Which video style is right for your business?

Explainer videos voice over

Last time, we looked at the stats behind video content and what makes it such an effective marketing tool. In this post, we’ll take a look at the different types of video and how to choose which style is right for your business.

As we discovered in the last article, the most common types of video content for business are:

• Live action (with real people presenting to the camera, or being interviewed)
• Montages (a series of stills or short film grabs edited together)
• Vlog – or video log/blog. These are mostly live action and can be sophisticated, scripted productions or DIY on-the-fly style, including formats like Snapchat.
• Explainer videos (short videos explaining and simplifying a concept, statistics, a product or service).

So which one do you choose?
That depends on a number of factors, like:
• whether you’re confident presenting to camera
• your audience and the purpose of your video
• your budget – video costs depend on how many services are involved: video length, storyboarding and scriptwriting, animation, voice-over, location hire, post-production, music licensing etc. There are some budget video companies around, but on average, for a very basic 1-minute video, expect to pay in the ballpark of $1,000-$5,000 upwards.

Live action
This style of video is great for showing your audience the reality of you and your business. Interview style or documentary style can establish you as an authority in your industry, while a behind-the-scenes style makes you very relatable to your audience.

Montage
These are commonly short, snappy videos with still images or live action snippets set to music, to give an overview of your business, a product or service. They also work really well for highlighting events such as trade shows, awards ceremonies, speaking presentations etc.

Vlog
AKA video log or blog. These are an inexpensive way to develop your on-camera skills and to get video content out there. Costs: None: all you need is the webcam on your computer or the camera on your smartphone, and you can film and upload in half a day – or quicker!

Explainer videos
These are pretty popular videos – usually animated – that simplistically highlight a business or brand, product or service, explain a concept or … anything, really! Some explainer videos use voice-over, some don’t.

What’s so good about explainer videos?
They can make complex subjects easier to digest – with the right script. Colourful, cartoon-style explainers are like motion-picture infographics, with statistics presented in a snappy, simplified way.

Some statistics suggest explainer videos can increase conversion rates by 20%. Why? Well, it’s to do with people finding visual content easier to retain – so your message gets across better if presented visually. And with our increasingly shorter attention spans, you need to grab a viewer’s attention sooner, and hold it for longer. Animated videos are instantly engaging – just look at how kids are mesmerised by cartoons. Turns out, adults aren’t so different. Our brains associate cartoons with entertainment, so we’re more likely to watch an animated video.

Voice-over or no voice-over?
Again, this depends on the purpose – and budget – of your video. The right voice can help your audience engage with your message. The wrong voice, well… they’ll be switching off. And that’s not good for your brand.

With a great script, the right voice-over can reinforce visual information and create emotional engagement better than mere images. Words and text on a screen cannot convey happiness, humour, excitement or authority the way a professional voice-over can.

If you’re thinking about using voice-over in your next business video, get in touch with us – voicing explainer videos is our specialty!

(Image credit: Still from explainer video for Deakin Workplace Giving.)

By | 2018-07-12T12:49:22+00:00 July 17th, 2016|Business, Content marketing, Narration, Small Business, Videos, Voice-overs|