17+ Types of Video Marketing to Increase Your Conversion Rate and Engagement

Let’s take a moment to think about all the times you wanted to create a video marketing strategy for your online store but didn’t know where to start.

Sure, video content can seem overwhelming. But once you find the strategy that works for your brand, you can rest assured it will propel your business to the next level.

The stats are all in favor of video.

91% of people want to see MORE video content from brands.

Why?

Because it’s convincing and straightforward. Whether they’re seeing the product in action or taking a peek into how a customer uses it, a video is the most natural way of selling products online.

When done right, a comprehensive video marketing strategy can even replace an in-person shopping experience.

To help you build the best campaigns, I’m going over 17+ types of video marketing strategies + throwing in a couple of examples that slayed for the eCommerce brands that created them.

Let’s jump straight into it.

17+ types of video marketing that actually work (+examples)

There are hundreds of video marketing types out there. But most of them re-use the same common formats or themes that are trending at a particular time. 

To some extent, that is what you want to do: take advantage of a trend to put your brand and products out there and reach a new or larger audience.

But you want to stay original. Maybe even become the first to start a trend.

Next, you’ll find over 18 examples of video marketing strategies and formats that will work. All you have to do is think of your goals and pick the formats you can afford to focus on:

1. Short-form social clips

This is the first type of video marketing strategy on our list, as  66% of people admit they pay the most attention to short-form marketing videos. 

And they can be about ANYTHING. Any video marketing format you’ll find in this list can be shaped into a short-form marketing video. Even if you’re simply using the short clip (less than a minute) as a teaser for a larger how-to video or interview people can find on YouTube.

Here’s just a simple short video on Instagram where Sephora paired up with one of their influencers:

And, yes, these work for any industry you’re in:

2. Explainer videos

Online shoppers often search for particular use cases or functionalities when they look for a product online. If they're not sure how a product works, they might not make the purchase. So whether you’ve got a product type or a specific model you want to talk more about, explainer videos make for the perfect solution if you want to present your product in depth.

The goal of an explainer video? To convince people that your product is helpful and can fix the challenge or wants they have. You can use explainer videos on product pages or as part of email or social campaigns.

In the Headphone Zone example below, the explainer video presents the company’s planar magnetic headphones, including what they are, how they work, and what benefits the product offers.

3. New product showcase videos

Ever thought of making each and every product REALLY stand out? How about a product showcase video? They’re a great way to increase sales from day one, but you’ll want to make sure you know how to promote them. Making them a part of your ads or new launch emails is a good place to start.

One of the biggest mistakes you could make when creating product showcase videos is failing to show multiple angles (or use cases) of each item you're promoting. If possible, show close-ups of different parts of an item. This way, shoppers will know exactly what they'll get when they make the purchase.

Koala primarily sells mattresses, so they create new videos for each new product. Think of it like a big launch that gets you the chance to create hype around your product by putting its benefits out there.

Take a cue from how Koala uses this chance to offer a 120-night free trial and highlight it within the video. Similarly, you can add in other special offers like freebies or free delivery.

4. Shoppable videos

When creating videos for your online store, make sure you make it extra easy for people to buy. Shoppable videos allow you to overlay one or more products on top of a video at different points on its timeline. They can take conversions to 21% by simply keeping viewers immersed as the speaker presents the product and its uses.

Apollo uses shoppable videos to clearly showcase their brand's value proposition through user-generated content that sells. By showing their products’ benefits in a natural way, they’re able to influence seamless purchasing decisions positively.

Tip: Make sure to use advanced eCommerce-focused video analytics and split-testing to find out which video and format work best for your target audience.

5. Event videos

Sure. Not all of us have the budget to host a fashion show. But it’s relatively easy to host a local meetup or buyer-only party, film it, and post it! This will also contribute to building a community and fanbase around your brand.

Some other events to host and film include:

• Workshops and webinars

• Meet and greets

• Charity events

• Bingo nights

• Virtual reality experiences

• Sports events, cooking shows, art contests, or any other thematic event that matches your brand!

6. Product demos

Product demos are similar to explainer videos, but they strictly focus on how a product works. They’re usually short, showing viewers how to use a product from start to finish. Compared to explainer videos, they’re cheaper to produce as scripts, actors, and voiceovers are all optional.

The secret to effective product demos is simplicity. Wilkhahn’s example below nails this by highlighting every single functionality of their AT task chair. Just like a person would use it in real life.

I recommend sticking to a standard format for these videos. This way, when people are browsing your products, they’ll know what to expect from these videos (including if they have to skip the video to see its advanced uses). To stand out, add a funny script, recruit some influencers, or stay original by having pets in the background or filming your products against beautiful scenery backdrops.

7. Influencers and sponsored videos

Influencer videos come in all kinds of formats: social posts, YouTube reviews, tutorials, and ever-popular video giveaways. But these are all overused video types. While classic choices will always work to some extent, if you're trying to grow your followers on Instagram or get people to engage on a YouTube video, you’ll want to create new themes and formats like in the Levi’s® example below.

Besides using a well-known influencer within the generation they’re targeting, they opt for a topic that’s entertaining, although not so popular: Second-hand shopping with a well-known personality. Beyond this, it’s the typical showing off your products, new services, and benefits.

8. Unboxing videos

Who doesn’t love a good look at what you’ll get even before the package arrives?

While some brands like TokyoTreat do the unboxing themselves as it helps their buyers see what they’ll get as soon as it’s out, most successful unboxing videos come from real customers (or influencers. But even in this case, you’ll still want to make sure they’re an actual customer and brand lover). 

Even TokyoTreat pairs up with content creators to make sure they’re reaching a wider audience. After all, simply hosting these unboxing clips on your YouTube page will only place your products in front of an audience you already have.

9. Tutorials and how-to videos

I admit it: I always check how-to videos from a new brand I purchase. This is because I’m a fan of lesser-known products, so you can’t always find tutorials from real customers.

This said, creating your tutorials and how-to videos is a great solution if you’re just getting started or don’t have the budget to pay influencers at this stage. Gradually, you can get real shoppers involved in these videos and still host them on your social channels.

The ingredients for a perfect tutorial?

It depends.

If you simply want to add them to a product page, article, or newsletter, just make sure they’re fun and engaging. Plus, look into formats that will get viewers to share them with their peers.

If you want to rank well on YouTube, for instance, you’ll need to take into consideration how popular the topic is, what keywords you should target, if the format is what searchers are looking for, and more.

The next Bloom & Wild video marketing sample scores a 10/10 from me in both situations:

10. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) videos

Got those questions everyone keeps asking? Want to clarify some points regarding your products? An FAQ or Q&A video might be worth adding to your list.

Like with the next Beuta video example, feel free to incorporate short explainers or tutorials as well. This makes for a much more interactive viewing experience than simply having you or one of your staff members answer the questions.

And, yes! You can host these video sessions live as well. Just take a couple of questions at the end of each live-stream shopping event.

11. Customer-generated content

Customer-generated video content tends to be the most original and convincing format out there. That’s because happy buyers think of the most creative ways to highlight why they love your product.

But where should you start?

Reviews are always easy videos to put together. Any happy customer will likely want to create one for you. If you’re finding it hard to convince people to record themselves, think of the incentives you can offer: new products, free lifetime delivery, etc.

To make the most out of this type of video marketing, remember my recommended three-step framework:

1. 1. Always re-share what your customers post. If you promote their accounts, more people (especially those aspiring to become well-known content creators) will want to hop on the trend.

2. 2. Rewards customers that share videos. Even if you don’t make incentives public from the start,  make sure you give something in return. It can be as simple as resharing their post or sending them a custom thank-you message.

3. 3. Find a strategy for re-using this content. You might have noticed many brands feature social posts (like Instagram photos) on their product pages. This is just one of the most common examples you can use as inspiration. However, you can fully rely on your customers to run your video marketing strategy as well. Explainer videos, tutorials, testimonials, social shorts, and more can all be done by them.

12. Personalized videos

Not all videos need to be out there for you to have a comprehensive video marketing strategy. 

You can send thank you messages, fun tips and how-to videos, exclusive looks at a product, and much more directly to your customers. 

After all, it’s the small effort that pays off when it comes to maintaining one-on-one relationships with your buyers. 

And that’s exactly what most shoppers are looking for these days: a stellar shopping experience. As many as 86% of people want to pay more if you can provide a great customer experience.

To get started, you can create a simple video (one or two slides) using Canva:

Or you can simply record yourself and email the video to your customer or social media channels (depending on your platform of choice).

13. Live-stream shopping

The live-stream shopping market is estimated to reach $600 billion in China and $25 billion in the US in 2023. 

Shoppers love it because they get to see the product “in action”, often with extra offers and discounts they wouldn’t get if they just shopped online or in a store. (Bonus points if you can get influencers or real customers to host these).

Brands love it because they’re building a stronger relationship with their audience, and they can increase sales in a super short time frame.

There are hundreds of factors that play into a successful live-stream shopping session, but here’s a quick rundown:

• Find a way to bring people together and use this chance to start building a loyal fanbase

• Always encourage your viewers to engage with the video by commenting, liking, sharing, etc.

• Make sure you’re steaming the video on as many channels as possible (i.e. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and even your website)

• Focus on how you showcase each product by making sure all of its use cases are clearly highlighted.

Don’t forget to reuse your video later. In this JCPenney live-stream example, they kept the video on YouTube, complete with timestamps with all products. This makes it easy for people searching for those products to find the video and see the product they want in action.

14. Brand stories or CEO interviews

Let me make this clear from the start: a formal CEO interview doesn’t work for all products. It’s pretty much a good pick only when you want to highlight the technology/materials/science behind your product or clear up misunderstandings or concerns.

A popular alternative to CEO interviews that smaller businesses might want to opt for is a video around the “How I started my business” theme. Or the much-loved “A day in the life of a full-time small business owner”:

Once you grow your brand or start bringing on staff, consider putting together videos that describe your brand, its vibe, and its people.

This said…

15. Company culture videos

Lush does an amazing job of highlighting the people behind their products. Not only are the employees making a product showcased on their products, but also, they’ve got their own videos:

A behind-the-scenes look at how products are made (like in this Lush video) is a simple way of bringing your team forward. 

Though, I’d recommend standing out and trying to find your own way of creating viral videos. Maybe have your team members become hosts for regular YouTube vlogs or organize a meet-up or interview with their favorite influencer.

16. Web series

I’ve got some good news for you: This is the least competitive of the formats out there. Simply because it’s a bit hard to create these. That’s because they require more preparation and a higher budget than simply filming your product in action or having a customer talk about it.

So if you want to get results out of your video marketing strategy over the next few weeks, a web series might not be the right choice for you.

However, it’s a fantastic long-term play that can bring you even more results and sales than other marketing strategies.

Now, sure, we might all dream of having our TV show with a complete script, famous actors, Netflix promotions, etc. But a web series of an online store doesn’t have to be this “fancy”.

Take a look at this example:

Exmark sells lawnmowers and uses YouTube to list an informational Operation and Safety series. Each episode covers how to use their products safely by presenting different use cases and real-life situations.

Their series, in particular, focuses on their product but a lot of the tips that can be applied when using any other similar products. This makes it easier for them to tap into a larger audience who is interested in a similar solution.

That’s just what you need to think of if you’re considering a web series:

• What are my target market’s core pain points?

• How can I use this video series to get in front of them exactly when they need me the most?

• Can I make this series into a fun one?

17. Video ads

Full disclosure: This type of eCommerce video is a bit lower on my list because it requires a larger investment from your end.

First, you have to dedicate part of your budget to producing a clear and compelling video. Secondly, running ads on YouTube, Instagram, or any other network you want gets really expensive. Even when you’re working with a professional ad consultant or agency. The general recommendation is to run ads for an extended period and to test different audiences until you find the optimal settings. Pair this with the potentially high competition in your industry, and you’re in for spending most of your marketing budget on ads.

They do, however, significantly contribute to increasing sales, and brand awareness. Even helping you stay top of mind.

If this is exactly what you’re looking for right now, remember this: video ads perform better than any other type of ad. When done right, a customer’s positive experience with a video ad increases their buying intent by as much as 97%.

So if ads are on your radar, at least make sure they include video. 

Tip: Don’t rush. Before creating any video ads, think about exactly what would catch your target market’s attention. It’s finally time you built the profile of your ideal customer, complete with their personality traits and what makes them tick.

Take Carhartt’s example: They sell to people who value hard work, dependability, and trust. These are the exact values they highlight in this specific ad example with the help of storytelling.

18. Bonus: VR and AR

So far, we’ve talked mostly about video marketing strategies you can use online. But the offline space isn’t dead. Taking advantage of popular spots or events is a must to expand your business creatively and create impactful memories for the people you reach.

Enter the world of VR and AR.

Let’s see a couple of examples in practice so you’ll get a better idea of what I’m recommending:

These AR video marketing techniques aren’t yet mainstream, so they’re not super affordable.

This doesn’t mean you can’t tap into offline video marketing campaigns.

Think video billboards or start small by having your favorite places stream videos of your products. These can be anywhere your target market spends a large part of their time: coffee shops, nail salons, vet clinics, gas stations, whatever works for your ideal buyer.

How to get started with your video marketing campaign

Now that you have a rough idea of what formats will likely work for your brand, it’s time to list down the exact steps you need to go through to build your first video marketing campaign. First, I’ll walk you through setting up goals:

1. Setting goals

Some goals you may have:

• Building awareness 

• Getting people to engage more with your brand

• Educating and staying on top of the mind

• Generating more conversions and sales

• Driving traffic to your online store or special sales events.

The good news is the goals for your first video campaigns are directly influenced by your general business goals. So if you simply want to sell more, make this a goal for your next campaign. Even if it’s not necessarily a video-based one. You can always incorporate video later on.

Once you've decided on your goals, it's time to set some metrics for measuring them. You can measure everything from views to retention rate (how many people watch the whole video) and engagement rate (how many people click through to other videos or sites).

2. Choosing the right format

Let me go through some of the goals I just mentioned above, and what types of video marketing formats would work for each:

• If your goal is to increase engagement with existing customers or drive sales, then it might make sense for you to create event videos or an explainer video that explains how your product works or what problems it solves in a simple way.

• Looking to generate more sales? Shoppable videos are a must. And if you can get an influencer to film these videos and make them shoppable, you’re 100% on your way to more conversions.

• If you want to build awareness around your products, think of putting together short-form videos, pairing up with influencers, or going down the video ads path.

• Want to educate your target market? Or maybe you just want people to see the real value behind your product? Consider creating tutorials or FAQ videos or bringing in your current happy customers for help with some shorts.

• Finally, driving traffic. This can be done through pretty much any of the video formats above. However, I’d recommend making sure that traffic turns into some form of conversion as well. For instance, if you’re hosting a live event, prompt viewers to your store and have them sign up for a future event or newsletter so they can get a special offer and updates on your new products.

Then, of course, you can get as specific as you want with your goals.

For example, if you want to reach an international audience on Facebook, it makes sense to use live video sessions so people can watch you from anywhere in the world at any time of day and possibly make a purchase. 

On the other hand, if you want to grow your following on Instagram Stories instead because your target market is young millennials who are active on this platform during their free time after work and school, then that would be a better option as well.

3. Bringing all resources together

Now that you’ve picked one or two formats, it’s time for action.

My recommendation is to start with a theme and script. That is what you’re going to talk about in the video and how you’ll present it. Do you want a fun clip? Is it more important to answer commonly asked concerns? This is all dictated by your brand values and what customers generally want.

Next, time to jot down how you’re going to film the video. For eCommerce, I’d say that having clear visuals of your products is a must. Additionally, you can make use of animations and extra effects. But the product always comes first. 

At this point, decide on the medium you will use for your video. Do you want to shoot it on your phone or use a DSLR camera? Do you want to edit it yourself or hire an editor? Will it be an animated explainer video or an interview-style piece? These choices will determine how much time and money it takes to get the video created.

Next, think about the length of your video and how long you need it to last. A short video is great if it gets people interested enough in your product or service to want more information. Just make sure it’s not so short that people don’t feel like they got enough information from it. 

If you have a lot of information to share with people, consider splitting up your content into several shorter pieces instead of one longer one so that viewers can digest each part at their own pace without getting confused by too much information all at once.

4. Promoting your videos

Videos should be a part of a larger marketing campaign at all times. This means you’ll want to use them on your website, blog, emails, social media, and more. They can be used to promote other campaigns you have, like special promotions or events you’re hosting.

As a general rule, if you're going to make a video, you need to promote it. 

Social media is a great place to start. If you want to promote your video on Facebook or Twitter, make sure that your target market is likely to see it there. For example, if you're targeting people who like cooking shows and cooking magazines on Facebook, they're more likely to see your ads than someone who likes sports games and football teams.

Email is another good way to reach out to your customers. You can send an email blast to everyone who has signed up for your email list or targeted emails based on specific criteria (like those who have purchased from you before).

Tip: You’re not in this alone. Get brand fans and even influencers to contribute to spreading your videos to their peers.

Measuring the success of your video marketing efforts

Video is an easily measurable medium. You can track things like views and engagement, but it's not always easy to figure out which metrics matter most. That’s why it’s best to start setting them up early (see my first point in this list).

Here are some key ways to measure the success of your video marketing efforts:

• Views: Video views are important for measuring the reach of your content, but they don't necessarily tell you how many people took action after viewing it. If someone watches your video on their mobile device while they're commuting home from work and then deletes it from their feed without taking any action, that doesn't mean they didn't enjoy it or find value in it — they just didn't have time to see what else was available in your channel before deleting it from their feed altogether!

• Engagement metrics: How much conversation does your video create in terms of likes and shares? Is anyone leaving comments or sharing your videos? For instance, if someone clicks off the page before they watch the whole thing, they probably aren't interested in what they saw. 

• Conversions: The ultimate goal of every video marketing campaign is to get people to do something. This can be signing up for a free newsletter, making an online purchase, clicking on an ad, or checking out a product page. Whatever actions you want page views and video views to convert into, monitor these conversions closely to make sure they're in line with the goals of your campaign.

So, what’s next?

Let’s be honest: We all want to sell more. 

So the safest way to ensure you’re increasing your chance of selling more is by turning your videos into shoppable ones. You can easily add these on-site to start building them from day one, even if you don’t have an email list or social media audience yet.

You’ll still want to go through my five-step list above to make sure the content in these shoppable videos is engaging enough to get people to watch the whole clip.

For further steps, try incorporating influencers or customer-generated content like (testimonial videos) into these. 

Book a demo with Videowise to learn more about how you can create successful shoppable videos from day one!

Happy selling!