Are you struggling to engage your audience? Video could be the answer.
Research suggests that 53% of customers engage with a brand after they’ve watched a video on social media.
You want some of that, right?
Here are ten brilliant ideas for video marketing content that’ll leave you with no option but to create some of your own.
1. A time-lapse of a process
You’ll almost certainly have seen a time-lapse video before of a sunset or rapidly-filling auditorium before a concert.
Time-lapse is a video technique which captures frames of a single scene at set intervals over a long time. When played back at normal speed, the action appears much faster.
So, why not shoot a time-lapse of product creation from start to finish or the setup of your latest exhibition stand? Most modern smartphones offer this option in their camera app, so there’s no excuse not to give it a try.
2. Day-in-the-life of an employee
Your team sits at the heart of the operation, so why not give them a moment in the spotlight?
If they’re up for it, a day-in-the-life of your employees could be a series of short, 20-30 second videos that add real personality to the business.
3. Product unboxing
Whether or not you understand the fascination with watching someone unbox Disney toys, this technique is a serious way to engage a big audience.
Imagine watching Love Actually 20 million times; that’s how long people have collectively spent watching unboxing videos on YouTube.
Why not do the same with some of the products you distribute or produce?
4. A whiteboard
We’re big fans of HubSpot’s Whiteboard Friday content.
All you need is a whiteboard (obviously), a single topic on which you can provide actionable advice, someone willing to get in front of a camera… and a camera.
Check out this brilliant example from Rand Fishkin for a bit of inspiration.
5. Team introduction (have a bit of fun)
If producing a day-in-the-life series is a bit too time-consuming, a single video that introduces your team is a great alternative.
Have a bit of fun; ask everyone to bring in an item that defines their life outside of work, or ask them to tell a favourite joke. Whatever you do, make it human, engaging and illustrative of how awesome your team is.
6. Film a meeting
Wait, really?
Yes! If you hold internal meetings that are focused on product design or plans for a forthcoming marketing campaign, film one of them.
You can edit it for brevity and to ensure you don’t give away your secrets, but a window into your operation is something audiences love.
7. Go behind-the-scenes
If filming a meeting really isn’t your thing, there’s plenty you can do with video to provide a glimpse at the inner workings of your business.
Pick a department or particular internal task and think about the story behind it. What can you reveal that will engage viewers and give them a reason to reach out and interact with your business?
8. A customer testimonial
Written customer testimonials are boring. Why not instead get them on camera and quiz them about their experiences with your company?
Customer testimonials of this kind appear far more genuine and will result in content that can be shared not just by you but by the customer, too. This will increase the reach of your content marketing efforts considerably.
9. Get involved in a #challenge
Remember the ice bucket challenge? There seems to be something similar every week at the top of trending lists, so why not take advantage of that exposure and get involved as a company?
If nothing else, it’ll prove that you have a ‘fun’ side, which might just put you ahead of the competition in some customers’ eyes.
10. Make a big (or not-so-big) announcement
Big product launch ahead? Make a video about it; your time is far better spent doing that than writing a 1,500 blog post about it that no one will read.
Don’t limit announcement videos to the big stuff, though. If you’ve achieved a new accreditation or adorned the office wall with your new branding, make a short video about that too.
Go forth and create!
The above ideas should give you plenty of content for social media and landing pages on your website.
Just remember the golden rule about video marketing: it’s fine to experiment and push the boundaries of what you’d typically do in marketing campaigns.