In the age before social media, marketing teams tended to regard video content for a business as a primarily costly and eventful undertaking, with content often used for television. It meant that doing video work was infrequent, and shoots for small businesses who could afford them were few and far between.
Today, with so much of our lives spent online and with more than 80% of traffic online being video traffic, it’s clear that video has progressed tremendously and is now used in a myriad of ways. Long gone are the days of TVCs leading the way for branded video; we now face social videos such as YouTube pre-rolls, moving banner images, TikToks and Instagram Reels, tutorials and how-to guides, and of course - brand videos.
We’ll go through the key differences between two of these most popular types of videos - Branding Videos and Social Videos - so you can feel more confident and informed when it comes to navigating video content creation for your business.
It’s clear that in 2022, there’s no one singular way to do video content properly. So where do you begin? At the beginning, of course - understanding which category the type of video you’re looking to create falls into. It might not seem feasible for you to spend thousands on a video shoot for one single Instagram Reel, and yet for a video that showcases your company in a pitch deck or on your website’s home page, it might be more understandable.
What purpose will your video serve? This should be your primary consideration. Think about whether this project will be representative of your brand and all that it does, or whether it zooms in on something specific, like highlighting your company’s playful brand voice, or showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at a production or manufacturing process.
Where will it “live”, so to speak - fleeting on your Instagram stories or on the About page of your website? Which audience will it be speaking to, or rather, wherein your customer journey is the audience that will view it - are these customers who have sought out your website because of an active desire to engage in your products or services, or are they mildly interested and browsing, needing some nurturing?
Of course, the easiest way to tell apart Branding Videos from Social Videos is simply from the look of them. Branding Videos generally possess higher production value, are shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio and convey what your business does as well as your brand persona in a clear, impressive and engaging way. These can be a little longer in duration as well, from 1 minute to 10 depending on the business. Social Videos, on the other hand, tend to be more rawer - they are the content that gets shared around by users, the quick snippets that tend to be 15 seconds to 3 minutes, and the content that shows the authenticity and substance behind your company. Social video content exists to give something for your audience to engage with and interact with, keeping you front of mind.
Is one more important than the other? Not necessarily; it all depends on where your business is at, and what its current needs are. At the end of the day, having a social media presence for your company is increasingly being considered a necessity in the modern digital era, and in order to have eyeballs landing on your business, it’s crucial to be posting content consistently.
Want to learn more about avails’ Social Video packages? Click here for more info and book in your shoot with our squad of professionals today.
