Yes. You need a promotional video.
See? That was easy. Now that you’ve agreed to spend a lot of money (relatively speaking) on a promotional video, it’s a good time to tell you what a promotional video is. A promotional video (or promo video) is a video that promotes a company/brand, product, service, or cause.
That definition may sound like a run-of-the-mill description of every advertisement you’ve ever seen, but there is nothing traditional about the modern promo video. Promo videos are a new front in the marketing war to stand out in infinite content space. “Infinite space” currently means 200 million active websites visited by 4.6 billion active users worldwide. Competition is medieval.
A quick note on the word “need,” as in “Do I Need a Promotional Video for My Business?” (Yes). Think of it this way. Twenty-five years ago, you didn’t need a website, and two years ago, you didn’t need a face mask.
Did we mention many types of promotional videos exist (so you may want more than one)? Here is a list of effective promo videos:
- Product Demo
- Customer Testimonial Video
- Explainer Video
- Company/Work Culture Video
- Product Review Video
- Corporate Event Video
One type of promotional video may be more effective for your specific business needs than another, but it is a statistical fact that all of them are effective (so you may want more than two). Why? What do they have in common? Promo videos are:
- Short
- Compelling
- Memorable
- Inspiring
- High-quality
- Professional storytelling
- Animation or live-action
Let’s take a promotional video tour so you can get an idea of why a promo video may be just the thing your marketing department needs to do.
Product Demo/Tour Video
Fun statistic: 69% of consumers prefer product demos when trying to decide if they are going to purchase a product or not. (Wyzowl)
Product demos show a product in action. We’re not talking about some dry run-down on how to use a lawnmower. Product demos are short, engaging, high-quality videos that use advanced storytelling through animation or live-action to get your prospective customer to reach for their wallet.
Customer Testimonial
Fun statistic: One of the top three most effective types of video content is customer testimonials. (Marketinghy)
A compelling customer testimonial video takes us on the hero’s journey. The customer is the hero and your company/product/service is the guide who helps the hero make it to the happily ever after. The formula is the same.
A person describes how idyllic their life was before a significant problem intruded and made everything terrible. Then they discover your product, and it changes everything back to the way it was before – but better. Ka’ching!
Explainer Video
Fun statistic: According to Strategic, 91% of people watch an Explainer Video when purchasing.
So many people already watch Explainer Videos on such a frequent basis they would probably find it funny that there is a term for them. An explainer video explains how a product, service, or feature works. You sell Widgets.
Your Explainer Video explains how your Widget works, how to use it, and why your Widget is the best Widget of all time.
Company/Work Culture Video
Fun statistic: Brands receive three times the positive word-of-mouth if the companies that make them inspire a higher emotional intensity. (Sprout Social)
Videos to promote your company are a little like the end of “Wizard of Oz.” You pull back the curtain, so consumers can get to know the people behind their favorite brands or learn about a company’s internal culture.
Company/work culture videos can help form a deeper and more long-term relationship with your customer base or give top talent a glimpse into why they may want to bring their professional expertise to your company.
Product Review Video
Fun statistic: “62% of consumers watch product review videos before making a purchase.” (MediaKix)
A product review video sounds like a customer testimonial. Still, the reviewer is not a happy customer but a third-party, unbiased expert or influencer in a field related to the product or service.
Think of a product review video as the Consumer Reports of promotional videos. Perceived as neutral but knowledgeable, a reviewer’s demonstration of the product and measured opinion of its performance carries a lot of weight with potential customers.
Corporate Event Video
Fun statistic: “Video of a live event increases brand favorability by 63%.” (Twitter)
Live product launches are the quintessential corporate event video, but they certainly are not limited to only that form. Live streaming an event creates buzz and excitement about a new product, or line, or partnership – whatever the case may be.
Event videos can be live-streamed or promoted on social media platforms like Facebook (Facebook Live and Facebook Stories) and Instagram (Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels).
Conclusion
That is an impressive list of options and metrics. Any business can benefit from some type of promotional video. Start slow if you need to, or if your resources are limited.
Choose the kind of promotional video that will help your organization the most and dive in. Promotional videos offer new and creative ways for brands to reach and connect with customers.
The wide range of promo video options and the diverse topographies of social media networks create unprecedented opportunities to micro-target the most likely prospects to convert into loyal customers and for a brand to demonstrate different, more human, characteristics to the public.
Corporate personhood is a legal term, but it should be a marketing one. The more a company operates as a person, the more likely it will make more enduring “person-to-person” connections.
Online marketing’s magic is a mix of creativity and data science. Industry analysts predict video (creativity) will soon be 80% of all internet traffic.
Real-time analytics (data science) allow brands to mitigate risks, real or imagined, and develop online marketing strategies that respond in an agile and nimble way to an ever-evolving marketing landscape — all while forming a deeper connection with its customers.
The marketing is creative but data-driven, and the data is clear – every business needs a promotional video… or three.