In conversations with different people in our industry, we hear a lot about the need of explainer videos or homepage videos – even if sometimes people are unsure of why they are important. Without a doubt, both of these are valuable types of video for business.
However, let’s all take some time to acknowledge there are other fish in the video sea. Video can and has been used in so many different ways outside of an overview or marketing video.
These other, oft-forgotten videos can be used to connect an internal audience, act as short form pieces of user engagement, or make sure your company is staying compliant with industry regulations.
When it comes down to it, it’s not just potential customers who don’t like to read text – it’s nearly everyone. That’s why it’s important not to focus on just one video but create a video strategy. That roadmap can be utilized across the whole company or customized by department.
Keeping that in mind, here are 6 lesser used types of videos to consider for your business.
1. Teaser Videos
Startups are constantly changing. New versions of apps are released every few months. Big companies have new products rolling out all the time. What better way to drive some excitement for these updates than to produce a quick teaser?
We worked with Medrio to create this teaser for their eClinical solution for the collection of data in clinical trials. The big focus (usually only one for these short teasers) was to get potential customers excited about moving away from the status quo of paper – positioning Medrio as the next great tool.
These days, when a movie studio releases a new teaser the message boards and forums light up! You may not be able to match that excitement (and scrutiny) but at least you can create a short and fun way to drum up some chatter with an extremely shareable piece of video content.
2. Internal Update Videos
A lot of people have employee newsletters or internal communication hubs that keeps company-wide communication in a central location. In my experience, although these forms of keeping everyone on the same page have the best intent, people usually tune them out pretty quickly.
One of the best ways to continually engage an internal audience is making that type of information as easy to digest as possible. Video is certainly easier to take in during your morning coffee than scrolling through a long email. This video can exist in a weekly email, monthly newsletter, or as a pinned post at the top of your intranet.
One of the ways Wistia uses internal video is for quick weekly recaps. This isn’t something they are spending hours producing, rather opting to shoot it with an iPhone or laptop, but it helps engagement and is great for those people who may work remotely feel more connected.
3. Conference Recap Videos
You got a million things to plan before your big yearly conference. Attendance numbers, lodging, speakers, event space, entertainment, insurance, etc. I know that adding a videographer to this list can be worrisome but there are plenty of people out there who know exactly what to do and can deliver something great with minimal hand-holding.
Okay, so it won’t take up your time but why spend the money? Think of this video as an investment in next years conference. Sure, a fun video recap can help keep this years attendees engaged and coming back – but it can also attract more people in the future and make it easier to increase attendance next year. Moz actually created a video specifically to drum up awareness of their 2015 conference, mixing in event footage with testimonials from past attendees.
After all, what sounds more appealing to you “Watch how much fun we had and what we learned” or “Read about how much fun we had and what we learned.”
4. Recruiting Videos
If you are trying to recruit someone to your company it can feel like trying to make a sale, and that’s where video can be helpful. Especially, if that person isn’t actively looking and only has a few minutes to learn more (i.e. cold email, LinkedIn message, etc.).
Deloitte used Rapt Media’s interactive video platform to create a first person video (you could even call it a video game) to encourage potential college grads to find out if they are a good fit for Deloitte. At the end of the video, they even direct viewers to learn more about the specific department they’d be working in.
Just like a good marketing video, the best recruiting videos can help your hiring team increase responses and get the right people in the right seats. Also if you are tight on dollars, just shoot some interviews with your iPhone, capture some b-roll, and you’re nearly there already.
5. Training Videos
I know what you’re probably thinking, “No thanks, training videos are lame!” While that has been shown to be true in the past – great training videos have also been shown to be a highly effective tool.
One of the important things to consider is that these videos (notice how that’s plural?) should be ongoing and not a one and done 90 minute video. Try chaptering the content and creating an easy-to-follow viewing schedule so that people aren’t expected to watch a ton of training content all in one day.
Another element to think over is to make these interactive like Deloitte did with their recruiting video. This forces the users to actually pay attention and can help gamify some subjects that may usually feel stale.
6. Onboarding Videos
We all remember our first week at a new gig. You had a million questions and were very apprehensive to ask any of them. How does payroll work? How do I contact HR? Where are the best places to get lunch?
Now what if you had an entire video library to visit that contained most of the answers you wanted? To me that sounds better than trying to sort through an FAQ page.
Different from training videos, these should be directed at all new hires no matter their role. Plus they are a great way to have some fun, show off the office culture, make new hires feel comfortable, and get them acquainted with the way your business operates without a million pages of text.
Summary
We should note that this post wasn’t created so that you’d feel obligated to produce all six of these video types. It’s more about opening your mind to getting more creative with your video content and discussing how you can use it to achieve all of your business goals, not just ones that are tied to your homepage or sales.
What’s one of the most unique type of video you have seen a company use? Let us know in the comments below!
If you want to make one of these types of videos with us, let’s get in touch!