We've created a framework to help you figure out where you should focus your efforts when creating your first marketing video, and which type of video to start with. How to Get Started With Marketing Videos Before you start filming your first marketing video, you first have to determine what the goal of the video will be. 2) Where does your marketing funnel need the most help? Here are some ideas for videos you could make to help each stage achieve its respective goal: Attract Stage If you're having trouble generating leads at the very top of your funnel (TOFU), you might want to make an explainer or animated video to attract visitors to your website via organic search and social media. Close Stage If your sales team is having trouble closing leads and making the sale, you might want to make a customer case study or testimonial video. -- you should be able to determine where your first marketing video should live once you've filmed and edited it. Attract Stage If you're trying to attract people to learn about your brand -- possibly for the first time -- publish your first marketing video in a blog post, on YouTube, or on social media. Convert Stage If you're trying to convert prospects and move them down your marketing funnel, include your first marketing video in email campaigns, on your brand webpages, or on a landing page that prompts leads to download software or request a demo. 8 Types of Marketing Videos to Create Here's a quick rundown of the different types of marketing videos you can start creating to achieve results anywhere in your marketing funnel. 1) Demo Videos A demo video can -- you guessed it -- demonstrate how your product or service works by taking viewers on a tour of your software, unboxing and testing a product, or showing a user setting up a product.
But the fact remains: People want more video content, too. So how can marketers get started creating videos that help spread the message of their brands just as effectively as the written word?
We’ve created a framework to help you figure out where you should focus your efforts when creating your first marketing video, and which type of video to start with. All quiet on set? Let’s dive in.
How to Get Started With Marketing Videos
Before you start filming your first marketing video, you first have to determine what the goal of the video will be. Ask yourself these questions to start narrowing down how to get started on video marketing:
1) What resources do you have?
Let’s evaluate what resources you’ll have to create with.
- Do you have an audio/visual production team that can film and edit the video, or will you be doing it yourself?
- Do you have enough budget to hire a freelance video producer? Or to purchase equipment and software to create and edit the video yourself?
- How much time do you have to devote to filming, editing, and promoting your video?
- If you don’t know the first thing about producing videos, do you have the time (and patience) to take courses, or teach yourself how to use filming equipment and editing software?
The headcount, budget, skill level, and time you have at your disposal will determine if you’re able to invest in creating a high-tech, animated video, or if you should produce a more lightweight video of a talking head to start out.
I asked HubSpot Multimedia Content Strategist Megan Conley what she recommends for marketers just starting out, and she noted the importance of allotting resources to make your first marketing video as comprehensive as it can be.
“The last thing I want is for someone just starting out to create one of those slideshow-style videos with photos accompanied by text and a soundtrack,” she explains. “The world needs far, far fewer of those.”
It’s possible to create exceptional video content with a smartphone and limited skills — you just need to make sure you’re creating one for the right purposes and media. More on that later.
2) Where does your marketing funnel need the most help?
If you’re not sure what your first marketing video should contain, take a look at your marketing funnel, and evaluate where a video could be of the greatest help.
“Company explainer videos are good options, but too often people put a lot of time and resources into that and then don’t create anything afterward, because they didn’t have a comprehensive plan,” says Conley. “Or, they create that first — before they have any real experience — and it’s not as great as it could be … and will probably have to be redone later.”
In case you need a refresher, here’s the Inbound Methodology:
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Ideally, you’ll have videos at each stage. But if you’re time or resource-strapped, choose the stage that needs the biggest boost.
Take inventory of your inbound funnel and identify where it needs the biggest boost. Here are some ideas for videos you could make to help each stage achieve its respective goal:
Attract Stage
If you’re having trouble generating leads at the very top of your funnel (TOFU), you might want to make an explainer or animated video to attract visitors to your website via organic search and social media. (Click the links to skip down for examples of each type of video.)
An eye-catching animated video, or a comprehensive breakdown of a trending topic in your industry will draw people to your social media platforms and blog pages. Conduct keyword research and review topics that are trending to choose a subject that’s captivating to your audience, and create a video that answers a question for potential leads. Then, if your video satisfies their queries, they will keep watching (or reading) to learn more about you, and — hopefully — convert.
Here’s an example of a TOFU explainer video we created to drive traffic from our YouTube channel to a new research report on a topic we want our audience to learn more about from us: topic clusters.
Convert Stage
If you’re having trouble moving leads along your funnel to get them to try a product demo, free trial, or download a free tool, you might want to make a demo video first.
During the convert stage, leads have provided their contact information, but they might not…
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