ideas. Before you launch into them all, use your attendance as inspiration for your next video.
Recap videos don’t have to be these complex over the top products. A simple two-minute video with a few photos and explaining what you gathered from the conference will suffice.
Check out how to build the perfect recap video with this blog post from Matter Now.
Recommended Reading: 16 Video Marketing Tips That Will Skyrocket Your Traffic
22. Send Holiday Greetings Videos
Take advantage of the holiday season to get your brand in front of your audience’s eyes. A holiday video is a creative way to connect with your customers, boost your PR, and build office morale.
Take this example from Sensofar. They use a huge, collaborative project to send their audience a message.
23. Announce Contests With A Promotional Video
Holding contests can help grow brand awareness, build a sense of community, and incentivize audience engagement. Using video allows you to announce your contest in a creative way.
This video from BlackboxMyCar not only announces their monthly contest, but also encourages viewers to send in videos of their own.
Recommended Reading: How to Attach Videos to Social Messages in CoSchedule
24. Create A Top #10 Video
You can showcase your top performing products or content upgrades to show your audience what they’re missing.
At the end of the year, we put together a video recapping the top 5 updates to our Marketing Calendar. We also put together a video recapping the top 5 updates to our Marketing Suite.
25. Announce Company News
Help build some hype for your company by announcing your big news with an easily shareable video.
This video was created to announce the merger of Actavis and Watson Pharmaceutical, creating the third largest generic drug company in the world.
Recommended Reading: How To Make A Video Content Marketing Strategy That Will Engage Your Audience
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