1. Repurposed Television Commercial
A lot of companies start out slowly with online video, simply taking a previously-filmed television commercial and placing it online. Read more
2. Viral Video
A logical follow-up to our first example is the web-intended viral video–an ad or other video created solely for the purpose of getting views online, often through word-of-mouth.Read more
3. Branded Web Series
A trend I happen to like a lot is the branded web series. This is when a company eschews traditional advertising techniques (and even traditional viral video techniques) to create original webisodes. Read more
4. Product Placement
A form of video marketing that’s gaining lots of traction lately, and which Grant wrote about recently, is product placement.Read more
5. Demonstration/Product Videos
A lot of online retailers are finding success with product demonstration videos, which have been shown to increase conversions.Read more
6. Testimonials
No one is a better cheerleader for your business than customers who are happy. The happiest among them will often be willing to help you spread the word by recording video testimonials.Read more
7. Fan Videos & Mentions
For the rabid fans of particular brands, testimonials aren’t enough. These super fans go one step further, creating videos about or mentioning the brand they love.Read more
8. Video Display Ads
Many companies prefer to create short video ads that run as display ads on popular websites. It’s a more reliable way to ensure viewers–since a viral video attempt has no assurance of getting views, but top publishing sites can usually promise certain pageview numbers.Read more
9. Non-Video Ads Placed On Video Pages
Sometimes you can leverage video to your advantage by non-video means. Specifically, you can place an ad on a video network, like Adsense on YouTube videos. Brands can also place a static display ad on a page that carries video,Read more
10. Special Messages
Sometimes a piece of news or a current event warrants special messages from brands. A good example is the apology video from BLANK airlines.Read more
11. Contests
A popular and very inexpensive technique for using video is to sponsor a contest. Ask your customers to create videos for you, with the best one winning a prize.Read more
12. Internal Communications/Business Processes
As IBM and Microsoft have shown us recently, many companies have begun replacing traditional office tasks with video. It’s fast, easily distributed, and provides better context than text alone can. Read more
