Video

Video and Marketing

What video format and style is right for your business?
What type of business video is right for your marketing strategy and/or current project? Do you have a strategy for how you will integrate video into your marketing?

One marketing trend I read about daily is the question of whether Video is the future of advertising and marketing? If it’s not, then it certainly is a big part of it.

Is video becoming a needed part of an online content marketing strategy? According to a new AdAge article, marketers that can’t produce video content will find themselves at risk of losing to those who can. In the article David Rolfe of BBDO New York mentions that video is a requirement to the sustainability of advertising campaigns.

Social Media Videos have become an important part of many business‘ marketing mix.

Video categories and formats

There are many different types of videos a brand or business can use to promote themselves. Videos can entertain, inform, show “how to,” advertise, showcase, create interest, and promote. There are also several business video strategies. We can classify videos as corporate videos, lifestyle videos, web series, documentary videos, Vlog/podcast style video, and dramatic videos. In the future I plan on telling more about how these different kinds of video genres can be used in a business’s marketing, advertising, and public relations. I will leave this section by saying that these different types of video can be used as part of a strategy or as a tactic.

Video Show Formats
There are a variety of show formats that a business can choose when venturing into the video entertainment/branding/product marketing field.

Docu or Formatted Shows
A docu gets its name from documentaries and is heavily reliant on one or more main characters. The key to a good docu are your characters.

A format show is built around tent pole moments that occur in each show. In a 100 percent format show you can probably switch out the on camera talent and it will still work quite nicely. This may be a consideration if you need the show done in more than one language.

Hybrid show
Hybrid shows have docu style characters within a formatted wrapper.

Types of video

Scripted vs unscripted shows.

These are fairly self-explanatory. I tend to think that scripted shows rely more on acting talent and unscripted shows are more docu or reality based and can rely on real people that have a bit of character.
We also need to realize that many unscripted shows have some kind of a script

Scripted shows
Scripted shows will keep the information succinct and avoid unnecessary dialog. However, they sometimes seem a bit stilted and stiff, especially if you don’t have trained actors as on camera talent. I have to admit I do find a script very helpful when doing voiceovers. If you want to work with a script I would be happy to talk with you about some options and possible talent for your production.

Unscripted video shows
Unscripted video shows are very free form and do not have a rigid script to read from. With an unscripted show you are free to follow twists and turns of the unfolding story. One advantage of unscripted shows is that interested audiences tend to be more invested in the show and/or talent. Getting to know the participants in the discussion produces viewers who are more loyal than those seeing a corporate video with no human personality. Unscripted shows can also appear to be more authentic than doing a scripted show. Fans tend to be more loyal when they develop a relationship with a business, especially when they also like and trust the business.

Talking points
I use the term talking points as shorthand for simple notes or points to explore. These are some of the areas I want to chat with guests about. Unlike the official definition that is only a few years old, my definition can be used for light and fun shows as well as for more serious matters.

Arced Webisodes or The Arced Web Series
Webisodes are like TV episodes but done online. An arced webisodes is one that tells a continuous story. We are starting to see many more arced webisodes as made for online video entertainment. With arced shows the viewer really needs to follow the story episode by episode in a chronological order. With this type of show viewing the episodes out of order will be confusing and often not make much sense. This form of video is popular for those who like what is called “binge watching.” Binge watching is the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television or video program in rapid succession.

We are beginning to see scripted arced stories at all levels of the online ecosystem, from very small YouTube creators to major worldwide corporations. In fact Marriott Hotels is producing one of these in their new media production division.

Self-contained Shows
There are also self-contained shows where each episode is complete in and of itself. A self-contained show can be watched and enjoyed in any order. Each show is a complete viewing experience.

Vlogs
Vlogs are also called video blogs and can be done by recording to a camera, by video streaming, or by recording straight to a computer, or all three.

Usually these are done in a very informal manner and sometimes with guests.

We can think of this genre of video as video blogs.

Computer recorded video and live streaming.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic this type of video has become one of the most popular types of video production. Computer recorded video and live streaming can be done with a variety of online services, installed software solutions or dedicated hardware solutions. The video quality can range from standard definition that degraded even more when copied to broadcast quality.

What has become the most common video in this category is the ubiquitous Zoom meeting and Facebook Live video chats. Both of these platforms have their place in a business’s video strategy.

The second software solution is hosted on the producers own computer and the quality will be determined to a large degree on the ability of the equipment that is used. One of the most common software choice for this kind of video is OBS (Open Broadcasting Software.)

The hardware solution ranges from fairly affordable physical switchers and video converters like the Blackmagic ATEM Mini and the NewTek TriCaster. The hardware solutions will give you more options for more professional productions. If you are recording live ultra-high definition videos you may find the hardware route the way to go.

Live streaming

For some brands live streaming formats can add to a channel or websites popularity. Live streaming is also called webcasting. Webcasting is essentially “broadcasting” over the Internet. In recent years multicasting has become quite popular. With multicasting a single video output stream is sent to multiple locations. Webcasts can range from live events such as music shows to group panel presentations. One of the webcasts I found particularly enjoyable during the Covid lockdown was Willy Nelson’s streamed birthday party. Another popular type of webcast is the traditional talking heads interview show.

Talking head videos
Talking head videos are where you see the presenter’s heads and shoulders as they talk. These videos can be done as a presentation by one person or as an interview or dialog with two or more people. Talking head videos can show a business owner’s personality and can make a business more personable. Online there is a saying, that people buy from people not brands or logos. An interview video can let the online community get to know the person behind the brand. Talking head videos are sometimes a bit dry and boring, however, they can be made more entertaining with the use of online software and/or post production editing. To make a more interesting and polished show from talking heads all we need to do is edit in relevant B-roll video and appropriate photos.

You should also use the best audio equipment you have. At least use a dedicated mic. I find listening to an hour of bad audio grating on the nerves.

Live to tape video
Live to tape video is video recorded live, in real time, with very little editing. If there are breaks in the video they need to be timed to occur during the time of taping.

Entertaining and Engaging Social video Verses Corporate Videos.

Doing an engaging social video is a bit different than doing a corporate video. Social videos that engage and entertain are designed to build a relationship with the audience, where corporate videos only inform the consumer about a business. Corporate videos tend to be rather sterile where engaging social videos tend to be more personable. Corporate videos are authoritative where engaging social videos are entertaining and friendly. The friendly nature of a social video makes picking the right format and hosts important factors.

Corporate Videos are an art form in themselves.
I do admit high production value corporate videos are beautiful. They are also genuine works of art and they can be impressive. I think an elegant corporate video with high production value does have an important place in the marketing ecosystem. This is the traditional business video and will continue to be useful as a showpiece on websites. They can also be quite useful for presentation and when you need to give a quick feel for the business. On a tradeshow floor a beautifully produced corporate video will probably attract more attention than a show where the viewer needs to watch and pay attention for a relatively long time.

Web Series
When talking about a web series one usually thinks about a scripted episodic video made for and released online. However, I think that any regularly produced online video that adheres to a defined theme can also be classified as a web series. I think of a web series as any programming done on a regular schedule (such as weekly) that falls into the web television ecosystem. When done in a documentary format these are called a docu-series.

How to videos
Sometimes it is helpful to show how a product is used or how to do something. These can be very popular. I imagine that many of the outdoor and aftermarket car parts companies can profit by this kind of video. Using a medium to longer format will also allow for the how to part of the video to be incorporated into a lifestyle show. As an example I can see a lifestyle/how to video working for a fishing show or how to shoot trap. Animation can also be quite helpful for conveying ideas with how to videos.

Here is a How to video I did about repairing my favorite Stetson Cowboy Hat. I really like that old hat, it’s been hit by a golf club driver, bit by more dogs than I can count, and has gone through a few girlfriends. You can expect more hat repair videos as the hat continues as a stable part of my work attire.

Testimonial videos
Testimonial videos are quite powerful for marketing. Depending on how they are done I would put testimonial videos into a sub product video category, but it is possible to have it as part of a lifestyle video as well. For an outdoor lifestyle show I can see using a favorite fishing reel and rod combination. For a show with a truck or car sponsor a good example would be the ease of transporting pets, which might include hunting and/or working dogs. Which type of dog to use would depend on the target market. I have also seen testimonial videos done in a docu-interview format that are quite professional with a very high production value.

Product Videos
A strict product video is not nearly as interesting as emphasizing how the product makes life more enjoyable. What I think of as a product video tends to be cut and dried, such as the color, material it’s made of, warrantee, and features. While these things are important they are not nearly as interesting as how the product is used.

A subcategory of product videos are haul and unboxing videos. A haul video usually shows all the great items a person buys on a shopping trip. The haul video often includes a description of the item and the price. An unboxing video has a host unpack a product, show the product and explain what accessories come with the product. Unboxing or unpacking shows are especially prevalent for high tech consumer products, but I have seen these being very effective for some sporting goods too.

Webinars and Event Videos
A webinar is a Web-based seminar. The online webinar is often used as a very long sales pitch. Frequently they are also used in connection with an invitation system that collects an email for future marketing. Along with sales webinars there are also real seminars done online as well. In the past I have produced a low cost recorded seminar series that could be considered an episodic web seminar. To have an effective webinar you need to give enough perceived value that people will attend, even if they think they will be asked to buy, buy, buy.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Branded Entertainment and online video can help your business make sure to tune into our video podcast shows.

Call me, Andrew Ledford at:

(562) 423-1691

To discuss the wonderful world of content marketing and video.