Which videos work best for you?

What’s in a Videographers toolkit?  When it comes to video production, it’s not just which camera you have, whether you use prime lenses or standard zoom lenses or whether you use your gimbal or drone.  No, a successful videographer knows that what truly matters is understanding the type of video content needed to meet a clients’ goals.  This requires thoughtful planning, creative discussions and strategic solutions to ensure the video aligns with the brand’s objectives.

At the core, a videographer acts as both a creative storyteller and a marketing strategist, using their technical skills and market understanding to create video content that directly addresses the client's marketing challenges.

Therefore, it is essential for a Videographer to learn through experience which video best suit the message or problem the client is addressing through the commission.

Explainer Videos:  Simplifies complex products, services or topics in an engaging way.  By simplifying information with animation or storytelling, you make it easier for users to grasp your value proposition, leading to higher conversions.   They can help customers quickly understand your offerings, making it easier to connect with your brand.  They tend to perform well on social media and websites, making them more accessible to a broader audience.  Example:  "What is cryptocurrency and how does it work?”

How-to or Tutorial Videos:  These videos answer specific questions and provide solutions, educating customers on how to use a product or solve a problem, making them highly searchable and shareable. They establish you as an authority in your niche.   These build trust and authority, positioning your brand as a helpful resource.  Example:  "How to bake sourdough bread from scratch”, “How to use a software tool, assemble a product or follow a procedure in the workplace” Very useful for software, DIY products, beauty brands, and home goods etc.

Product Demonstration Videos: - People often search for product reviews and demonstrations before making a purchase, showcasing features and benefits of your product or service.  Directly addresses customer needs, increasing interest and engagement by highlighting value.    Demonstrating your product or service in action builds credibility by showing exactly what it can do. This transparency removes doubts and showcases the value proposition.  Example:  "A step-by-step demo of how to use your software or a physical product in real-world scenarios or “Unboxing and review of the latest iPhone."

Customer Testimonial or Case study Videos:  These videos offer social proof, which is powerful for building trust and attracting new customers.  They share positive reviews and stories from actual customers, boosting credibility and authenticity, which often leads to higher conversion rates.  People often look for real-life experiences before making decisions - social proof is one of the most powerful tools in marketing.    Example:  ”How our software helped XYZ company increase sales by 30%.”  “A client explaining how your product solved a problem or met a need”, “Video interviews with satisfied customers or case studies on how the product/service solved a problem”.

Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) Videos:  These videos humanise your brand and foster a deeper connection with your audience. They give a glimpse of how your company operates and your company culture, manufacturing process, or team.  Transparency and authenticity builds trust.  Showing the "human side" of your business or the craftsmanship behind your products can establish a stronger emotional connection with your audience.   BTS videos humanise your brand and builds an emotional connection, increasing engagement and loyalty.  Example:  “A day in the life at our startup”, “A factory tour, a day in the life of your employees, or how your business operates”.

Live Videos:  Provides real-time interaction with viewers, whether it’s for product launches, Q&A sessions, or behind-the-scenes footage.  Live videos create immediacy and foster real-time engagement, increasing interaction with the audience. They are prioritised on platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, making them great for engagement, visibility helping expand reach.  Example:  “Live Q&A with our CEO”, “Event marketing", “Product launches”, “Influencer campaigns”.

User-Generated Content (UGC):  Showcases content created by your customers.  When your customers create content featuring your product, it’s seen as more genuine and trustworthy than brand-produced content. UGC fosters community trust and engagement. Customers are more likely to engage when they see real people sharing their experiences.  Example:  “Customers unboxing your product, using it, or giving feedback”.  Best for lifestyle brands, fashion, fitness, and consumer electronics - Involving the global community in content creation allows for organic reach and viral potential.

Interactive Videos:  Allow viewers to make choices within the video leading to personalised outcomes (e.g., clickable links, surveys).  By giving viewers control over the experience, interactive videos keep them engaged, and they can directly interact with calls-to-action. They encourage active participation, which significantly boosts engagement rates.  Best for employees or customers, often for compliance or complex technical training.  Example:  “Choosing the correct response in a customer service scenario”, “Troubleshooting a technical issue interactively”, “Polls”, “Email campaigns”, “Targeted ads”.

Social Media Stories/Reels/Shorts - Short form videos:  These provide bite-sized, engaging content optimised for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.  Short-form content is highly consumable, quickly convey a message, are great for mobile audiences, and optimised for sharing, making it easier to go viral.  They tend to go viral and attract high engagement due to their snackable nature.  Example:  “Quick tips”, “Challenges”, “Trends” or “Memes”.  Best for:  Fashion, beauty, lifestyle brands, or any brand targeting younger demographics.

Influencer or Partner Collaboration Videos:  Partner with influencers to create content that promotes your product or service, and leverage the audience of influencers or partner brands.  Influencers have pre-established trust and relationships with their audience, giving your brand an instant credibility boost. These videos tap into their existing audience, leading to increased visibility and engagement for your brand.  Example: “Collaborative product reviews”, “Influencer-hosted tutorials, or giveaways”.  Best for consumer products, lifestyle brands, tech gadgets, and beauty products.

Storytelling or Brand Story Videos:  Share your brand’s mission, vision, or values through a compelling narrative.  Tell the story behind your brand, including its mission, values, and vision.  Storytelling helps humanise your brand, connects with viewers, building a strong emotional connection.  A good brand story video can enhance your brand identity and foster a deeper relationship with your audience.  Example:  “Short films”, “Animated stories”, Narrative-driven ad campaign”, “Sharing the journey of how you started your business, challenges you overcame, or customer success stories”.  Best for:  All businesses, but especially those with a strong, unique brand identity.

Event Recap Videos:  These videos capture the best moments from a brand-sponsored or attended event, giving non-attendees a feel for the event and can be used as promotional content for future events and extending its reach and engagement beyond the live audience. Summarising important events like conferences, product launches, or community gatherings, shows the brand’s active involvement in the community or industry.  Example:  “Key moments from webinars, conferences, or brand events”.  Best for:  Companies involved in charities, conferences, trade shows, or live entertainment.

Personalised Videos:  Tailors video content to specific users or segments.  Personalisation increases relevance. Addressing a viewer directly by name or showing content that aligns with their behaviour can prompt action.  Where to Use:  Email campaigns, retargeting ads, sales outreach.

Expert Interviews and Guest Appearances:  Featuring industry experts or influencers in your niche helps attract their audience and adds credibility to your brand.  Answering audience questions live shows that your brand is knowledgeable, approachable, and willing to engage with its community.  Example:  ”Interview with a fitness expert on the benefits of intermittent fasting”, “An interview with an industry expert or a live Q&A with your CEO or team members.”

Listicles and Roundups:  These short and engaging, list-based videos keep viewers hooked. They also work well with search queries like "Top 10," which increases the chances of being found.  Example:  ”Top 5 home workout routines for busy professionals."

Trending, Challenges or News-Related Content:  Joining trends increases visibility and helps connect with a larger audience, especially when you put your unique spin on it. Using popular music, challenges, or meme formats can boost your content's visibility globally. Videos tied to trending topics or news can go viral if timed well. People search for current events and trends, and content that capitalises on this can gain quick visibility.  Example:  “ Participating in a TikTok or Instagram challenge that aligns with your brand or creating a branded challenge“, ”Reacting to the latest tech conference announcements."

Animated Videos / Whiteboard Animation Videos / 3D Animation Videos:  Using animation to explain a product or service in an engaging and visually compelling way can simplify abstract or complex concepts, making them more accessible and memorable.  Digitally drawing or sketching on a whiteboard depicting complex technical products in three dimensions accompanied by narration allows for easy visualisation, breaking down intricate ideas, processes or systems and can explain concepts in an easy to understand form.  Best for technical industries like engineering, architecture, or healthcare where the intricacies of the product need to be visualised.

Customer Onboarding Videos:  These videos introduce new employees to the company culture, policies, roles, and procedures, or provide new customers with product or service introductions. Onboarding videos reduce churn by ensuring customers know how to get the most out of your offering. This increases the chances they will become long-term users or make additional purchases.  Example: “Company culture overview, benefits of a product, user account setup, or office tour”. Best for company culture overview, benefits of a product, user account setup, or office tour.

Company Culture Videos:  People tend to trust brands they feel connected to on a personal level. Showing your company’s values, culture, and the people behind the brand can enhance your image as a trustworthy organisation. Showcasing what it’s like to work at or with your company are great for employer branding and attracting talent, but they can also humanise your brand for customers, showing the team behind the product. Example:  “Highlighting your team's diversity, values, or showing your involvement in social causes or community events.”   Best for startups, tech companies, creative agencies, and businesses focused on strong company values.

Social Proof or Endorsements:  Highlighting reputable endorsements, reviews, or awards can further reinforce trust, especially if the source of the endorsement is well-known or respected in the industry.  Example:  “Featuring a respected influencer or industry leader using or recommending your product."

Response to Negative Feedback or Criticism:  Handling criticism openly and professionally demonstrates accountability, which can enhance trust. Acknowledging issues and explaining how you’ve addressed them shows commitment to improvement.  Example:  “A video addressing common concerns or a response to a public customer complaint.”

Teaser Videos:  Builds anticipation for a new product, service, or event.  A short, captivating teaser creates curiosity and excitement, drawing people into the launch and making them want to learn more.  Best for product launches, movie trailers, fashion reveals.

Compliance Training Videos:  Ensure that staff understands company policies, legal regulations, or industry-specific standards.  Best for employees, particularly in regulated industries (e.g., healthcare, finance, manufacturing).  Examples:  “Safety training”, “Data privacy regulations”, “Workplace harassment policies.”

Scenario-Based Videos:  Simulate real-world situations to teach employees or customers how to handle specific tasks or problems.  Best for both employees (customer service, sales, technical support) and customers (troubleshooting).  Examples:  Role-play customer interactions, handling objections in sales, or problem-solving technical issues.

Webinar or Live Training Videos:  Provides in-depth education on a specific topic with the ability for interaction. Live-streamed interactive sessions where experts explain the product and answer questions for deepening understanding.   Example:  “A software company offering live webinars to explain advanced functions”, “Expert-led discussions and Q&A sessions”.  Best for high-involvement products that benefit from detailed discussions or demonstrations.

Micro learning Videos:  Short, focused videos that cover one concept or skill in under 5 minutes.  Best for employees who need quick, just-in-time learning or customers who prefer fast tips.  Examples:  A quick tip for improving customer service, a 3-minute tutorial on fixing a common software bug.

Motivational or Leadership Videos:  Inspires and engages employees, often featuring leadership sharing the company's vision, values, or updates.  Uplifting and emotional videos that focus on personal growth, success stories, or global issues to invoke a sense of possibility and hope.  Example:  “We have conquered American markets”, “Our product has outsold Apple for the first time”

Soft Skills and Personal Development Videos:  Helps employees develop interpersonal skills such as communication, leadership, or teamwork.  Best for internal teams, particularly in roles requiring customer interaction or management.  Examples:  Conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, time management training.

Health and Safety and Procedures Videos:  Ensures employees understand critical safety protocols and emergency procedures.  Best for employees, especially in industries like manufacturing, construction, or healthcare.  Examples:  Fire evacuation drills, machine safety protocols, first-aid tutorials.

Comparison Videos:  Demonstrates key differentiators and value propositions in a simple format, either through live-action or animations., with side-by-side comparisons of the product or service with alternatives.  Best for products or services competing in saturated markets where the unique selling points need emphasis.

Contests and Giveaways:  These videos generate buzz, encouraging shares, comments, and overall engagement.  Example:  “Announcements of a giveaway, showing contest winners, or encouraging UGC.”

Entertainment or Fun Content:  People come to social media to be entertained. Lighthearted or humorous content can improve engagement and build your brand’s personality.  Example: “Comedy skits, parody videos, or playful challenges.”

Entertaining and Relatable Content:   Fun, humorous, or light-hearted videos that entertain or reflect everyday situations.  Relatable content fosters emotional connections, making people more likely to engage and share. Entertainment keeps audiences coming back for more.  Example:  “Short, funny skits or relatable scenarios that align with your audience’s experiences.”

Entertainment and Humour:  Comedic, light-hearted content, often based on relatable life situations or simple physical humour.  Humour can be universally understood, and funny videos tend to go viral and be shared across borders, typically on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Videos:  These videos offer quick answers to common issues and prevent customers from reaching out for repetitive support questions.  Example:  “An e-commerce site explaining order tracking or return policies.”

Troubleshooting Videos:  These videos reduce frustration by providing clear instructions on how to fix common problems, resulting in fewer support tickets as they help customers resolve common issues themselves.  Example:  “A tech company showing how to reset a device or update firmware.”

Feature Update Videos:  Keeps customers informed about changes and shows how to use new features, reducing confusion and support calls.  Example:  A mobile app demonstrating how a newly added function works."

Interactive Troubleshooting (Click-to-Select) Videos:  Offers tailored troubleshooting paths within a single video, making the support experience more personalised.  Example: “A website with interactive videos that offer different solutions depending on the user’s choices.”

Self-service Portal Overview Videos:  Guide customers on how to use the company’s self-service resources (like FAQs, forums, and help desks).  These Increase the usage of self-service support options, reducing the burden on live customer support teams.  Example: “A telecom company showing how to navigate their online support portal for bill payments or technical assistance."

Cultural, Travel, and Adventure Content:  Videos showcasing different cultures, landscapes, traditions, or unique travel experiences.  People love exploring new places through video, and travel content often has high share-ability due to its visual appeal and universal curiosity.

Documentary and Awareness Videos:  Videos focusing on global issues like climate change, social justice, or humanitarian causes.  mportant global topics resonate worldwide, and such videos are often shared across borders for awareness.

Music Videos:  Engaging, visually stimulating, and culturally relevant music videos.  Music is a universal language, and good music videos tend to go viral globally.

Emotional Music Videos or Montages:  Videos paired with emotional music, particularly in montages of memories, important events, or even slow-motion content, often help viewers experience emotions strongly.  Combined with meaningful music, symbolic imagery (like family reunions, life milestones, or peaceful nature scenes) can evoke deep emotional connections.

Subtitled or Dubbed Content:  Original content (films, shows, tutorials) with professional subtitles or dubbed in multiple languages.  Subtitling or dubbing allows content to be accessible to non-English speakers, expanding global reach.

Collaboration Videos:  Collaborating with others (videos featuring influencers, experts, or other brands) helps expose your content to new audiences and builds credibility through association.  Example: Interviewing an industry expert, collaborating with another creator, or doing a joint giveaway.

Exclusive Content or Announcements:   Offering exclusive content, product reveals, or special announcements only available through your social media.  It rewards your loyal followers and gives them a reason to stay connected, fostering FOMO (fear of missing out).  Example:  Announcing a new product, service, or feature with a special offer only for your social media audience.

Inspirational and Motivational Videos:  Empowering Content  - Videos that uplift, inspire personal growth, or encourage viewers to overcome challenges often foster emotional bonds. These videos evoke a sense of possibility and hope.  Showcasing real stories of people overcoming adversity can evoke empathy, admiration, and a sense of shared human experience.

Empathy-driven Social Cause Videos:  Social Issues or Awareness - Videos that highlight a social cause or movement, especially when they tell personal stories, foster compassion and shared emotional investment.  Charity or Fundraising Campaigns - these often use heart-tugging stories to elicit emotional responses and encourage action.

Interactive or Conversational Videos:  Q&A Sessions or Live Interactions - Videos where creators or companies respond to audience questions in real-time build intimacy and emotional engagement by creating a direct connection.  Personalised Message - Personalised shout-outs or greetings create a feeling of personal connection, especially in social media formats.

Humorous or Lighthearted Content:  Funny Relatable Situations**: Humour can strengthen bonds by helping people feel connected through shared laughter and relatable experiences. Lighthearted videos help viewers emotionally connect in a more relaxed, joyful way.  Parody or Satire - When humour aligns with cultural or shared experiences, it creates a sense of belonging.

Video content has become an essential tool across industries for tackling many key business challenges.  By consistently creating these types of videos and maintaining authenticity, you can nurture a community that is not only engaged but also loyal to your brand.