Video marketing is the present and future of marketing. Just look at the stats. Right now, video content has a reach of 93% on the internet, according to Statista.
That means one thing for small businesses: you will be left behind if you don’t start taking steps to create video right now.
To help you get started, we’ve created a cheat sheet of marketing video ideas that will work for any business. Keep reading to get new ideas on how to communicate with your customers more effectively.
Video Ideas For Your Marketing Campaigns
1. Teaser Announcements
Teaser announcements are a simple and effective way to launch your first video campaign. They’re used to build a buzz around your brand and get people excited to find out more.
This kind of video is released in the build-up to your marketing campaign. You want it to be engaging enough to hook people in immediately and vague enough to pique their interest.
The goal is simple: to keep eyes glued to your socials. A good teaser announcement should have people setting reminders to check your site on your launch day. Finally, when you drop your first campaign (whether a sale, demo, or comp), you’ll have a dedicated audience ready to get involved.
They don’t need to include much more than the date of your announcement and the fact that you have something planned. Curiosity will do the rest. Big brands do this all the time to create hype. Apple, Nike, and Tesla are good examples.
2. Live Webinars
The average webinar has a conversion rate of 55%, according to Noisey Little Monkey. To put it another way, that’s 1 in every 2 attendees.
Marketing videos like this are an awesome way to promote your campaign, as they keep viewers engaged and encourage buy-in. Live webinars are also the perfect follow-up to a teaser.
Once you’ve planted the curiosity seed, you can use a webinar to gather all your prospects and announce your big campaign with much fanfare.
Whether it’s a product launch or sale, use your teaser videos to push people toward your webinar date. Once live, drop the news.
Not only do webinars convert, but they also allow you to gauge reactions from live feedback and interact with your customers personally.
Viddyoze Pro-Tip: record your webinar. Not everyone will be able to tune in live, so promote the recorded webinar to those who missed out the first time.
3. Campaign Explainer Video
A bunch of potential customers are interested after the webinar. So now what? Send them an explainer video.
This kind of short video allows you to get the point of your campaign across clearly, hitting the key points in your webinar. It is a great reminder for people, helping to reinforce the original point without asking a customer to sit through the whole webinar again.
It’s a good idea to email an explainer to attendees after the webinar. That way, you can jog their memory about your brilliant campaign and nudge them closer to action.
In addition, they’re an excellent summary tool to engage people who were reluctant to join the live webinar and are still hesitant to watch the reply.
With that in mind, the great thing about explainer videos is that you can use them in other places too. Share them on social media and put them on relevant pages on your website, such as your campaign page or a product page.
4. Competitions And Giveaways
A simple way to create a buzz, competitions have a conversion rate of around 35%, according to reports from Small Biz News.
To get more eyes on your promotional campaign, run one at the same time, using live video to announce the winner.
Ideally, the prize should be tied to your campaign. If you’re launching a new product, consider giving one away for free. Launching software? Consider an expert tutorial with one of the creators.
Make one of the entry requirements to share your competition post across all social media channels. This will give you tons more organic reach and open your digital contest to a new audience.
Once again, the idea here is to get people excited about your brand and campaign. Create short videos (like teasers) explaining how to enter and what the prize is. Then, share the content across your channels until the launch date.
For a step-by-step guide on how you can run a video competition, read this insightful article.
5. Deadline Videos
Deadline videos drive an audience to take action. If you can create a sense of urgency and scarcity about your product, you’re more likely to drive interest. After all, FOMO sells.
This type of video marketing content works well with millennials (60% of them say they’ve made a last-minute purchase because of FOMO), and it could be the difference between hitting your goals and missing out.
Use these videos towards the end of your campaign to drive a late surge of interest and engagement. The more you can convince people that this is an unmissable, one-time deal, the more traction you’ll get with your campaign.
You can even extend your campaign using this kind of strategy. Think about when Beyonce crashed Ticketmaster. So many people wanted tickets that the site couldn’t handle the response, as tickets sold out in minutes. With thousands of disappointed fans, Beyonce added new dates to meet demand.
Now, we’re not saying that will happen for you (Queen B has epic brand reach) but you can extend your campaign after the deadline has passed “due to popular demand.”
This will prompt people to take action as they know demand is high and time is limited.
Ideas For Your Video Ads
6. Problem Focused Informational Content
Done right, video ads grab attention in crowded newsfeeds, make people aware of your brand or niche, and then draw those people into your marketing funnel.
One of the best ways to hook a potential customer is to offer a solution to one of their problems.
First, ask yourself this: what is your target audience’s biggest problem? A significant part of your video marketing strategy should be focused on answering that question. Once you’ve figured that out, you can create video ads targeting several of these issues.
The reason for this is simple, problem-focused informational content gets straight to the point. There’s no fluffy stuff or salesy speak, just cold hard facts: the viewer has a problem and you have the solution.
Naturally, anyone viewing your ad will want to know more. You’ve just established your credibility and expertise to this sales prospect because you’ve solved the problem they’re encountering. This is how you build trust with your audience.
From there, your audience will likely click through to your site, resulting in email sign-ups and inquiries. This is a great way to start nurturing cold leads and guiding potential customers into your marketing funnel.
Viddyoze Pro-Tip: Use retargeting ads to put more product-driven content in front of the people who watched the original ad.
7. Product Trailers
Think of every movie you’ve ever watched. Chances are, it was a killer trailer that grabbed your attention.
The same principles apply to your products. With a product trailer, you can tell users everything they need to know about your upcoming campaign in one punchy video. Simply create a short promo explaining exactly what your product does and why viewers should buy it.
These videos work well as ads when pushed out over social media, both to generate new leads from people who don’t follow your pages and to help convert prospects already in your marketing funnel.
Again, think about a movie trailer. How often has one popped up in the middle of a YouTube video and convinced you to watch the film?
The point here is to drive sales, so don’t worry about being overly promotional; unlike the informational videos we mentioned in the last point, promo videos need to be salesy. Paid ads can be seen by pretty much anyone; they’re the perfect kind of content for hooking in cold leads. Just be sure to hit your product’s major USPs and include plenty of strong CTAs.
8. Product Comparison Videos
Want to know the best way to get one over on your competition? Show people that your product is better in a comparison video ad.
Sure, this is a little cheeky, but if you stick to the facts, there’s nothing wrong with a product comparison.
The key is only to point out things your product does/has and theirs doesn’t. Let’s say you’re selling running sneakers. Yours are made out of organic rubber from sustainable sources; theirs aren’t. That’s a great USP to highlight. This video from Verizon nails the comparison.
It’s worth noting that around 5% of all existing customers are defectors, according to Forbes, which makes product comparisons well worth it — especially if you target multiple competitors.
9. Sales And Limited Time Offers
Nothing drives interest like a sale or limited-availability offer. This kind of ad works in the same way as the deadline videos we mentioned in point 5.
These effective video ads are old school in their approach. These ads create FOMO, urging whoever sees them to click. They don’t want to miss out, after all. All you need to include are the basic details of your deals, with a CTA pushing people to the sale’s webpage.
Share these ads across your social media channels, both as organic posts and paid ads, to drive traffic and conversions. Not only can a sales video ad help improve your profits and win new customers, but it also keeps existing customers loyal. Because who doesn’t love a discount?
Use these videos to promote all of your sale offers, and you stand a better chance of converting customers. According to BrightCove, 76% of consumers purchase a product after watching a video created by a brand. It’s also worth sending these to your sales team so that they can share them with their contacts.
10. Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials are an absolute must-have for any successful video content marketing strategy.
In a nutshell, this is a short video where a happy customer sings your praises. It’s gold-standard BOFU (bottom of the funnel) content because it helps get people over the line in that final sales push.
There are two reasons this works so well:
- It proves your product does what you say it does.
- People generally find stories with human faces easier to relate to.
As an ad, they are brilliant for targeting people close to making a purchase but just need a little extra push.
A whopping 77% of people say that watching video testimonials about a product encouraged them to make a purchase, according to Wyzowl. If you want to increase sales, this is the content you need to make.
11. Case Studies
Video case studies work in the same way as video testimonials. They show how your product works in a real-life scenario, eliminating any lingering doubts or worries the buyer might have.
This works exactly like a standard text-based case study (you’ve probably seen a thousand of these). However, video makes things much more engaging and entertaining.
Done right, case studies are significant sales drivers. Just look at digital content marketing expert Neil Patel. By testing 3 case studies in his emails, he grew sales by 185%.
To create a video study that works as an ad, we suggest making two or three case studies, each dealing with a different issue or problem your product helps solve.
There are three kinds of case studies you can make:
- A client testimonial case study – your customers telling their story
- Hypothesis testing case study – the story of a new product or service told by you
- A narrative-driven case study – a mini-documentary
Product Video Ideas
12. Product Demonstrations
Video is the perfect medium to show off your fantastic products and generate leads.
Demos show precisely how your product works, giving viewers a clearer idea of how it can help them. They get into the nitty-gritty, discussing your major USPs in more detail.
There are two great reasons to make product demos. The first is that they help with conversions (people are more likely to buy from pages containing video), and the second is that videos improve website traffic.
Content ideas like this are popular with software businesses, such as Viddyoze, where a concrete product doesn’t exist. That said, product demos are helpful for all kinds of products or services.
For the best results, add one to each product page on your website and increase your chances of conversion.
13. Influencer Collaborations
Influencer marketing is an exciting new way for small brands to piggyback off an existing audience.
Think about it this way. You’ve got 1,000 subscribers on YouTube. An influencer in your niche has 10,000. You’ve just gained access to many potential new customers by collaborating.
One of the easiest ways to work with an influencer is to offer one of your products in exchange for a video review. Not only does this add credibility to your product, but it’s a creative way to get your brand in front of an existing audience.
Kylie Jenner out of your remit? Don’t worry, there are thousands of attainable influencers out there, ready to help you promote your product. To find influencers in your niche, check out BuzzSumo or direct message the people you already have in mind.
14. Product Reviews Roundups
Online reviews can make or break a business, with the vast majority of consumers (93%, according to Dixa) using them to make a purchase decision.
If you’ve got tons of good reviews about your product, maximize their power by putting together a short video highlight reel. This could be a video slideshow or an animated showreel.
Most reviews are hosted on sites like TrustPilot and are only found by consumers actively looking for them. By making a shareable video, you can spread the good vibes more widely across social media, email, and your website.
The reason reviews are so critical is simple: they provide social proof about your product. In other words, a good review has a positive psychological effect on potential customers based on the experiences of others.
They also boost sales by as much as 18%.
15. Product Tutorials And Feature Highlights
Product tutorials are more in-depth versions of product demos. Instead of a general overview, these tutorials hone in on specific traits.
Let’s say you’re selling accounting software for businesses like QuickBooks. One tutorial could highlight invoicing, one could highlight expenses, one could highlight VAT… you get the picture.
For software, these videos work best as onscreen walkthroughs with a voice-over. That means someone runs through “the how” your product works while capturing the screen. Perfect for more complex products, a tutorial lets you clearly communicate your point.
This kind of content appeals to current customers while helping to attract new ones simultaneously. For your existing clients, it teaches them new things about your product. For new businesses, it works like any other promo ad.
Again, share this content through your usual channels (social, paid ads, email. etc.), and host the videos on relevant product pages. You can also tie this into a live event and run a product tutorial in person or via webinar.
16. User Generated Content (UGC)
Any video that a fan or follower of your brand creates and distributes on your behalf is considered user-generated video content. It’s a fun and engaging way to involve your followers and reach the public.
Fashion brands are the most obvious example of this — almost every brand under the sun has been tagged on social media by a customer wearing its clothing. But UGC videos are not just limited to fashion – any industry can tap into it. Think about the unboxing video content you see regularly online (if you’re not sure what that is, we’ll explain it shortly).
Simply put, UGC can be anything from a photo of a fan using your product to a video review. All you need to do is develop an idea and encourage your audience to create and share their content featuring your new product.
Not only does this help create social proof, but it also helps your brand awareness grow.
Viddyoze Pro Tip: create your own hashtag so that your UGC is easy to find when searching social media sites.
17. Unboxing videos
Speaking of unboxing videos… this bizarre trend has taken the internet by storm in recent years.
As strange as this may sound, unboxing has become seriously popular in the last 10 years or so, with some of the biggest channels on YouTube dedicated entirely to the phenomenon. Spurred on by growing consumerism, there isn’t really much to it. Essentially, it’s a consumer opening your product, filming the result, and then reviewing it.
There are two ways to approach this. As mentioned above, you can encourage consumers to film themselves opening your products and share the results. Alternatively, you can send a product to an influencer, such as Unboxing Theory.
Again, this works like a third-party review. Someone outside your brand features and discusses your products. This content is perfect for brands who want to build strong social proof and grow awareness.
Video Content Ideas For Social Media
18. ‘How To’ Videos
Questions that begin with “How to…” are some of the most frequently searched terms on the internet – and you can bet they’re just as popular on social media. Over 4 billion people use it, after all.
How-to social media videos answer general questions that relate to your product in some way. For example, let’s say you sell DIY hardware. A simple video could be “How To Fix A Leaky Tap.” The solution, or one of them, could be a product you sell. See, it’s that easy!
Check out our YouTube channel for some inspiration – we have a ton of them.
Host these videos on your site, and it’s also great for SEO traffic. Use free tools (such as AnswerThePublic) to determine the kinds of questions people are asking about your niche.
This kind of educational content builds trust in your brand, which will eventually translate into sales. Why? People tend to buy from brands they believe in.
Viddyoze Pro Tip: frame your product as the solution where possible.
19. Whiteboard Sessions
One of the most underused video content marketing ideas, whiteboard videos are an easy way to explain your product to a group of people.
Think lecture, but more direct and dynamic. One person leads while the other participants watch the action online, watching as ideas and concepts are drawn up on the digital whiteboard. There are loads of options for this, including Miro.
This is great social media content, as it’s interactive and fun. You can also use live tools, such as Facebook Live and YouTube Live to run these sessions.
Not only are they easy to make and cheap, but you can film the live event and use the footage to make more video marketing content.
20. Behind-The-Scenes Content
88% of consumers say authenticity is key when choosing which brands to buy from (Nostro). One of the best ways to build authenticity is to show off the human side of your company culture.
This kind of fun, ultra-sharable content lets you show off the human side of your business, which consumers very much connect with. Moreover, behind-the-scenes marketing content enables you to reveal how the business works day-to-day, highlighting your staff and values simultaneously.
Try making videos for some of the following:
- A day in the life of an employee
- An offsite or team-building day
- A work event or party
- The boxing-up process for an order
With influencer culture taking off, consumers love to see behind the scenes – give it to them on social media. These videos add a ton of value to your brand. They show clients precisely who you are and what you do, which helps build trust.
21. Charity Work And Social Responsibility Initiatives
Over half of consumers (64%, according to Edelman) would buy (or boycott) a brand based on its social or political position.
Social media is the perfect place to show where you stand on an issue. Think about it: 99%* of social media interactions are people ranting about social issues. (*not a real statistic.)
The point is, you can use video to show off your business’s good side with content about your charity work or social responsibility initiatives.
This is great PR, for obvious reasons, but it will also help you connect with consumers who have similar values to your brand.
22. Content Partnerships With Other Brands
Brand collaborations make sense for lots of businesses. The idea is to collaborate with a noncompetitor that works within your industry and create content you can share on social media.
It allows you to leverage a new audience and bounce ideas off another content marketing team.
Here’s an example: Assume a local beverage and spirit company wants to expand its market reach. They could talk to a local bar or restaurant and suggest that the two of them make a video showing how to make a few classic drinks (using their own brands of alcohol). It could even turn into a live event.
Both audiences have a lot of crossovers in terms of interest, which could mean new business for either brand. It’s a simple way to grow your brand awareness.
23. Interactive Videos
Video marketing ideas don’t come much simpler than an interactive video.
This kind of video marketing content is super shareable (just look at your social feed; how many quizzes can you see after a minute of scrolling?), which helps extend your reach to new audiences.
Polls, quizzes, surveys, there are tons of interactive video types out there – and you can make them all on Viddyoze.
This shows off your fun side, and while there’s no direct sales angle, positioning your brand as entertaining is always good. It worked for RedBull – it could give you wings, too.
24. Q&A Sessions
A Q&A session works the same way a how-to video does – its main purpose is to inform and educate.
One key difference is that a Q&A is more interactive. If you do this live (through a webinar or digital event), it also adds a human touch to your brand.
This is good content for both existing customers and new ones. Potential customers get to address any last niggling bits of doubt about your products while existing customers can quiz you on a product they already own.
Crucially, it helps position you as genuine and open to discussion. As we’ve already seen, people love brands that interact with their consumers. It builds authenticity, which is great for your reputation.
25. Interviews With Industry Experts
Sometimes, finding shareable content is just a matter of looking inward. The first thing you should ask is, how can I make my niche interesting? The answer could be as simple as interviewing an expert.
If you sell gym gear, speak to a fitness expert. Sell cooking equipment? Talk to chefs. There’s an expert out there for every industry.
The interviews could be a one-off video or part of your podcast (if you don’t have one, consider starting one), which you can post to social media. Make it part of a weekly series and get more people invested.
LinkedIn is a great place to look for industry thought leaders. Once again, this gives you access to a broader audience.
26. Employee Profiles
Another excellent way to humanize your brand and show off your company culture is through employee profiles.
These are very popular with service-based businesses, such as law firms, hotels, or realtors but they can be used for any organization.
This concept works in a similar way to the behind-the-scenes content we mentioned earlier. By focusing on your team, your brand transforms from a “faceless organization” to one that is run by humans your customers can connect with.
Keep the videos short and sweet. They don’t need to be much longer than a few minutes; just be sure to let your employees introduce themselves and tell the viewer about their experience. They can be serious or fun and quirky, depending on your brand’s tone.
27. Industry Predictions And Trends
Over half of people get their news from social media. Use this to your advantage and position yourself as a reliable news source with videos.
Once again, the point here is to build trust. By positioning yourself as a thought leader (an expert in your field), consumers will begin to associate your brand with reliable information. Eventually, this will lead to sales.
Try making short videos that comment on industry news and trends, giving informed opinions and insight to your audience.
Share these often on social media to keep people coming back to your page. You could even create a YouTube channel dedicated to opinions, predictions, and trends.
This is a great way to connect with high-level decision-makers – 54% of decision-makers and 48% of C-suite execs spend an hour a week reviewing thought leadership content (Edelman).
Short-Form Video Ideas
28. Reactionary Videos
Often called ‘news jacking,’ these short videos jump on a current world event, offering your take and how it relates to your industry. You can’t plan for these, it’s just about getting the content out there ASAP before the news cycle moves on.
Nothing creates good content like a conversation. The key here is to keep things short. Viewers will be looking for a juicy opinion, so have your say and open things up to your followers in the comment.
As you become better known, more people will look out for your videos, extending your reach and influence.
29. Before And After Videos
Another simple one, these videos show what happened before and after someone used your product. These are common in service-based businesses, such as dentistry. Think about those “before and after” smile promos: the after shot is always a gleaming set of pearly whites.
These videos are perfect for key landing pages, such as your homepage, where you’re already getting a lot of traffic.
Very visual and clear, a before and after video relies on the wow factor, so they can be brief.
30. Quick Tips And Hacks
One of the easiest content ideas out there, tips and hacks always go over well. TikTok and Instagram are full of these kinds of videos. They’re short, snappy, and typically last less than a minute.
Hacks can be anything that saves your consumers time, energy, or money. Here are a few examples:
- Travel brands: hacks for booking holidays, traveling through the airport with zero stress
- Fashion brands: styling tips and hacks, how to repurpose old clothes
- Fitness brands: gym hacks, workout advice, gear hacks
Add them to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. The point is to create constant, snackable content for your followers to enjoy. If your hacks are good, there’s a better chance they’ll recommend your socials to a friend, too.
31. Top 10 Lists
A top-ten list is a short, informative video that gives the audience a range of ideas or options. It could be 10 podcasts, 10 books, 10 hacks, or 10 influencers to follow. As long as the list is relevant to your audience and linked to your niche, it can be about anything.
Once again, this content helps build your brand as an authority in your niche. At the very least, this quick content is a reminder that you exist.
Remember, the key to brand growth is regular content. Share, share, and keep sharing, so followers stay energized and do not look elsewhere for content.
32. Quick Stats Videos
Got some killer stats that support your product? Put them out in a short video. All stats should be relevant and helpful to your audience. For example, Viddyoze might share a video packed with stats about the power of video marketing.
Compelling statistics stand out on a busy news feed, grabbing the attention of scrolling users. To further up your chances of catching someone’s eye, use dynamic animated content.
Besides being eye-catching, stats add to your credibility, which, as we’ve touched on before, helps create brand trust.
Funny Marketing Video Ideas
33. Parodies Of Popular Songs Or Movies (Or Competitor’s Ads)
Going viral is challenging, but you have a much better chance if you create something funny.
Parodies have become the go-to for brands in recent years (check out Paint’s channel for some inspiration), where a company will take an existing song and change the lyrics to promote their product.
The truth is, the vast majority of people want brands to be funny (91%, says Oracle), so any lighthearted content is likely to be received positively.
What’s more, most people watch videos to laugh. If they think they’re going to get that from you, your clicks will naturally grow.
34. Satirical “Explainer” Videos
Like an explainer video, but instead of hacks and tips, you intentionally give bad advice to highlight the contrast between industry best practices. Just one thing to remember here: always remember to let the audience know the video is a joke to be on the safe side!
As we mentioned above, funny content spreads fast. Make even one person laugh; there’s a good chance they’ll share your content in a WhatsApp group or elsewhere.
Aside from the business gains, making funny content is, well, fun. It doesn’t really feel like work, which is a great place to start for businesses new to video marketing.
35. Quirky Customer Testimonials And Reviews
Every business gets a ridiculous review at some point. Highlight your most outrageous ones with a funny video to share with your audience. The key is to see the funny side of things and pick reviews that are so over-the-top they won’t harm your business. Celebs reading mean Tweets is a great example of how this can be done.
Customers will find it endearing that you can laugh at yourself. It’s a great tactic for making your brand appear more human.
That, in turn, could mean more sales. Yup, people are 1.6 times more likely to buy from a brand they see as human, according to Marketing Week.
36. Social Media Challenges
TikTok challenges have exploded in the last five years, from dances and lip-syncs to make-up and clothing.
Remember the ice bucket challenge? Well, a new trend or craze like this pops up almost weekly. Keep an eye on it for any challenges and content ideas you can jump on. The sooner you jump on a trend, the more likely you will profit from it.
These challenges already have their own hashtags and audiences, so it’s just a question of jumping on with a fresh, funny take as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Every one of the content ideas on this list can be used to grow your business, whether you’re looking to boost sales, increase brand awareness, launch YouTube channels, or forge relationships with other businesses.
These video marketing ideas can be used outside the categories we’ve given you, too. For example, a “how-to video” can be used via email as well as social media.
The critical point to take away from this post is that anyone can add video to their marketing efforts, and the sooner you start, the better. Without a solid video strategy, you’ll find competing with other brands in your niche almost impossible.
For more help creating effective video marketing content, check out our business video maker now.
Or if you’re ready to start making videos immediately, we’re offering a 7-day free trial for a limited time only.
You can sign up, create all the marketing content you need and if you’re still not happy, cancel before your trial ends and we won’t charge you a penny. Click here to get started.
