Being on social media is hard.
There are literally millions of people and companies on social media. Everyone is vying for attention and putting out countless amounts of content.
So, how do you stand out and successfully build a large audience for your brand?
The best place to start is with video. Social media videos generate 1200% more shares than text or image content. That’s massive! There’s room to grow too. 96% of consumers would like to see more videos from the brands they love.
Want to know how to go about creating video content that does well on social media?
Here’s a list of the best social videos you can start making right away!
1. Product Service or Demo
Often the best way to attract new customers is to let your product or service sell itself.
Find out what your product or service does that is desirable to your market and show it off in a Product or Service Demo video.
Understand what people want and prove that what you have to offer is exactly what they need. If you offer the best results, the fastest speed or the most powerful then put it in a video.
People love to engage with something they see as extraordinary. You might even include some great music or a charismatic host to increase the excitement.
2. Product Review
Product Review videos are among the most valuable videos for any audience.
If you’ve built up an audience that trusts you, doing Product Review videos will be very well received. It can be done for any product but it’s best when they are products that relate to your field without being directly competitive.
A Product Review video can be used by any business. Even B2B businesses can use them by reviewing other products used by B2B businesses.
If you consider yourself a social media influencer, it might be a great idea to frequently make Product Review videos. The more of these videos you produce the more value you create for your audience.
3. Brand Videos
Any company who does video marketing has a brand video.
Brand videos follow a simple formula. Introduce who you are, tell your story and rave about your values. It’s a video that just lets people know why they should learn more about your company.
Big visuals help a great deal to add excitement. Most Brand videos have a voiceover too. It’s also a great idea to create some emotional stimulation with great audio and music.
4. Q&A
This video is simple but effective.
A Q&A video is simply one or more members of a business or organization answering questions from an audience. This can be filmed from an in-person event or it can be from an online live stream.
The great thing about a Q&A is that it gives the audience answers to common questions they might have and even questions that members of a business might not expect them to have. These videos definitely help build trust because they eliminate the doubt people might have from anything that confuses them.
5. Presentation
If you want a shortcut to building massive attention, likeability and trust in one video, then a Presentation video is right for you.
Think about it. You or a member of your business is standing on a stage giving out knowledge and value to an audience of hundreds or maybe even thousands of people. How can this not do amazing things for your brand?
In terms of real value and trust, you’ll be giving out valuable information and stories that can help other people and prove you’re an expert in your space. In terms of perceived value, video watchers will see you speaking to a large audience and not only will they get caught up in the emotions of the speech but they will see you with such a large audience and won’t be able to help but think you are a big deal.
All you have to do is film the speech and let people see it in the video.
6. Tutorial/How-To
For any company that is just starting out their social media journey, a Tutorial or How-to video is a great way to start.
For this type of video you want to show a way to solve a common problem or show how to create something many people regard as valuable. The great thing about a Tutorial video is that it appeals to a wide audience and it gives them a reason to think that more valuable videos may follow.
What you’ll be doing is casting a wide net and getting attention from a big audience. Some might not stick around to learn more about your company but many will. You’ll have a chance to convert these people to paying customers down the road.
Tutorial/How-to videos thrive on social media and they can certainly gain millions of views per video.
7. The Compelling Question
These are fun and engaging educational videos.
You start by asking the audience a very intriguing and rhetorical question. Then you follow up the question by clearly answering your own question, often in story format. These videos are great for getting information out there and your audience finds them valuable because they provide helpful information.
8. Humor/Skits
Getting your viewer to laugh and have fun is a great way to build a connection and likeability to your brand.
Humor is incredibly relatable and can turn a boring product or service into a fun one. By instantly generating a happy emotion you will also help solidify your brand into your audience’s memories. Plus, in a world full of boring videos yours will really stand out.
These videos are usually short and are instantly entertaining. If humor doesn’t come natural to you, look on Instagram Reels and TikTok for some viral funny videos that can inspire you. You can dress up like an exaggerated version of you and your customers. It can be a funny voiceover with you mouthing the words. It can be a funny dance and music. The possibilities are endless.
9. Round-ups
Most people have never heard of this type of video but everyone has seen one.
These are the “Top 10” type videos that are always all over social media and YouTube. These are videos about a curated list of people, places or things that relate to your business and provide valuable information to your market demographics.
Imagine the ‘Top 10 Apps in 2021’ or the ‘Top 15 Restaurants to Try in Toronto.’
These videos are medium length videos and include visuals. These can be localized and often feature a voiceover and cool graphics.
10. The Explainer/Animation
How do you explain a complicated product or process to people so they can understand and hopefully buy from you?
The Explainer video format is great for teaching an already interested audience that what you offer can work to solve their needs. These are especially great for Tech companies and B2B companies selling very intricate systems.
The Explainer video goes through the step-by-step process for how customers can use a product and how each aspect can help them. Most often, Explainer videos come with animation to better explain how things work in details that regular point and shoot filming can’t capture.
Think of an Explainer video as a very complex and dynamic infographic.
11. Company Culture
Telling your company’s story through video can really set you apart. Telling the stories of your employees takes that to a whole new level.
The Company Culture video is fantastic for lightly telling the story of your employees. By allowing the view to get to know them and know their personalities, you can also help your views understand the culture of your company as a whole.
These videos really help your market feel more comfortable with who they might be talking to and to help build an emotional connection to your employees. It makes it so easier to do business with someone if they also know and like your employees.
Moreover, this type of video is great for attracting fantastic new employees.
12. Behind the Scenes
If you have a high-ticket item or a product in an industry that’s notorious for a lack of reliability, creating a Behind the Scenes video is great for building long term trust.
This is especially true if your process is smooth, fast and very coordinated. People love to know that what they’re buying wasn’t just slapped together and sold. People want to understand that a tremendous level of planning and detail went into creating a great product that will stand the test of time.
It might sound boring to put conveyor belts and specialized machines in a video. However, if it’s done right this video format can be as exciting as any video you can create.
13. Employee Portrait
An Employee Portrait video is kind of like a combination of a Company Culture and an Interview video.
What you do is you sit down with one of your employees and ask them a series of questions relating to working at your company. Now if they’re a great and passionate employee that’s easily going to come out in the video.
This video format is more structured than a Company Culture video and it can really zero in on the exact kinds of questions your target market might wonder about your employees.
14. Web Series
The great value in a weekly episodic TV series is that it can create intense loyalty and connection.
That is what’s so great about creating a Web Series for a company. People get so interested in what’s going to happen next that they can’t help but feel connected and learn about your company.
A Web Series can act like long-term Company Culture videos or it can be like a talk show with different guests every week.
These are best if you can get your most charismatic employees to participate. Don’t be afraid to show off your products or services along the way!
15. Event Videos
Event videos can be the messiest and most entertaining video you can make.
An Event Video is basically a compilation of a series of clips from one of your company events. You just take the clips and put them together in a way that will make sense to the audience.
They have elements of a Vlog and Webinar and depending on the event you can use them to sell your products or services as well.
These videos are especially great for ritzy events because people love it when they see others dress up. Try an Event Video on social media as well. They do very well there.
16. Vlog
A Vlog video can give every viewer a feeling of a 1 on 1 experience.
A Vlog is similar to a Live video but it tends to include an employee or owner with a close up camera shot and features them sharing their thoughts on a particular topic.
These types of videos aren’t easy for everyone to do because you’ll need to talk to a camera for a good amount of time and make it smooth enough to follow along. Vlogs are great for very bubbly and outgoing people who can create some excitement all by themselves.
You can talk about something that interests you or respond to a comment by your audience. It’s best if you keep the conversation to something that relates to your business.
These are great to add to Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories or a YouTube channel.
17. Interview
An Interview video is fantastic for building massive amounts of trust with your audience.
The way to do this is to be interviewed by a well-respected person asking you hard hitting questions. Hopefully, your interviewer will have a well written script with good questions that encourage you to give in depth answers.
By being interviewed and then by being able to prove you can handle tough questions by giving thoughtful answers, you will present yourself as someone who knows what they are talking about. Your audience will see that and you’ll build their trust.
18. Podcast
This type of video is like an inverse version of an Interview.
Instead of being interviewed, you can interview various and respected people who work within or around your field by asking them questions. Typically, this is done either in person at a table or through a Zoom video chat.
By asking respected people questions you’ll establish yourself as a person on their level and you’ll attract people who are fans of that person. By attracting new people, you can build your audience.
Podcasts are best if added to YouTube because of the long form nature but short clips can be added to an social platform.
19. Live Stream
Event videos can be the messiest and most entertaining video you can make.
An Event Video is basically a compilation of a series of clips from one of your company events. You just take the clips and put them together in a way that will make sense to the audience.
They have elements of a Vlog and Webinar and depending on the event you can use them to sell your products or services as well.
These videos are especially great for ritzy events because people love it when they see others dress up. Try an Event Video on social media as well. They do very well there.
20. User Generated Content
Nothing builds trust in your brand more than content that comes directly from happy customers.
So just like Customer Testimonial videos, User Generated Content videos are a fantastic way to not just build trust but to create sales.
A User Generated Content video is a compilation of happy customers using and enjoying your product or service. All of the clips are strung together and often there is some good music to tie them all together as well.
These are not only fun videos to make but they can be fun for your customers to submit as well. Typically, social media is the best means to gather this type of content. If you have a large enough social media following you can start a hashtag contest to see which of your followers can create the best clip of them enjoying your product or service. The prize should be large enough to get people excited.
Then download their content and create your video. Make sure you let people know their videos will be used in a larger video of course.
21. Preview
Want a great way to get attention, grow your market and help ensure that the next video does well? Try a Preview video.
In a very short video, show people a sneak peek on what you are working on for your next new product, service or event. This is a great way to create a thrilling mystery for people and an opportunity to get people guessing.
The idea is to get people’s imagination going and people will be sure to follow along to find out what you have going on next.
22. Announcement
An Announcement video takes the excitement of a new product, service or event and boosts that excitement exponentially.
The key here is to use entertainment, humor or drama to amplify the news you want to share. Try to get as creative as you want. These videos are fun and are great to share with an audience that already follows you.
23. Contests/Giveaway
If you want to increase your likeability and grow your market awareness, then try Contest/Giveaway videos.
The key here is to create a video or two offering a free and valuable prize in exchange for people tagging their friends on social media. By tagging their friends, you grow your brand awareness in people’s social circles. Typically, you will randomly pick a winner out of all of the people who qualified for your contest.
You can even follow up with an Announcement video or a Live Stream to let everyone know who won the prize.
Thanks for checking out the list of the 23 best performing videos for social media!
If you like what you’ve read and are interested in taking social videos to a whole new professionally-shot level, then let’s chat! We have years of experience in creating videos like these and would love to work with you.
Interested in taking social videos to a whole new professionally-shot level?
Let’s chat! We have years of experience in creating videos like these and would love to work with you.
