Now more than ever, social media platforms are prioritizing videos in their algorithm. Video marketing in Huntsville has evolved over the past 10 years in Huntsville and will become more and more popular over time. Keep in mind, a great video is a visual representation of the story you want to tell your audience. What was once confined to expensive commercials has now become an amazing opportunity to increase brand awareness, establish expertise, and showcase how you differ from your competitors.
Additionally, social media platforms like Tik Tok have influenced the way we present content to an audience. To keep up with this trend, we’re now seeing a more concentrated effort in video and storytelling. In an Instagram Live, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri shared that video is “driving an immense amount of growth online for all major platforms.” With so much growth emerging online for video content, that leaves many opportunities that you and your business can take advantage of now!
There are plenty of different video formats you can produce in order to stay true to your brand and message – and tech has made it easier now more than ever to get started.
Types of Videos
Brand Video
Brand videos are typically created as a part of a larger marketing campaign to showcase your company’s product, services, mission, or goals. It’s a fantastic way to provide a ‘sneak peek’ into who you are, understand your mission/core service offering, hear why/how you’re different, understand a bit about your culture, and more. Beyond providing an overview to potential new customers, it can also be a strong recruitment tool for new employees and/or partnership opportunities.
A brand video should:
- Tell the story about the ‘why’ behind your company.
- Be authentic, feature real people and show off what makes your company stand out.
- Be available in numerous places – to include on your website, LinkedIn profile, Facebook business page, and more.
A brand video should not:
- Be longer than 3-5 minutes.
- Include a heavy use of stock photography or imagery, as this will depict a ‘fake’ cultural feel.
- Be a sales pitch. Don’t push your products – instead, speak to the brand and what makes you unique.
Here are a few examples we like and why:
CMG Real Estate Group: About Us
Corey Maurice Gilmore at CMG Real Estate Group’s video is a great example of an interesting and engaging brand video. His video includes a little bit about himself, the mission of CMG Real Estate Group, and the expertise he and his team bring to potential customers.
Get to know Yorktown Systems Group, Inc
Yorktown Systems Group’s video is another great example of how to create a brand video. This video highlights the diversity of the team and expertise, a little bit about their leadership and the overall mission of the company told through the lens of their team members.
Thought-Leadership
What better way to showcase your company’s talent than by sitting down to interview your employees or leadership! Thought-leadership style videos highlight your employee’s field of expertise, what their role looks like at the company, and ways their expertise helps their customers. Thought-leadership videos are often great as a series to highlight the diversity and talent of your team. These types of videos demonstrate your team’s talent and validate the overall expertise your company provides the customer.
A thought-leadership video should:
- Explain the role of the employee and tie in your company culture.
- Provide information on their subject matter expertise and why it matters to a current or potential customer.
- Include pictures of the employee or videos of the employee interacting with other coworkers. This helps showcase the importance of teamwork within your company culture.
A thought-leadership video should not:
- Be longer than 5 minutes.
- Include a heavy use of stock photography or imagery- this will depict a ‘fake’ cultural feel.
- Contain overly technical language that would be unfamiliar to your customers or audience.
Here are a few examples we like and why:
Leading the Way with Intelligent Automation
In this video from Thompson Gray, Subject Matter Expert, Dr. Christopher Brobey explains his role as a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Business Analyst, and how his expertise provides the best support to the customer. He also explains a little bit of why he loves to work at this company to tie back into the overall company culture.
Kerenza Hickman’s thought-leadership video at Thompson Gray is a great example of establishing your company’s talent and expertise through video. She explains a little bit about her role, why her background experience is an advantage, and how she helps support current customers. We get a glimpse into her job and what it’s like to work at Thompson Gray!
Educational/Informational
When it comes to learning new information about Huntsville marketing, it’s easier to digest content through video rather than traditional advertisements. Education or Informational videos bring awareness to an area or subject to educate your target audience. These videos can be fun and playful or more serious in tone. Whatever the case may be, you will have the opportunity to tailor content that is unique to your audience.
An educational/informational video should:
- List key bullet points of ideas or tips.
- Contain your product imagery or service videos to help explain the specific topic.
- Provide easy-to-digest information that your audience can understand and benefit from.
An educational/informational video should not:
- Contain no more than 5 key points or tips. Too much info can be overwhelming and/or distracting.
- Be more than 5 minutes.
- Be recorded in a vertical format, as it becomes harder to view across all digital platforms.
Here are a few examples we like and why:
How to be an Effective 9-1-1 Caller
This video with the Huntsville/Madison County 9-1-1 Call Center and Rocket City Trash Pandas is just one example in a series that launched in 2020 about safety tips for elementary-aged children. This video gives great tips on how to be an effective 9-1-1 caller with the help of Sprocket, the Trash Pandas mascot.
Red Flags When Searching for a Home Online
As a real estate agent, Corey Maurice Gilmore gives great advice on how to be a more informed home buyer or seller. In this video, he discusses his top tips and red flags to be aware of when searching for your next home online.
Special Announcements
Have an upcoming event or special announcement that you want your target audience to know about? Special announcement videos are a great way to get people excited about your company’s future plans and help them stay in the know. These types of videos also include a call to action for your audience to either save a date, sign up for an event or include a website URL for more information.
A special announcement video should:
- Include the important date or event information and don’t be afraid to repeat its usage.
- Provide the ‘who, what, when, where or why’’ of what you want your audience to know.
- Provide a call to action.
A special announcement video should not:
- Be more than 2 minutes.
- Focus on content that mainly promotes your company or organization.
- Be shared on only one social platform.
Here are a few examples we like and why:
Coming Soon: Girls Inc. of Huntsville Fuel Her Fire
Girls Inc. of Huntsville is celebrating 50 years of service in the community! As part of this celebration, they recently announced the launch of the Fuel Her Fire campaign for 2022, which focuses on elevating their community presence and why it’s important for Huntsville to help continue their mission. Get excited!
In partnership with Inner Defense and Little Orange Fish, these organizations hosted Expressions 2021, an outdoor concert fundraiser at Burritt on the Mountain to raise funds for mental health resources. Not only was this a great video to get people excited about the fundraiser, but also included testimonies of people who have struggled with their mental health and how these organizations are working together to raise awareness and end the stigma.
Product/Service
Creating videos that showcase your products or services are a great way to let your audience know how your product or service can support their needs. Remember, consumers tend to do a lot of research before deciding to purchase a particular product or service. These videos can do anything from highlighting the benefits, educating your customer on how to use your products or services, or providing answers to commonly asked questions when deciding between you or your competitor.
A product/service video should:
- Demonstrate how your product/service solves their unique problem.
- Lead with your customer’s pain points, not how great your product is. You have to relate to them right off the bat.
- Include a call to action of where to buy your product or service or for more information.
A product/service video should not:
- Come off as a cheesy sales pitch.
- Assume your audience will watch your video with audio. Be sure to adapt as you need based on the platform you use, but consider including captions to ensure your message gets across.
- Adopt the same strategy as your competitors.
Here are a few examples we like and why:
Audit Doesn’t Have to Be Scary
While this can also be considered a thought-leadership style video, the main focus of Thompson Gray’s video is to highlight the company’s audit service, with a fun Halloween twist. In this video, Subject Matter Expert, Jessica Olive explains how to be prepared for an upcoming audit and why Thompson Gray provides superior support to their customers.
When it comes to searching for homes online, how reliable can the internet be? With valley MLS, potential buyers can be confident that when searching for homes on their website, they will find the best and most accurate information! We love this video because it’s short, sweet, and highlights how valley MLS would be right for you!
Get Started
Many businesses are investing in video production companies to help them create strong, impactful video content. However, if you’re still a little camera-shy, but looking for a way to gain a competitive edge, then consider utilizing the free tools you already have on hand! Start getting familiar with video by using Instagram Reels, 30-second videos on Tik Tok, or even try going Live on your social platforms to get familiar with yourself on camera and your audience. There are plenty of ways to create quality video content without depleting your resources. The goal is to get started so you can continue improving with practice.
In all, video marketing is not going anywhere anytime soon. The great news is this gives you the opportunity to begin (or continue) creating engaging, entertaining, and informative video content! As the community continues evolving toward a humanistic approach to business, video marketing will only continue to gain success and favor. Show your personality and remember to have a little fun with it.