Before you pull out your phone and start filming, you need to know what types of video you can choose from. Each video serves a different purpose, so it's essential you pick the perfect video for your audience and where they are in the buyer's journey.
1: How-Tos
Probably one of the most common types of video in the building materials industry, how-tos are exactly what their name claims: they show the audience how to do something. These are great for explanations around installation and troubleshooting your specific products, or you can use them to teach newcomers the basics they need to thrive in your niche.
2: Demonstrations
Demonstration, or demo, videos are a great way to showcase how your product works. For example, you can walk through how one of your products solves common problems faced by your target audience. Or, if your main value prop is durability, you can create a video putting the product under a stress test.
3: Events
Now that the pandemic is “over”, trade shows are becoming increasingly popular again. If you're already manning a booth, why not kill two birds with one stone and create a video out of it? You can do a timelapse of people visiting the booth, create a highlight reel or get sound bites from visitors.
4: Interviews
Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to sell your brand. Normally, you can't easily control who hears what about your company, but with interviews, you can (at least a little). Have a loyal builder or contractor who's your number one customer? Get them on camera explaining why they pick you over and over. Hearing it from someone just like them is a great way to influence other builders and contractors.
5: Case Studies
Case studies don't have to be boring, dry, multi-page documents. Make them fun and entertaining for your target audience by putting it into video. Show clips of the project before, during the installation process and after while throwing in interviews with the installers and buyers and it's a recipe for the perfect video.
6: Live
Have some downtime at an event? Seeing an uptick in the same questions recently? Go live! Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok make going live fast and easy. Your audience will love getting to ask you questions and hearing the answer "in person" without ever having to leave their desk. As a bonus, you can combine going live with an interview and draw in even more viewers. Plus, you can save the video to reuse over and over again.
7: Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are becoming more and more popular with customers. If you are already investing in either of these for your website, why not use it for video too? Record a walkthrough of a project, explaining key selling points along the way.
8: Personalized
Personalized video works best for high-dollar, high-touch companies. Use personalized videos to address a potential customer's specific pain points or send a personalized thank you video after the sale to keep them coming back. Every customer loves to feel seen, and a personalized video does just that.
9: Behind the Scenes
Everyone loves a good behind-the-scenes video. A brand that feels too perfect and polished doesn't always feel trustworthy. So let them see how the sausage — or roofing material — is made. Or, if you've gotten feedback that your brand feels too sterile, try a funny "bloopers" video of employees — it's instant humanization of your company.
10: User-Generated
Similar to interviews, most builders and contractors trust the word of other builders and contractors the most, so use that to your advantage. Share videos created by your customers. They get wider exposure, and you get proof you're trusted by industry professionals. Plus, you get content to use that you didn't have to take the time or money to make.
11: Company Story
Similar to interviews, most builders and contractors trust the word of other builders and contractors the most, so use that to your advantage. Share videos created by your customers. They get wider exposure, and you get proof you're trusted by industry professionals. Plus, you get content to use that you didn't have to take the time or money to make.
12: Ads
Short and sweet, ad videos are the most important type of video to make your point quickly and clearly. These videos draw attention to a specific product (or sometimes a product line) in order to create awareness, push people further down the buyer's journey or get them to contact your sales team. Make sure it's short and packs a punch.
13: Product Launch
When you're launching a new product or product line, this is the video type you need. They showcase the new product, telling the why behind its creation, what pain points it solves and any other important information you want your audience to know. Launch videos will set the tone for the product or line, so it's important to get it right.
14: Customer Testimonials and Success Stories
People love a success story so why not give it to them? These work great on your product pages, especially when you can have a customer talk about why they love a specific product. After all, happy customers are your best advocates. Just make sure the story the customer tells is genuine and shows how the product solved their problem or achieved a goal.
15: FAQs
Last, but not least, is the FAQ video. These videos are a great way to show answers to a question your team gets a lot. You can either do a longer video with time stamps so the viewer can easily jump around, or you can do one video per question. The choice depends on where you are going to host and share the video. If you don't want to choose, do the longer video and then you can cut out individual questions to share on social media.