Established companies know that videos are one of the most powerful ways to communicate with customers and attract new ones. Startups, too, should take advantage of this media to engage their customers—potential or current. There are three types of videos startups can use videos to snare their customers’ attention—and their loyalty:
Explainer Videos
Explainer videos use attention-getting motion graphics like animation and dynamic text to explain a company’s services, products—or even new concepts they want to introduce to the public. They often incorporate catchy dialogue, voiceovers, and music to engage more of their audience’s attention. These videos are some of the hottest marketing tools around because they:
Set a business apart from its competitors: Often, customers can’t see the differences between two seemingly equal services or products. When a company creates a catchy video that points out the subtle differences, customers get an “aha” moment—and decide to buy. It’s a clever way for startups to nudge their way into customers’ minds, especially if they have to compete with companies who have been around for years.
Spell out the benefits: With an explainer video, a company can better illustrate the benefits of their product or service. They can illustrate with infographics that make the information more memorable, narration, by the characters in the animation enjoying the benefits, or all of these features.
Simplifies the material: With highly technical subjects, an explainer video can cut through all the geek-speak to give customers an easily understandable solution they’ll buy. Address their pain points and answer their questions, and a company will be on its way to a sale.
Explains new concepts: If a business wants to introduce a new product, a new name, or a new idea, an explainer video can do so while it entertains its viewers. With catchy music, a tagline, and a jingle, explainer videos can make the new concept stand out in customers’ memories.
Demonstration Videos
If a company has a product that some people find difficult to use or requires a little training to do, it can demonstrate that product in a video that features actual people using the product. Most demonstration videos have the demonstrator—or a narrator—explain every step. Text, too, can help reach people through more of their senses. Savvy companies can even help brand their product through use of subtle clues, such as having the demonstrators wear apparel that features the company logo or by the company’s name, logo, and contact information appearing at the bottom of the video during play.
Advertising Videos
These unapologetic sales videos often use techniques from both explainer videos and demonstration videos with one goal in mind—to win the audience’s business. Often, these videos tell a story—a story in which the company’s service or product is the hero of the day. Startups may not be able to pull off a TV video ad in their first years of business, but they can produce a slick story to run on YouTube, Vimeo, or other public-use video platforms. They can even include them on their website. Combined with expert search engine optimization, even online videos can reach a wide audience. Some of the most creative and useful ones even “go viral”—they become insanely popular through widespread sharing over social media.
With attractive, well-produced videos, even a startup company can put itself on even playing ground with its competitors. Whether a company uses the owner’s cell phone video capability or can afford to hire a professional videographer, it needs to take advantage of this low-cost way to make a huge impact.