Social Video Types

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

Primary video platforms

Video is quickly taking over the web. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and musical.ly, are some of the most popular platforms being used today.

Types of videos

• Testimonial videos offer the chance to demonstrate real customers that have tried your product and are satisfied with it.
• How-to videos are a way to showcase a product, to help explain it, and help the viewer understand how to use it.
• Explainer videos can help explain announcements or other communications that the brand wants to discuss.
• Service videos are there to help your customers, who are looking for information about your product.
• Live Stream offers the chance to engage in real-time with the audience, answer their questions, and give advice as they comment on the stream.
• Case Study videos are a way for customers to show how they use a product. Sometimes, products are used in a way the brand never thought about.
• Teaser videos give a glimpse at something that’s upcoming - something that you want your audience to get excited about.
• Product Review videos are among the most popular videos online. They allow customers to do research and evaluate a product before they buy.
• Viral videos are highly conceptualized and produced content. Although we get the impression that they go viral by themselves, most of the time brands spend a lot of money to help that content go viral.

Example: Blendtec

‘Will It Blend?’ is a viral marketing campaign consisting of a series of infomercials demonstrating the Blendtec line of blenders, especially the powerful Total Blender.

Every time a new, hot tech product launched, they used the high interest to make a video where they would prove the product’s durability and power. Videos are done in a very DIY way and at low cost. Blendtec has been making these kinds of videos for over 7 years, has amassed almost a million YouTube followers, and over 250 million views.

Example: Home Depot

Home Depot is a home improvement supplies superstore that sells tools, construction products, and services. It has used online video effectively by using it to teach and help customers with their home projects. The campaign is very effective for a few reasons:

• Home Depot created evergreen content that will be easily found by customers searching for ‘how to’s’ for years to come.
• They made simple videos – no flashy music – so making the content was much cheaper than a conventional ad.
• It helps make Home Depot the place to go to learn how to do home projects; and creates brand affinity by giving away this information for free.
• The views on these videos are ‘real’, meaning they weren’t paid for and have longer watch time.