Differentiating Types of Video
From time to time, we will have prospective clients get in touch looking to create video for their business and when asked what they’re looking to do, they simply don’t know what will work for them. Video is certainly not a one size fits all kind of medium. Yes, some types of video can be replicated for businesses looking to achieve similar goals to one another, but more often than not each client requires something bespoke.
In this blog, I’m going to take you through some of the most popular videos we create at FOSTER Studios.
Promotional
A promotional video can be created in many different ways stylistically, but typically it consists of a piece under five minutes featuring interviews from people within a company – this is usually a mixture of directors and employees. The goal of a promotional film should be to get a business more exposure and ultimately more revenue, but it is also a brilliant way for businesses to tell their story and get potential consumers to make something of an emotional investment into the company.
We have worked on a lot of different types of promotional films, but this one we created for Sharp Skips is without doubt a big favourite. As a family-run business, this film is very personable, but also details exactly what service Sharp Skips provide.
Staff Culture/Recruitment
Films geared towards recruitment have proven to be very popular amongst our clients, with businesses using video as a means of attracting the best talent into the company. Although there can be overlap between promotional and recruitment films, these pieces aim to answer questions that potential candidates might have, as opposed to putting a spotlight on a particular product or service. Rather than detailing what the business actually provides, this video should focus on what a company does for employees and how it makes for a great working environment.
In 2021, we were brought in by tml Partners to create one of these pieces. Being an organisation in the recruitment industry, it was really important that this film conveyed their ethos in order to get the right people applying to be part of the business.
Testimonial
Testimonial videos are simple, yet highly effective. So many businesses use written testimonials as a way of building trust and authenticity, but having genuine clients praise your service on camera is one of the purest and legitimate ways of showing to prospective buyers that you’re doing a great job!
We have created a lot of these in the past, but to give two slightly different examples, we collaborated with Cervello Financial Planning to create six films following a similar narrative, whereas we worked with Easy R&D to showcase just one client that was very industry specific.
These films can be portrayed in so many different ways, but however you get them out there, they are certainly a brilliant way of showing your business in the best light.
Social
These days, a social video can be defined as pretty much anything that’s been posted on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or one of the many other platforms available to users. But, there’s an awful lot of content out there and standing out from the crowd is now more difficult than ever. In my view, a good social video should aim to be under a minute and needs to grab the attention of the viewer almost instantaneously. We find these videos perform really well for things like food and drink, events and can work effectively for specific industries – fitness is a great one as short high-energy workout videos have a really good impact.
Social videos are also a great way of promoting a longer piece of content. For example, we typically supply clients with several accompanying social edits alongside a promotional or staff recruitment piece – this way they’re able to dangle the hook a little bit and get viewers to click through to their website where they can watch the full-length video.
We have some businesses we work with specifically just on social media videos and one of the best examples is Great Scotland Yard Hotel. We work with the team there to create a batch of content every few months which can be posted across social consistently for a sustained period of time.
So, there you have it! Four of the most popular video types we create at FOSTER Studios. Of course, the list doesn’t quite end there with us being commissioned to do fundraising films, tutorials, online courses, virtual school open days… You really can create a video about almost anything!
It’s all about defining what will work best for your business. That’s the most important thing.