Want to crank up your video marketing a notch? Want to get better traction and more interaction? Then this post is the answer to your video content marketing dreams.
I’ve shared what to use when you don’t want to do video, how to optimize video for search and how to use Magisto, but what if you’re looking for some a little different, perhaps something more creative?
Here are fifty creative video marketing ideas you can try, remember to tweak and adapt them to your industry for the best results.
- Host a video contest and publish the best video. This can generate a lot of fun and buzz while getting you a great cloud-sourced video ad. For a great example of this, see the Gmail video contests or do a search for the Marie Forleo B-School scholarship videos.
- Do a parody or remix of a popular video. If you can parody a popular video right as it’s taking off, you can often get hundreds of thousands of hits. My favourite is the Instagram Song, sung to the tune of Nickleback’s Photograph.
- Upload a few video testimonials. Having others see how much people love your product or service can have a powerful effect and video testimonials are almost impossible to fake.
- Do a how-to video series. People love learning, especially on a specific topic that they’re passionate about.
- Demonstrate a product. It can either be your own or someone else’s. Demonstrate it via Google Hangout Live and then share it in blog posts and via your You Tube Channel.
- Answer common questions. Do one video per question, or a bunch of questions in one video like I do on my social media hangouts
- Address common objections to taking action. Find out what excuses people commonly have to not taking action and tackle them head on in a video.
- Reconrd an inspirational speech on video.
- Subtitle an existing video. If there’s an existing video in your market, one quick way to get a lot of views is to reproduce it with subtitles. Make sure there are no copyright issues before doing this.
- Tell a story visually. Use a storyboard to walk them through a story that has a lesson in the end.
- Do a stop motion graphic. These are very difficult to create, but have a tendency to go viral when they’re done well.
- Hire a professional voiceover from Fiverr. If you have just the visuals and don’t want to use your personal voice, get someone from Fiverr to do the voiceover for just $5.
- Get someone else on camera to teach. Have someone well known in your industry teach on camera.
- Create a slideshow video. Use a slideshow from PowerPoint to create a video. Narrate each slide to walk people through the slides.
- Guide someone through an experience. For example, a guided meditation or a guided writing exercise.
- Do a membership that ships a video every month or a video exclusive newsletter
- Use video on your sales page and squeeze page. You can often get higher conversions through video landing pages than any other kind of landing page.
- Show the behind the scenes of your business. People love seeing the nitty gritty of how things are done.
- Let them get to know your team. Introduce other people in the office on video show them who answers the phones and who packs the deliveries.
- Plan and perform a publicity stunt. Do something gutsy in public and film it.
- Piggyback off a popular current topic. For example, do an election video during the elections.
- Do a screencast. Record your screen while demonstrating something, teaching your customers a new skill is always a winner.
- Tell a story from your life about your topic.
- Share a random thought or rant. Don’t edit the video, be totally uncut.
- Say something controversial or take an uncommon stance
- Do a timelapse video. Setup a video camera and let it film for a long time, then condense it all into a few minutes.
- Prove or disprove a myth.
- Pose a puzzle or question. Then answer the question in a later video. This gets a lot of people involved and also gives you the chance to provide content later.
- Show and tell your tools. For example, if you’re teaching how to fish, do a video specifically on all the different kinds of rods, reels and baits.
- Talk about a mistake you saw someone make. Dissect it and show them how to avoid that mistake for themselves.
- Do a public poll and film it. Go into the public and ask people their opinions on a certain topic. Post it to show what popular opinion is in a certain field.
- Ask employees of distributors questions. For example, if you have a fishing site, call up the fishing rod manufacturer and ask them questions about the rods.
- Host an in person competition and put that on video. For example, have a fishing contest, interview the winner and put the whole thing on video.
- Issue a challenge and ask people to submit videos. For example, challenge your audience to catch a certain sized fish using only a certain bait. Whoever can show video proof wins a prize.
- Give advice to yourself from when you first started. Film a video as if you were talking to a past self, then publish that video.
- Explain the theory behind something. Instead of just teaching how to, share the why.
- Talk about the emotional difficulties clients may face on their journey.
- Do something ridiculous on video. Make it funny or just plain outrageous.
- Post a video response. If your response is good, it might get picked up in the “related videos” tab and get a lot of views.
- Explain the laws around your industry.
- Cover an event. For example, a live seminar, conference or trade show.
- Have people hold up index cards with statements. You’ll need at least a dozen to make a good video.
- Video blog your entire day. Then speed it up and show people what your day is like.
- Impersonate someone. For example, if you’re a piano teacher, try dressing up like Lady Gaga or Elvis for a lesson.
- Unbox a product. Unpack a new product while explaining exactly what makes it special. A product reveal is always popular with die-hard fans
- Do a hidden camera video of something. For example, go behind the curtains at a concert and show people what that’s really like.
- Introduce yourself to your audience. Tell them who you are and what you care about.
- Make a list video. For example, 25 tips on how to do X.
- Co-ordinate with other successful video producers. Publish the video to both of your lists to get more reach.
Okay, that’s 49 creative video marketing ideas from me… I’d like one from you now. Leave your creative video marketing idea as a comment.
About the Author – Sarah Arrow
Sarah is the Content Creation Expert at Sark eMedia.
