If you’re not prioritizing video in your content marketing strategy, you are missing out on a very fruitful engagement opportunity. There is ample research confirming the popularity of video content, from a viewer preference standpoint as well as a digital marketing stance. Here’s some stats for you numbers nerds:
- Viewers claim they retain 95% of a message when obtained via video (social media week)
- 84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. (Wyzowl)
- 78% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales. (Wyzowl)
The benefits of video content are abundantly clear. But how do you get started? With so many channels and ever-increasing quality expectations from consumers, you’d be forgiven for being even a little intimidated about video content marketing, whether you’re just starting, or trying to get to the next level.
Does your mouth go dry just thinking about standing in front of the camera? Or maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the pressure to “go viral”?
Hang in there. We've collected some of the best and most engaging video content marketing ideas for your creative marketing projects. If there’s a way to make video work for you, it’s on this list!
In a hurry? Jump to the one you want!
1. Introduce Your Team
2. About Us
3. Interviews With Industry Experts
4. Video Testimonials
5. Interviews With Clients
6. Case Studies
7. Information Visualization
8. How-to Videos
9. Behind-the-Scenes
10. Company Culture Videos
11. Highlights Reels
12. Market Overview
13. Product Videos
14. Making-of Videos
15. Event Coverage
16. Educational Content
17. Animation
18. Feature Demos
19. Screencasts
20. Creative Content
21. Seasonal Greetings
22. Report Summaries
23. Stats & Data
24. Q&A’s
25. Company Announcements
26. Vlogging
27. Instagram Reels
28. Unique Product Uses
29. Whiteboard
30. Unboxing/Unpacking
31. Business Trailers
32. In-Person Public Polls
33. Long-Form Content Recap
34. Time-Lapse Videos
35. Frequently Asked Questions
36. Round-up Videos
37. Before & After
38. Office Tour
39. Online Courses
40. Pre-Launch Teaser Videos
41. Conference Summary
42. Opinion Piece
43. Competition Announcement
44. Publicity Stunts
45. List of Ideas
46. Myth Busting
47. Thank You Video
48. UGC Compilation
49. Livestreams
50. Polished & Artistic
Metrics to Track for Video Content Marketing Success
Videos can help you lift your marketing strategy, but first, you need to outline and track some specific metrics to make sure you’re achieving your marketing goals. If one style of video is underperforming, take a look at if there are any common denominators. Are the scripts poorly written? Do they have sub-par lighting or sound? Is the content just not resonating? Maybe the style is lost on your target age group. Consider these factors and course correct.
In order to figure out what’s performing and what's not, the following video content marketing metrics are a good place to start:
- Views - The number of views your video receives. Important to remember that 2 views don’t equal 2 people. It's more likely 1 person will view multiple times. Sorry!
- Detail expands - If you’re sharing your video on Twitter, this engagement metric counts how many times somebody clicked on a tweet for more information or to expand media like a photo or video clip.
- Drop off rate - For videos posted on YouTube, this is an important one to keep an eye on. The average drop-off is around 50-60% according to YouTube, so if you’re well outside that range, make sure you take steps to understand why.
- Social shares - Your video will get exponentially more views if people decide they like it enough to share with their social networks. So if views is a top goal for the video, make sure it’s share-worthy.
Without further adieu, here are 50 video content marketing ideas to include in your marketing strategy:
1. Introduce Your Team
You have a bunch of brilliant people on your team, so why not use that to your advantage? Of course, not everyone loves the spotlight…so you need to find a creative way to introduce both introverts and extroverts and let their personalities shine through on camera. You won't regret adding a bit of human charm to your website.
This type of video content is easy to repurpose as well. You could shoot a full video for YouTube, then cut up the employee highlights for short-form channels like Instagram Stories.
2. About Us
It’s a similar concept to team introductions, however, in this type of video, you should focus on the broader scope of the organization’s mission and vision, goals, and business philosophy. It’s a simple and easy way to give your prospective clients a great first impression. What makes your company unique? How are you better than your competitors? And why should they spend their money on you? Remember, authenticity always sells best.
3. Interviews With Industry Experts
Want to be recognized as an industry influencer? Then start building relationships with experts in your field. The interview format is a wonderful way to get unique, fresh angles and can top up your video library with valuable video content. Harnessing the potential of influencer marketing is a smart strategy for businesses that have ambitions to become industry thought leaders.
Repurpose these kinds of videos into a webinar or LinkedIn Live to keep your relationship with the influencer strong, and hopefully, you’ll be able to work with them again!
4. Video Testimonials
Watch out for bland customer testimonials – they can do more harm than good. The sole purpose of video testimonials is to showcase your relationship with customers in a believable and engaging format. Let them say what they want to say – using their own words and body language.
A good video testimonial resembles a friendly conversation rather than a full-on serious interview. However, don’t be afraid to do a couple of takes, and work with the interviewee on ways to structure their answers for the strongest sound bites.
5. Interviews With Clients
Remember that your clients are a great source of content. Like you, they’re creating new projects, testing new marketing tactics, implementing new management methods. There are a lot of hard-won lessons to talk about! Find an angle that is most valuable to your audience and film a friendly tips & tricks interview that will help you nurture your relationship with the client as well as inject new content into your site as a customer story. This is also extremely valuable content for your sales team to leverage.
6. Case Studies
The power of case studies is indisputable. Combining both hard facts and client testimonials, you can win a lot of new business. As a medium, video is incredibly flexible – sprinkle it with elements of typography, design, photography, music, and special effects, and you have a strong, attention-grabbing piece of video content marketing. What’s more, it’s a convenient way to introduce your features and include screenshots of your product without coming off too salesy.
That said, case studies are a powerful sales tool, so make it easy for prospective clients to quickly browse a video library based on their needs. Use tags, clear titles, and obvious use case connections. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be for new business to get in the door!
7. Information Visualization
You’re probably creating a lot of written content – everything from newsletters to eBooks to PDFs. Why not repurpose this content visually? Depending on the information, you may want to go for infographics or data visualization in a video format. One of the flashiest trends in the video content marketing world is something called video scribing or whiteboard animation. It’s a creative way to convey information using both text and images, but you may want to hire a professional to do it for you to avoid disappointment and a lot of frustration if you don’t have an in-house video editor.
8. How-to Videos
How-tos are a pretty straightforward format that don’t require expensive props, acting talent, or complex scenarios to produce high-quality video content marketing material. They’re great for YouTube SEO (search engine optimization), as Google now favors video results for instructional queries - even going so far as to include the time-stamps of the video most relevant to your search:
How-to content can generate a lot of value for your company because there’s so much opportunity to represent your space. For example, say you’re a clothing manufacturer. Your products might not need an instruction manual, but you could shoot an entire series around how to accessorize a simple outfit.
Or perhaps you make skis & snowboards - you could shoot a beginner, intermediate, and advanced series about how to pull off a picture-perfect jump. That’s tons of content at your fingertips! A quick repurpose opportunity is to turn these videos into IGTV posts for your audience on Instagram.
9. Behind-the-Scenes
Who doesn’t want a peek behind the curtain? Tap into people’s natural curiosity with some behind-the-scenes video content. This type of video is great for giving your audience a sense of authenticity, breaking down the fourth wall. Lean into the off-the-cuff nature of these videos and show your personality - use handheld phone recording for example, as you prepare for a big meeting or campaign.
Or perhaps compile a couple of months or a year of behind-the-scenes content as your product team works toward a new feature launch. Don’t be afraid to talk about your failures and hurdles, and how you overcome them – it makes you and your business more human.
10. Company Culture Videos
A distinct workplace culture is important to business success, according to 94 percent of executives and 88 percent of employees. (Deloitte)
The proof is in the numbers. Company culture is a center stage decision-making factor for job seekers and a powerful source of inspiration for employees. When it’s positive, culture keeps spirits high, helps drive sales and customer acquisition efforts, and other important business ventures.
Capture the soul of your business through videos designed around employees embodying your company culture. Everyone wants to be part of something cool and special and it applies to your customers, too. They’ll pay not only for the quality of your product but also for that lifestyle and vision you’re selling indirectly.
11. Highlights Reels
Have a lot of video content sitting in your library? Make use of it by pulling together your best work into highlight reels. This is also a great format for end-of-year summaries or when you hit a major milestone. Think of it as a montage sequence in a movie - these scenes often inspire a strong emotional response when they are well-edited and put to motivating music. Remember this when planning the marketing for your highlights reel!
12. Market Overview
You follow industry news, analyze competitor moves, produce internal benchmarking reports and battle out innovation projects in team meetings. Your professional and expert take on the industry’s status quo and future projections is excellent fodder for video content marketing. Use it to build authority and position yourself and your company as a thought leader. Push managers and executives in the organization to participate, sharing their insights online as well.
13. Product Videos
People are more likely to buy a product after watching a video, that’s a hard fact. So create mini walk-throughs of your products, or you could go the aesthetic route with no words or text, just music, and artistic shots. Either way, showcase your product in the most interesting and appealing light you can. You can also tap an influencer to have your product featured, like in the example above.
No matter what you sell or where you’re selling it – there is a way to represent your product to encourage purchases! The marriage between product marketing and video marketing is ideal in the case of product videos designed specifically to attract new customers in your target audience.
14. Making-of Videos
Let your prospective clients and social media followers watch you work! There is so much people can learn about you, the team, your business values, and general skill-level by observing your journey from point A to point B. Don’t be afraid to share your work process – it’s definitely something that people are curious about and is great video content marketing fodder.
15. Event Coverage
Does your company run events? Most likely, whether they be employee mixers, webinars, or full-fledged conferences. It’s always a good idea to have a camera running during these productions so you can repackage a video for promotional purposes.
Depending on the event type, you could shoot a “from the stage” POV, or gather clips from speakers and attendees. If it’s an employee team-building event, consider large drone shots of the entire team coupled with employee testimonials. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to let people get a taste of what it’s like to be in your audience (or on the stage!).
16. Educational Content
A little bit like the how-tos mentioned above, these videos fit nicely within any content marketing strategy. People are generally willing to learn and there’s always something new happening in today’s fast-moving world. Personal and professional development helps us keep up! Educational video content can take many forms – from quizzes to instructional step-by-step guides to sharing your personal best practices.
17. Animation
There are many different kinds of animation, from stop-motion to gifs to more complex and multi-layered videos. Animation is a fun way to spice up a topic and keep viewers engaged, but it is time-consuming and can look rudimentary if it’s not done professionally. So if you’re looking to incorporate animation into your video content marketing strategy, it’s recommended to outsource the production.
18. Feature Demos
Celebrating a successful feature launch? Don’t just stick your press release on the blog with hopes of becoming an overnight success. These kinds of announcements require more context and background information – what does the feature mean on a wider scale? If you get in front of the camera, you not only get a chance to talk through the key points of the new feature but also use it as an opportunity to touch on your core mission, as well as tease your roadmap for the future.
19. Screencasts
If you’re in the tech world, screencasts are probably your bread and butter. Don’t ever assume that your product is so intuitive that people will just get it on the first try. Some will, others won’t. Producing a helpful screencast for new or prospective clients is a must if you want confident users that stay with your business longer than the trial period.
20. Creative Content
It’s a broad category, but if you nail it – it’s often the one that brings the most engagement. Just think about the videos that you like to share with your friends and colleagues – what are they all about? They’re likely humorous or nonsensical (remember the good old days of End of Ze World and Potter Puppet Pals?), involve a lot of cats, and a parody or two.
See how you can tap into what kind of video content people are responding to today, and adapt it to work for your brand. TikTok trends are a great place to start! Maybe a global office dance-off…?
21. Seasonal Greetings
A simple Happy Holidays video can go a long way toward customer retention, especially around the end of the year, when a lot of internal discussions about the upcoming year’s priorities will be happening.
Stand out from the crowd with a heartfelt message from the CEO, or a personalized message from the sales team to their clients. It’s a fantastic way to connect with your target audience and spread some good vibes. Don’t try to sell with these videos. Just take the opportunity to show the human side of your business.
22. Report Summaries
If your team has just come out with a well-researched, extensive report on an important topic, use video to promote it and accelerate the interest. Before someone decides to sink their teeth into tons of pages of text, they may be more inclined to access the full document after a little reassurance that it’s actually worth their time.
So, a video summary can go a long way toward enticing more downloads. This approach can also work for repurposing blog posts, as another way of representing the content. It invites those who may prefer visual and auditory relaying of information as opposed to reading to enjoy the content on their own terms.
23. Stats & Data
Is there anything dryer than going through a static, corporate-y slide deck with graph after graph? Enrich your data and reports using a video format - either with a talking head or a voice-over. This way you can add more vibrant data visualizations and graphics to better explain the trends and concepts. Keep it short and sweet, cutting out all the superfluous fluff. Straight to the point with clear, actionable conclusions. Don’t make the viewer do more work than they have to!
24. Q&A’s
If prospective clients don’t have any questions, you’re doing it wrong. Questions often signal engagement and interest. The more questions you get, the better your chances are of establishing your brand’s authority and capability to meet the customer’s needs early on. Start compiling the questions you get via social media, email, live chat, in person, or over the phone.
Group them in relevant categories and host a live Q&A session. Instagram Live or LinkedIn live would be great channels for this kind of video. Since this type of content never gets old, you can expect it to continue generating leads long after you’re done with it. Remember to update it though! Answers can change or there might be more relevant information to share after a new product update, so keep your video content marketing fresh by sharing when updates are made.
25. Company Announcements
Have some really exciting company news to share? New investment? Breaking a milestone? Received an award? Announce it in an exciting way! With thousands opting for video over written content every day, you must develop the habit of getting in front of the camera to grab prospective client’s attention.
26. Vlogging
Like a personal blog, but video! Vlogging may not have all the SEO benefits that a written blog provides, but it’s a very engaging way to represent your brand, in a non-salesy way. This type of video content marketing requires a personality who is comfortable on camera, and who understands the format.
Vlogs are inherently not full of bells and whistles, and they’re not reserved for when something exciting is happening. Think “day-in-the-life”. Tap some of your more non-camera-shy employees to film a week or month-long series of vlogs for your Instagram Stories, and/or YouTube.
27. Instagram Reels
Reels are a sub-culture of Instagram, and they can be very effective for reaching new followers. Similar to TikTok, Reels are 60 seconds or less, and can cover a multitude of topics. Pay attention to the trending audios and think of creative ways to apply them to your brand. Shooting Reels is a little bit of a learning curve if you’re not used to it, but luckily we have an Instagram Reels guide for you!
28. Unique Product Uses
Is Coke really good for polishing brass cutlery? Well, maybe, but if you’re the marketing or PR manager at Coke, is that really how you want your product represented? Probably not, although you could lean into that use case with humor and encourage the UGC. That is an option, but humor is not always easy to get right.
So get ahead of the “hack” game by demonstrating your own unique use cases and ways to use your product that might not immediately spring to mind. Send a company-wide email to get ideas! Surely there are a few employees who have something up their sleeve.
29. Whiteboard
As you probably know, video scribing is taking off. There’s something mysteriously appealing about watching people write or draw on a whiteboard. Get your camera on a tripod, hang a whiteboard or a chalkboard on an empty wall, and get drawing!
30. Unboxing/Unpacking
Depending on the type of business you run, this one may or may not be relevant. Unboxings are incredibly common in the influencer world - they’re fun to watch and a great way to get new followers interested in the products.
On the business side, perhaps you’re moving into a new office, or received an award that you plan to proudly display - shooting a simple unboxing is a great way to share these micro-moments with pride while including the people who helped get you there: your consumers. Make sure you have a light script but don’t over-prepare! The authenticity of an unboxing video is part of what makes them entertaining. It’s hard to replicate or feign surprise if you have to do it over again.
31. Business Trailers
A great option for YouTube, trailers give your audience a succinct summary of who you are, what you do, your mission, and your values. Your customers are not expecting a Hollywood-style blockbuster trailer. While you can go the overly produced and polished route, just cutting some clips together and even using slides with text is fine as a placeholder. Think of it as a pre-screening phone interview – you have one chance to make a good impression. Make it count.
32. In-Person Public Polls
Are your online surveys not getting much traction? Don’t worry, it’s not just you. Getting people to open your emails and furthermore to click on a survey link - it’s a big ask. So, another option is to just take it to the street. It’s not the best way to get segment-specific answers, but there are so many other valuable insights that you can gauge from passers-by. Show them your product, ask for feedback and capture their reactions on video – the possibilities are endless. Don’t be afraid to ask for help (in exchange for cookies or hot beverages, of course!).
33. Long-Form Content Recap
Has your content team created long-form content such as guides, eBooks, or a beast of a blog post? That’s great! But it’s no secret that today’s average attention span is lower than it used to be. So take the opportunity to give a review or summary of the content in an easy-to-digest format. Make the insights more easily accessible to those who simply don’t have the time to read the full piece.
34. Time-Lapse Videos
Time-lapse is a deceptively easy type of video to make, yet always entertaining to watch. Nowadays most smartphone camera apps have a time-lapse feature, so you don’t even need to set up any fancy cameras. But regardless of the camera you use, it is essential that you secure it tightly with a tripod! Any wobbles and the video will come off decidedly amateur.
Time-lapse is great for showing a creative process, such as completing a painting or condensing a regular progression, such as a commute, into a short amount of time. But the movement, whether of people or objects, is crucial to make time-lapse video entertaining.
35. Frequently Asked Questions
You most likely have an FAQs section on your website. If someone ends up on that page, it can mean two things: they are either curious and looking for more information or they are frustrated at having to hunt down an FAQ page in the first place. Don’t make the answers they’re looking for any harder to find! Why not add a quick video under each question as well as a text answer? It’s efficient and definitely more enjoyable than scanning the list or guessing at a ctrl-F search to find what they need.
36. Round-up Videos
News-style video round-ups are another great way to repurpose content. Round-ups of third-party information are popular blog posts, or you can do a regular monthly or quarterly round-up of your own posts that cover similar subjects. Create a video to share on social media encouraging people to visit the blog and learn more about the topics that interest them.
Because social media moves so fast, with new distractions posted practically every nano-second, a regular round-up feature that you can post on a monthly basis will go a long way toward retention.
37. Before & After
Who doesn’t love a good before and after transformation?! If you haven’t teared up at least once watching a stunning makeover or a home renovation, then you turn on the Tv (after finishing this blog post!). Before & after videos are great because they provide inspiration for viewers - and they can showcase vulnerability, problem-solving, and flexibility on the part of the participant. Make sure you get plenty of “before” pictures and clips. You can take as many “afters” as you need!
38. Office Tour
An office tour is a great addition to your careers page and fits nicely on a LinkedIn life page as well. You don’t need a big flashy space either. With the right camera angles and lighting even smaller spaces can appear inviting! Make sure everyone in the office is aware that filming will be happening and that the space is clean and tidy.
39. Online Courses
Video-based learning experiences - whether a multi-step course or a one-time lesson - have been gaining steam, in a number of industries. Consider the popular Masterclass series, with celebrity-taught classes in everything from acting to directing to cooking.
What does your company excel at? Film a series of video lectures to share your knowledge and expertise. Provide value beyond the transactional to keep your customers engaged and encourage word-of-mouth. You could even use short-form social media video posts to promote your education series!
40. Pre-Launch Teaser Videos
Have an exciting new project, campaign, or product that’s about to be released to the public? Plan a strategic pre-launch video teaser to keep the intrigue alive, and hint at what’s coming. These types of videos work well on social media (but be sure they are slotted into your communication plan so that all stakeholders know exactly what’s being said and when!).
41. Conference Summary
So you went to that industry conference that everyone’s raving about? Great! How about making a quick summary video illustrating the highlights? Shoot some clips of enlightening talks, the crowds gathering for speed-dating meetings, and the 5 o'clock conference bar scene. Piggyback on the momentum that’s already there! Share the video with your team, and push it to social media. It shows that your business strives to stay at the pinnacle of industry trends.
42. Opinion Piece
You should always be cautious with this kind of content, which contains the risk of alienating a segment of your audience, but if it fits your brand voice and values, it’s worth considering! Offer an opinion on topical events, whether there’s something controversial happening in the industry or the Internet is ablaze with a new cutting-edge trend. It’s a window of opportunity to make your brand seen, so if you do decide to engage, you need to be nimble and quick. Be prepared for the potential backlash though! (See our Ultimate Guide to Crisis Communication for tips)
42. Voiceover
This type of video could go down so many routes. You can make a parody of some of your older videos or record a great explainer video using bold graphics. It’s not easy to find a good voiceover artist, and voiceovers are not as easy to do yourself as they seem. But if you do decide to give it a whirl, make sure you find somewhere extremely quiet to record (closets and bathrooms are recommended). Do multiple takes using different inflections and watch your breathing so it’s not too heavy.
43. Competition Announcement
Planning to run a competition with a killer prize? While you’re getting the press release and social copy ready, why not shoot a quick announcement video as well? Depending on the type of contest this could even be a message from the CEO. Drum up some excitement in a personable way! Video is also a great way to deliver the good news to the winners.
44. Publicity Stunts
This is definitely one of the more difficult types of brand awareness videos to pull off, but if done well they can be incredibly effective. “Publicity stunt” is basically just a more negative term for guerrilla marketing. To get it right, make sure you have the budget required, and plenty of time to plan. It will also be a good idea to have contingencies in place should the response be different than expected.
As far as filming, this can take many forms when it comes to publicity stunts. Are you trying to capture real off-guard reactions? Then you’ll need a hidden camera set up, and make sure you know the kinds of release forms or language you need in order to feature (unwilling, as the case may be) participants' likenesses. Are you doing something like a flash mob? Make sure you have a multi-camera set up for the best result.
45. List of Ideas
Everyone wants ideas, and it’s great when they’re all in one place. (Pretty meta, wouldn’t you say?). But as we’ve reiterated a few times in this article, people absorb information differently, and many prefer watching a video to reading. We should definitely also make this list of ideas into a video format!
46. Myth Busting
No, it doesn’t require you to blow things up (well, not all the time). Take some common myths associated with your industry or the product/services you sell, and dispel the myths. You could start with an overview of where the myth likely came from - perhaps a tv show or something more nefarious like a fake-news article.
Then break it down into parts, dissecting the reasons it’s actually incorrect. Use facts, science, data, and demonstrations to illustrate, but be careful not to talk down or belittle anyone who may have believed the myth. This is an opportunity to educate but also an opportunity to be light-hearted and fun. Here are a few sample myths for inspiration:
- If you start your own business, you’ll have more freedom, control, and work-life balance.
- Social media managers just spend all day on Twitter
- PR involves hobnobbing with the press and going out all the time
47. Thank You Video
Say thank you. It's as simple as that. Thank the people who entered your competitions, your current customers, guest bloggers, loyal blog readers, influencers, social media followers, employees… It’s a genuine gesture that shouldn’t be overlooked. This can be a talking head video as well, making it extra easy. No need to get overly flashy with graphics or other effects. Make it clear it comes from the heart.
48. UGC Compilation
Highlight to prospective clients or customers just how much other users like your products! Encourage UGC (user-generated content) through incentives, a contest, or by simply regularly re-sharing when people use your branded hashtags. Then create a yearly wrap-up compilation highlighting this great user feedback and creative posts talking about or featuring your product. This works best for physical items like clothing or housewares, but it can work for a software as well.
49. Livestreams
We've touched on this as an option for some of the above video content marketing ideas, but it also deserves its own section. Lives - whether through LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube - are a popular video format when you're after real-time interaction with your followers.
It's a great way to address questions around a specific topic, upcoming event, or product pain point. Make sure you're prepared with some talking points, but remember that part of the point of Live video content is authenticity. If you come off as rigid and robotic, you're not going to get the results you want.
50. Polished & Artistic
Most of the above examples of video content marketing can be done with a smartphone or at very low production costs. But there are times when simply nothing but high production value will do. These videos are more expensive, both in time and money, so they need to be well-thought-out beforehand.
Make sure the content isn't something you'll need to update or change in the near future. Hire actors if necessary to provide background, voiceover, or other kinds of color. Use artistic elements to bring your message to life.
Ready to uncover some of the ways you can implement these video content marketing ideas into your strategy? Fill out the form below to connect with a Meltwater representative
This article was originally written by Juste Semetaite from Business2Community and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publishers.
Updated 2021 by Samantha Scott, Meltwater.
