6 Types of Branded Video Content and Why They Work for Brand Building

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We've revisited and updated our popular '6 Types of Branded Video' blog post to reflect the latest trends and insights. This refreshed guide will delve into the most impactful video strategies for today's market. Plus, keep an eye out for our upcoming sister post, which will introduce some exciting new types of branded video content. Stay tuned for more insights that can transform your brand's storytelling approach!

Video is a powerful marketing tool, now more so than ever. Accounting for 82% of all consumer internet traffic – a staggering 15-fold increase in just five years, video has become the cornerstone of many marketing campaigns. HubSpot's research highlights a growing consumer demand for video, with 54% of consumers desiring more video content from their favorite brands, and 72% preferring video over text for learning about products and services.

The incorporation of video into your marketing approach is not just recommended, it's becoming essential.

We know, we know. 

You’ve been nagged about video a thousand times by now.

What is the Purpose of a Branded Video?

Branded video content should help convey your brand’s mission and overall purpose, and help to establish how you differentiate from your competition. It is content that communicates to your audience who you are as a company and why you do what you do.

When done well, branded videos endear people to your brand, elevating it above all other offerings by a) displaying a unique personality, and b) inspiring loyalty. They’re informative and engaging all at once. And they certainly assist in nudging consumers toward making a purchase.

In terms of raw ROI, the results of leveraging branded video content can be astounding for those who put proper effort behind the cause. Consider Intuit's experience: their initial brand video garnered an astonishing 16.8 million views in just a week, leading to a 17% boost in brand awareness and a 27% increase in brand favorability.

Numbers like that are hard to overlook.

That’s why 86% of businesses use video in their marketing campaigns (a 25% increase in the last three years), and those who used video grew revenue 49% faster than those who did not. 

So now we know it’s purpose, but what exactly is branded video content? And what types of brand videos work best?

Let’s dive in.

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What Is a Branded Video Content?

Branded video is a form of advertising that businesses use to convey their story, values, products, or services. Unlike traditional advertisements however, instead of directly promoting products or services, branded videos devote their runtime to storytelling, with the goal of creating an emotional connection with viewers, thereby indirectly promoting the brand.

Video can educate, empower, and engage prospects in a way that written content cannot,  showing your story rather than just telling it. 

But what all good branded video content strategies do, is tell the story of the customer’s journey. 

Hope Horner at Entrepreneur writes,

“When consumers recognize themselves as the character(s) in the story, they can then imagine taking the same journey themselves. As the video wraps, the audience should see how the brand enables its hero to overcome the odds. That is where the viewer then sees the story’s call to action.”

The consumer can see the entire journey toward solving their problem. Whether this is in the form of a video that conveys your company’s story, or one that shows how you’ve impacted the story of a customer, the goal is to show the viewer what a relationship with you would look like. 

The great thing about branded video content is that it can come in an infinite number of forms, limited only by your imagination. And there are myriad ways that you can use each type to supplement your marketing efforts along every single stage of that customer journey. Here are 6 traditional, time-tested Branded Video formats, followed by a bonus section on the new frontier of branded video. 

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6 Types of Branded Video Content

Quick Links

  1. Product Explainer
  2. Company Culture
  3. Testimonial
  4. Product Demo
  5. Case Study
  6. Brand Film

 

1. Product Explainer Videos

A product explainer video does a lot more than just explain what your product does. It is part of your brand strategy that presents a customer pain point and provides a solution in the form of your product.

70% of YouTube viewers use videos to “help with a problem they’re having.” Who among us, after all, hasn't searched for videos on how to, say, make poached eggs or nail winged eyeliner? There’s no denying that the demand for instructional branded video content is there.

This product explainer video from HubSpot is a great example:

The problem it presents is how brands find it difficult to have conversations with their customers. Conversations are vital. The solution? Smart interactions via their tool, HubSpot Conversations.

Product explainer videos work particularly well since people generally have short attention spans. These videos convey a bunch of information in an engaging manner and in a short period of time. In this way, you can express the unique selling points of your product or service rapidly

Quick Tips for Product Explainer Videos

  • Ensure your topic isn’t too broad. Stick to one or two points to hold the attention of the viewer. Focus on the pain point identified and the very specific way in which your product solves that problem. Short, direct, and actionable.
  • Display your explainer video on your homepage. This will give you optimal visibility and be extremely useful for first-time visitors to your site. Supplemental explainer videos can be placed on specific product feature pages as well to supplement your main video.  

     

 

2. Company Culture Videos

Company culture videos provide a behind-the-scenes look at your brand. The most significant benefit of this type of video is the fact that it can humanize your brand.

On the topic of company culture, Neil Patel says:

“Everyone knows that good company culture can increase productivity and ultimately make your business more profitable.”

Take a look at this example of a company culture video from PrettyLittleThing.com:

It takes us behind the scenes of one of the most exciting activities of the brand: a real-life fashion shoot. What’s more, the model talks about her work and what it’s like to collaborate with the brand. As a viewer, this goes a long way toward showing PrettyLittleThing.com in a favorable light.

Company culture videos work because they’re often a lot of fun or provide a unique peek behind the curtain. Thus, they give you the opportunity to draw in consumers that might be most interested in the human beings behind your brand. They go a long way towards forming an immediate connection with the humans that are watching them, and that is key to getting them to listen to you more, or better yet to purchase from you. 

Now more than ever, customers are conscientious of the companies they decide to do business with and culture is one of the most effective ways you can convey that information. On the B2B side, 60% of respondents to a recent AdWeek survey said that a company’s values and how it treats its employees directly impacted whether they would do business with them. A Deloitte survey recently found that 82% of business leaders saw culture as a competitive advantage, both in attracting and retaining talent, and in reaching prospective customers.

Quick Tips for Company Culture Videos

•  Produce a variety of content based on your brand strategy and mission. There are lots of things you can show off in a company culture video, from office parties to pranks to off-the-cuff employee interviews, and even more formal videos where you ask your employees why they work for your company, and what they've learned. 

•  Make it real. Don’t just produce a video for the sake of it, as viewers will spot your insincerity. The key is authenticity. Viewers can tell when a video like this is staged. Show your employees candidly. Nothing should feel staged. It should match your actual, day-to-day office culture—quirky, serious, corporate, or otherwise. Whatever the feel of your office culture, that’s what you want to convey in such a video.

 

3. Testimonial Videos 

Naturally, a testimonial video comprises a real review from a real customer or client. This type of video provides social proof for your brand. In other words, a potential customer can actually see the success somebody else has had with your product or service, thus encouraging them to use it themselves.

Don’t underestimate the power reviews and testimonials have. Brands with testimonials generate 62% more revenue per site visitor. A recent Wyzowl survey found that 79% of respondents preferred video testimonials when researching a product or company and 2 out of 3 were more likely to engage with the brand after watching such a video. For this reason, you’ll see a lot of testimonial videos from brands, like this example from Slack:

The testimonial comes from a reputable source, i.e. the COO of a well-known company. They explain exactly how they make use of the brand’s product. This proves that the product works. Plus, they provide lots of praise for the product in explaining why it’s so useful.

Testimonials work because they help instill trust in the consumer. A genuine testimonial in the form of a video is much more effective than a written review, which…let’s be honest, someone can easily fake anyway.

Quick Tips for Testimonial Videos

•  Ask your best clients for a testimonial. Alternatively, you can catch people on the fly and get them to talk about your brand at an event, for example.

•  Ask the right questions. Encourage your reviewers to get specific about your product and exactly which features help them in their day-to-day.

•  Build a plan to generate social proof. Read our recent blog post exploring how to build a pipeline to develop new testimonials and social proof for your business from satisfied customers.

 

4. Product Demo Videos

Product demonstrations offer a more in-depth look at how your product or service works. They differ from explainer videos as they are deeper and more technical, as opposed to telling a more emotional story about your brand.

They are still highly effective, as they have a hand in helping consumers further down the funnel make a final purchasing decision. Jenny Mudarri at Wistia says:

“We’ve found that making specific, one-off demo videos that answer a question or highlight a feature is an awesome tactic for engaging with leads in a personalized, helpful way.”

This video from Zendesk is a prime example of a product demonstration video: 

It’s technically an onboarding video for new customers, but it’s also useful for those who have not yet signed up for the service. It gives them an opportunity to try before they buy, so to speak, as Zendesk takes the viewer through all of the specific features of their product.

While explainer videos provide a general outline, product demo videos go further to show the user precisely how the product will fix their problems. It’s both informative and practical. That’s why this kind of video works so well.

Quick Tips for Product Demonstration Videos

•  Avoid using jargon. If you want people to make a purchase, your walkthrough should be easy to understand. Avoid industry-specific jargon, even if your target audience is within that industry. Focus on what the product does for them, not the technical features they may not recognize.

•  Don’t be too product-focused. This should be an informational video that helps viewers come to their own purchasing decision, not a sales pitch. You’re solving a problem. Always ask what’s in it for the viewer.

 

5. Case Study Videos

Deeper than a testimonial, case studies address specific use cases and tell the story of how your product or service helped real-life customers—emphasis on the “story” element. It’s another type of endorsement that your product really works, framed in the context of a problem that other people might be having out there in the world.

For many, seeing someone like them achieve results with a certain solution can really seal the deal on a purchase. Michael Saba at MarketingProfs says,

“A good case study creates serious value for your brand by showing your prospects real-world examples of the benefits your business can bring them. That translates to more leads, more conversions, and more deals closed for you.”

Take a look at this fantastic case study example from Shopify: 

This video highlights a customer’s journey toward success using Shopify. As soon as the guy in the video mentions making a profit of over $20 million, it’s like there’s a beam of heavenly, money-colored light drawing the viewer in, thinking about opening their very own ecommerce store. 

It’s this kind of real-world data that makes case studies an effective type of brand video. They also work because they often have emotional intent, as in this example of a rags-to-riches story.

In this case study video, we gain insight into how a big brand goes viral on social media:

 

The video gives us an inspiring step-by-step guide as to how to achieve results like Coca-Cola, and it illustrates the staggering results of the campaign. It’s as though we’re being let in on a major marketing secret.

Quick Tips for Case Studies

•  Use data as proof. Data provides a compelling reason for customers to make a purchase. Give them a reason to trust and believe you. Too much emotional appeal without data can fall flat, so support your claims with hard facts.

•  Use a relatable example. As we said at the beginning, the customer wants to see their journey within your video. Show them how they can get the results your other customers have.

 

6. Brand Films

This term covers any video that highlights what your brand is all about. For instance, it could depict the history of your brand or your founding story. It could express your company’s core values or what causes you care about. Essentially, it’s about the things that make your brand authentic and human.

The bottom line is this type of brand video can only work in your favor. People actually want to see videos like this. In fact, 54% of consumers have said they want to see more videos in general from brands, making it the most in-demand type of content, even above newsletters and social images.

Take a look at this nice example from IKEA:

The video is all about a philanthropic cause that the company has supported for some time. Thus, it shows a human side to the otherwise assemble-by-numbers brand—a part of their story that people may not have known about previously. Undeniably, it adds to their appeal.

On the cinematic side, Volvo shows their commitment to safety in this breathtaking brand film:

Not only do we get to see the superior technology that makes this car so great, but we also get to see the motivation behind these features as they apply to our day-to-day lives.

Brand story videos show consumers that you are genuine. It’s not about the product, but the other things you want your business to achieve, i.e. how you want to help people and why your company came to be.

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Coming soon: A sequel blog post that explores 7 more video formats brands are using to captivate customers like never before. We’ll cover: 

New Frontiers in Branded Video 

  1. Interactive Videos: Transform viewers from passive observers to active participants with clickable elements and dynamic content. Examples:
  2. Live Streaming Events:  Real-time engagement through live streams for product launches or Q&As creates immediacy and community. Examples:
  3. 360-Degree and VR Videos: Immerse your audience in virtual environments, offering unique, experiential insights into your brand. Examples:
  4. Personalized Videos: Customize content based on viewer data to increase relevance and deepen engagement. Examples:
  5. Educational Series: Position your brand as an industry thought leader with in-depth, informative content series. Examples:
  6. UGC Storytelling: Use customer-generated content to craft authentic, relatable narratives about your brand’s impact. Examples:
  7. Augmented Reality Experiences: Merge digital elements with the real world for unique, interactive brand experiences. Examples:

Quick Tips for Brand Stories

•  Express your values. What do you stand for? What do people not realize is important to your brand? Answer these questions clearly and directly and your prospects will respond.

•  Be sure to stand out. There are lots of successful companies out there. So, highlight what makes you so unique. Don’t just list elements from your mission statement. Show prospects why they should care about your business over another.

 

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Conclusion

As consumers demand more video and brands shift their marketing spend toward a visual approach, branded video is a strategy you can’t afford to miss out on. Branded video may come in many forms, but all of them draw the attention of customers by taking them on a brand storytelling journey through your product and your company as a whole. The possibilities are endless, and our upcoming article will delve deeper into 7 innovative types of branded video content we’re tracking, so make sure to keep an eye out!

To recap, here are the 6 most effective types of branded video content you can start using now to reach a wider audience and build relationships:

1. Product Explainer Video - Gives an overview of your product and allows you to highlight it’s best features.

2. Company Culture Video - Humanizes your brand by providing a behind-the-scenes look at your company.

3. Testimonial Video - Provides social proof and instills trust in the consumer.

4. Product Demonstration Video - Helps the consumer make a purchasing decision by showing them precisely how to use your product.

5. Case Study Video - Presents your product as the optimal solution to a real customer’s biggest pain point.

6. Brand Story Video - Adds a level of authenticity to your brand and shows the customer what you care about.


Think hard about the story you want to tell about your brand, watch some of the incredible branded video content out there, and then hit the ground running to build awareness and build your following. 

The shift toward branded video isn’t ending any time soon—the sooner you start incorporating it into your B2C marketing strategy, the sooner you’ll start reaping the benefits for your brand.



Want to talk to the experts about your video marketing strategy? Contact us today!

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