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RSSTop 10 ways to use video to grow your business
Top 10 ways to use video to grow your business
Video is becoming a standard delivery medium for marketing and communications activities but what is the best fit for your business? Below I've assembled a short list of the main ways companies are using video so you can see which technique is the best for you.
1: Video customer testimonials
Having one of your clients look new business in the eye and tell they how good you are is a powerful tool. Written quotes can work but seeing someone actaully say it really does carry more weight. Testimonial videos usually run from thirty seconds to 1 minute and the key is to get relaxed, genuine quotes from your clients, ideally in their own working enviroment. You can see a good example of this style at work in this film made for the Cosmetic Skin Care Clinic
2: Content marketing
This broad category is becoming increasingly important as viewers are bombarded with sales messages online and on TV. The general idea is to create content that informs the viewer and focuses on solving their problems first. Once they accept you as a trusted adviser you can remind them of your brand and they will have a positive outlook of you from then on. DIY stores running on-line "How to videos" are a great example of this and Waitrose are running a campaign with recipes from Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith which works in this way.
Content marketing also covers media that is of general interest to the viewer that is typically in the shape of a documentary. We have made a number of these, you can see one we made for JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) about the future of libraries here.
3: Video case study
A video case takes testimonials to a highier level of detail with more a more in-depth explanation of how your company helped your client. These case studies usually incorporate two voices, usually an interview with your client accompanied by a voice over or an interview with someone from your company about what they did for the cleint. Video case studies are typically longer than testimonials and range from two to five minutes.
You can see an example of this working in a film we made for Balfour Beatty Workplace.
4: Product demonstrations
Online Product demonstrations are aimed at potential clients who already know who you are but want to know more before deciding to buy. Typically they may already have one of your products and are interested in other parts of the range. Key points in the product demostration is to show main features and why it is better than your competitors. Remember not to get bogged down in too much detail, i really is the top line sales points that will clinch the deal. You can see how these work by looking at a film we created for Wecomm.
5: Visual stories
Got a complicated service to explain? - then a simple viual story may well be just right for you. Visual stories are typically based on animations, motion graphics and voice-over and can explain a high level of detail in an engaging way. They tend to be quirky in style to capture the viewers attention and are being increasingly used by big name brands. Here's one we made for ASDA.
6: Corporate overview
Corporate videos had got a bit of a bad press over the years and have typically been too long and pretty bland, but a well execute corporate overview can work as a powerful brochure for small companie. At there best these films give a clear idea of how the company works, what makes it tick and why they are so good to do business with. Many coporate overviews are based around interviews with key management figures, others work in a more sophisticated way and use emotive and relevant shots with on screen text to put across their message. You can see one for these that we made for Connaught.
7: Commercials
Spend on TV commercials is falling and advertisers are increasingly looking for new ways to cut across the noise and push their products. Commercials in the online space spread quckly through social media sites and can deliver great value for money if they are done right. Once made, online commericals are also heavliy used at trade shows, in dealerships, in showrooms and through email mailouts. We made a great looking commercial for Peugeot which is a good example of how these videos fit into a wider campaign.
8: Viral video
If a video is shared in a way that you've not paid for, we would say it has gone viral. But to do that someone has to think it is so good they want to share it with their friends or collegues. Good seeding of the content will help but at the end of it all its only that good content that will go truly viral. We created a viral for Mattell of a Dancing Mickey that went viral and hit 85,000 views through a combination of youtube, blogs and other video sharing websites.
9: Digital signage and narrow casting
Outdoor screens, monitors on the tube and whole host of other new technology mean that videos can be displayed to people anywhere at any time. Digital six sheets on the underground are a great example of showing videos to a passing audience - we've made some great examples of these, here's one we made for HTC.
10: Website walk-through or Website fly through.
Complex websites with a wide range of functions and many benefits need to be easily explained to potential buyers. A great way of doing this is using either a walk-though or a fly through. Walk throughs are done using a presenter on your website, normally filmed on a green screen. This brings personality to the site and is a very clear way of explainign things. A website fly through is normally constructed using a voice over and screen grabs, things can be put simply and key benefits highlighted. An example of a green screen shoot we did for Oracle can be found here, and a walk through based on screen grabs for The Institute of Physics is here. A fly through that we completed for MacQuarie wrap is here.
We hope this run down of the possibilities is useful, for more information on how to use video to support your business give us a call.
