Think you have to work at a crazy cool digital media agency or leading technology startup to create a fantastic industry video? Think again!
Industry videos are an amazing tool for almost any company in any industry. They offer the perfect opportunity to educate your audience and teach them a bit about what you do.
But before we get too deep in the weeds, let’s break down what exactly an industry video is and how they can benefit your company.
What is an industry video?
An industry video highlights the opportunities within your industry as a whole, (but not necessarily your brand,) and teaches people about an important topic, trend, process, or question directly related to the field or industry you’re in. Similar to an educational video, these videos aim to teach or inspire, but are less focused on a customer’s direct pain point and instead zero in on more general information that’s useful to know.
Look at these videos as informative resources about your industry. What’s a common misconception about the industry you work in? Is there something very difficult to understand about it that you could simplify? Are there common questions you get asked often that you could answer for an interested audience?
Take a look at this example from the philanthropic network Council on Foundations, which showed industry leaders answering a question related to their industry: how can philanthropy help communities?
Not only is this filmed at an industry event, but it addresses a very relevant topic those interested in the work being done by the Council on Foundations would want to know.
When should I use an industry video?
Industry videos shouldn’t be heavily branded since their primary aim is to educate the audience. That essentially means you should use industry videos at the top of the funnel, when you’re trying to reach a broad audience that isn’t necessarily ready to convert.
Because your target here is new customers, they’re likely unaware of your brand but are conducting lots of research. Before you introduce yourself, use your video to provide useful, informative, and practical details about your trade. Your industry videos should establish you as an expert in the field and help build your trust and credibility as a thought leader.
Trying to boost your SEO?
Because these videos address common industry topics, they’re a great magnet for organic search traffic. Just be sure you include commonly searched phrases and keywords in your video, and embed the video on a page with a full transcript – or at the very least, include these keywords in your video’s title and description.
Need broad-appeal content to advertise?
If you’re looking for a piece of content for a second touchpoint—one that engages the audience after they’ve had some interaction with your brand—an industry video could be the way to go. Though we’re still talking top-of-funnel here, an industry video could help your brand establish authority, helping cement your name in a viewer’s mind more long term. Whether that’s by stumbling onto your video or seeing it via direct, targeted advertising, providing useful information is a great way to reach the exact audience you want to reach.
Want to create value through content?
When you consistently provide valuable information, you build brand trust – which is tantamount to closing a sale. Creating a series of informational videos, including industry videos, enables you to establish trust over time. If that’s your goal, (a great goal for customer retention, too, by the way,) then industry videos are the way to go.
What makes a good industry video?
The content of every industry video can vary widely, but there are a few things you can do to ensure you’re making the best video possible.
- Be informative.
Industry videos shouldn’t be promotional or gimmicky. They should be informative and the viewer should leave knowing more than they did before they started watching.
- Be concise.
If you don’t have five minutes’ worth of content, don’t make your video five minutes long. Yes, you want to teach your audience about something, but that doesn’t mean spewing long, rambling thoughts that don’t add value. Be concise and to the point.
- Be easy to find.
Where does your audience hang out? Where do you anticipate they’ll look for your content? Whether you create a special section on your website to house your videos, or just upload them to your audience’s favorite video platform (probably YouTube), your industry videos should be easy to find.
- Be relevant.
Industry topics are great to cover because there’s usually a timely angle that can make your video relevant. Did a new industry tool launch? Was there a new development or discovery in your industry? Was news just released that’s going to change how you or your customers operate? Talk about it! This isn’t just valuable, it’ll make you
- Be fun!
Even stuffy, corporate B2B industries can have fun with their industry videos. A few editing tricks, some cool graphics, or even just the right soundtrack could be all it takes to your show your fun side.
Where should I publish my industry video?
You can publish your industry video almost anywhere, (one of the awesome perks of industry videos,) but here are a few places where your video will go a little further.
Blog
Blogs are by nature informative, making them a great platform for your educational industry videos. Depending on the topic you cover in your video, you can create a unique blog post, feature your video there, and then transcribe it, giving you not just a ton of content to promote, but perfectly contextualizing what you’re talking about.
Social Channels
Is there anything you can’t promote on social? Social channels are awesome avenues for short, informative content. Though you’ve likely already got fans on your social pages who know who you are, promoting your industry videos here can help you educate your audience and deepen their engagement.
Paid Advertising
Like we mentioned earlier, paid advertising can help you retarget users who’ve already interacted with you at least once before. When used in ads, your industry videos will help your brand build trust and credibility, a benefit that will pay off big time when your audience is finally ready to commit to a purchase.
Landing Pages
Have you created any topic-specific landing pages or paid ad landing pages that deal with the topic your video is about? Though you might want to more heavily feature a promo or product video on any paid ad landing pages, you can add supplementary information lower down, when users have scrolled down in interest. You can also embed your industry videos in category landing pages, which users find and navigate to organically.
Industry Websites or Newsletters
Don’t just stick to owned promotion – expand your horizons! Do a little industry outreach and see if there are websites or newsletters in your niche who publish guest content. If your video is relevant, they’ll likely be happy to publish it, giving you exposure to a new audience.
Conclusion
Wondering if your company can benefit from launching an industry video? Luckily, finding out is easy. Working with the right video production agency means you’ll not only get a great video at an affordable price, you’ll build an inclusive video strategy to optimize your video for success. Better yet, the right video will build your brand and your credibility among your target audience and your industry peers, as well.