Get a complete guide to video marketing with benefits of video content and examples. Learn how to design a video marketing strategy for your business.
Video marketing is a strategic approach that uses video content to promote a brand, product, or service to a defined audience. It includes a wide range of video types in both short-form (90 seconds or less) and long-form video formats.
With video marketing, your business can connect with prospects and customers across a variety of digital channels. This strategy can also help you achieve goals throughout the marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion.
While video marketing is hardly a new concept, it's become increasingly popular in recent years. As of 2024, 91% of businesses use video for marketing.
If your marketing team aims to produce more video or wants to get more value from this strategy, you need to know how it can benefit your business. Let's look at how video can help you reach important marketing goals.
When you need a way to introduce your brand to more potential customers, video tends to be a smart choice. Because you can repurpose it across multiple channels, a single video can connect with your audience via:
Publishing video content on social media is particularly effective for boosting brand awareness. When followers like or comment on your video, their engagement can help it reach a wider audience.
On social media, viewers also have the option to share your videos with their followers. In fact, videos generate 12 times more shares than text and image posts together.
Does your product or service solve a real customer problem? Through video, you can explain how your solution works and show it in action. This way, prospects can visualize how your product or service can help them.
Video marketing can also educate existing customers. For example, you can create video content for both new and advanced users. This way, you can help customers get more value from your product or service.
When you incorporate SEO principles in video content marketing, it can attract new customers as they search for solutions online. As a result, video is great for connecting with high-intent prospects.
Marketing videos leverage SEO in a couple of different ways.
Most importantly, it helps your brand rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant search queries. Let's look at an example for the search query "how to moderate a virtual panel discussion."
Livestorm's YouTube video, How to Moderate a Virtual Panel Discussion, appears in a video carousel near the top of search results. Google automatically highlights key moments of the video to drive more clicks and views.
Livestorm's complete panel discussions guide also appears on the same SERP. Because the results for this search query prioritize video content, the YouTube video positions Livestorm above the guide, near the top of the page.
When you incorporate SEO principles into video, it can also appear near the top of YouTube search results. Because YouTube is the second largest search engine, it offers tons of opportunities for prospects to discover your brand.
In fact, the same Livestorm video is also the first organic YouTube result for this search query:
Do you want to position executive team members as authorities in their industry? Video content can help.
In fact, 93% of B2B buyers view video as important for building trust. And for 95% of B2B buyers, video plays a key role as they navigate their customer journey and take steps toward a purchase.
Why is video so helpful for authority and trust?
Marketing videos can do much more than share information and drive discovery. They also have powerful lead generation capabilities.
In fact, 87% of video marketers report using video to capture leads, according to Wyzowl. Here are two use cases:
Whether you use an inbound or outbound approach, video marketing helps generate leads, qualify them based on your ideal customer profile (ICP), and build pipeline for your sales team.
Need to achieve bottom-of-funnel marketing goals like sales and conversions? Video has increased sales for 87% of marketers, according to Wyzowl.
Organic video marketing campaigns can drive sales via live events or strategically placed calls-to-action (CTAs). But you don't have to rely on organic campaigns alone.
With video ads, you can reach specific audiences, such as prospects who have engaged with your brand before. Paid video campaigns can accelerate conversions and help you secure sales faster.
One of the biggest benefits of video marketing is that it can reach prospects and customers on almost any digital device.
Consider these YouTube viewer statistics:
Not sure which format to prioritize? Your marketing team can easily repurpose videos for different platforms to see what drives the highest return on investment (ROI).
What kind of video content should you include in your marketing strategy? Let's look at some of the most popular video marketing types (with examples).
Brand videos introduce your business to potential customers. They typically include an overview of the business, its mission, and culture rather than in-depth content about products or services.
Most brand videos are relatively concise, with 90 seconds considered the optimal length. For example, this Livestorm video introduces our video engagement platform and our brand:
Explainer videos introduce products and services to potential customers. In fact, 91% of people report having watched one of these videos to learn about a product or service, according to Wyzowl.
Most explainer videos are short and engaging, as they work best for top-of-funnel marketing. For example, this Livestorm explainer video explains how our video engagement platform works in under a minute:
Product demos show potential customers how your product or software platform works. They highlight features and capabilities to help viewers understand what they can accomplish with your product.
In-depth product demos can last up to an hour. They typically include a complete overview of the product.
Short product demos condense key features into a video lasting only a few minutes. For example, this Livestorm video includes tips for creating high-performing product demos:
Animated videos explore challenging concepts. They use animation to simplify complex ideas and make them easier to understand.
Like explainers and demos, these videos tend to be short. For example, this animated video by Scribe explains how the platform creates step-by-step guides:
How-to videos show viewers how to accomplish a specific task or solve a problem using your product or service. Also called tutorials, these educational videos often include step-by-step walkthroughs with instructions.
This format works as either long-form or short-form video. On average, how-to videos should be less than 20 minutes.
For example, this Livestorm tutorial walks viewers through how to create their first event:
Video podcasts are discussions or interviews with a video component. They're episodes in a series, which can include dozens or hundreds of pieces of content on a certain topic.
Podcasts can include any combination of hosts and guests. For example, this SaaSCast episode features Guillaume Cabane and covers growth hacking tips:
Case studies are videos that feature interviews with customers or clients. Also called customer stories, they explore the real problems your customers face and position your product or service as the solution.
Potential customers often relate to these videos, which makes them helpful for attracting leads. For example, this customer interview by Navattic explores how Dropbox uses the company's product:
Webinars are virtual events in which one or more speakers discuss a predetermined topic. They can take many different formats, from simple presentations to panel discussions with multiple presenters.
When you host webinars, you can engage audience members with tools like live chat, polls, and Q&A sessions. For example, this Livestorm webinar discusses tips for amplifying webinar distribution:
Online conferences are educational events that typically include multiple presenters speaking on a defined topic. They're similar to in-person conferences, except they take place online.
Also called virtual conferences, these events generally happen live. However, you can get more value from live events when you share the content on demand after the event.
For example, this AsyncAPI online conference features over a dozen talks and presentations:
Sales outreach videos are a type of outbound marketing. Also called prospecting videos, they introduce your product or service to a potential customer and share how it can help them solve a problem.
So, how do they differ from demos or explainers? Outreach videos typically include personalization. For example, they may include a custom introduction or content tailored to the prospect.
Most are short and to the point. Vidyard recommends limiting prospecting videos to 30 or 60 seconds. This Sales Feed video includes several examples:
Social media videos appear on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. They're typically short-form videos (under 90 seconds) optimized for mobile viewers.
They can include anything from interviews and behind-the-scenes content to tips and promotions. For example, this Semrush Instagram video features tips for getting more customer reviews.
Video ads are sponsored posts that appear on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. They target potential customers based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, such as previous interactions with your business.
Most video ads include CTAs that prompt viewers to take the next step toward a conversion. For example, this LinkedIn ad by Pipedrive encourages viewers to sign up for a free trial.
To get maximum value from video for your business, you need a strategy. Follow these steps to map out a plan.
What do you want to achieve with video marketing? Start by clarifying your objectives.
Think about goals in terms of your marketing funnel. Your strategy will likely include all funnel stages:
What's the purpose of your video content? Get clear on the topic(s) it will cover and the message it will share.
Here are some examples:
In most cases, your marketing goals and video topics will inform the types of videos you create. For example:
But don't be afraid to experiment with different video formats. You can't be certain about what works for your business if you don't try potential options.
To produce professional-quality video, you need the right software. Here are a few options to consider:
Some video formats (e.g., animated videos and explainers) can be faceless, meaning they don't require an on-screen host. But to produce a successful video, you typically need people to speak for or about your business.
Before you create a video production plan, get internal and external talent on board. For example:
Your equipment needs will vary a bit based on the types of videos you plan to produce. To make your video look as professional as possible, you'll typically need:
Before you begin filming, you need to know what you want your video to show. That means you need:
How will you distribute video content to your audience? Most marketers use one, two, or all of these options:
A successful B2C or B2B video marketing strategy requires promotion. Use these tips to amplify your marketing videos and attract more views.
One of the easiest ways to get viewers to watch your videos or tune in for your live streams is to email your contact list directly.
Whether you host live events or on-demand content with Livestorm, you can use our software to send email invites to your list. You can customize the email content and add links and CTAs pointing toward the event registration page.
To make your brand more visible in search results, upload your videos to your company's YouTube channel. Use SEO tactics to increase the chance of your video content ranking in search. For example:
Don't forget about your social media followers. Whether you need to promote a scheduled event or you want to distribute an on-demand video, your company's social media platforms are a smart choice.
For example, you can post event registration links on Facebook or LinkedIn to encourage followers to tune in. You can also promote published videos by linking to YouTube videos or uploading short-form video content directly.
In this video, we share 11 ways to promote a virtual event on social media and other marketing channels.
Video content doesn't have to exist independently from the rest of your content marketing. Look for opportunities to incorporate video into text-based content.
For example, you can embed how-to videos into relevant blog posts. Or you can repurpose video podcasts or webinars by turning them into blog content.
The tactics above involve inbound marketing. They can work well if you have a large email list, a lot of social media followers, or reasonable organic search traffic.
If you want to reach a wider audience or target specific types of customers, consider paid social media or search ads. Livestorm integrates with Google Ads, so you can easily set up retargeting campaigns.
To market your business and attract your ideal customer, you need the right strategy and the right software.
From live virtual events to on-demand videos, Livestorm is designed to host engaging events and compelling evergreen content. With Livestorm, you can:
Video marketing can be effective at every stage of the funnel. Consider these numbers:
Video viewership continues to increase, making it an effective medium for reaching potential customers. Worldwide, 3.48 billion people consumed video content in 2023. And over 160 million people watched live video content in the United States alone.
Including video in your marketing strategy can make your website more visible in search results. Here's how:
Product video marketing focuses on creating promotional content for your company's products. Some types of product videos you can produce include:
The cost of video marketing varies depending on three main factors:
On average, marketers spend $100 to $1,000 on video content. But costs vary depending on the factors above.
Download our Marketing Manager Mindset Report to learn more about how marketers are budgeting for content and planning strategy.
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