At a glance
Video content marketing uses helpful videos to answer the questions people ask before buying. Start with a small group of related topics, plan filming and shorter versions together, and decide where each video will be used. Review what people watch and do next before planning the next series.
In this guide
Your team answers questions every day: what happens in an assessment, how a product works or what a client needs to prepare. Those conversations are a useful starting point for a video content series.
Choose subjects your team can explain with examples. A demonstration can show the steps in a task, an interview can explain your approach, and a client story can help someone assess whether your service suits them.
Watch: How to create a video content marketing campaign · 2 min 15 sec
Give each video a clear purpose
Before choosing a format, write down who the video is for and what you want them to learn or do after watching.
For example, a consultancy could film a short video about what happens during a first assessment, so prospective clients know what to expect before booking. A product demonstration might show an existing customer how to complete a task.
For each topic, record:
- The question you’re answering and who’s asking it.
- The main point the viewer needs to understand.
- Where you’ll publish or share the video.
- What the viewer can do next.
- How you’ll assess whether it was useful.
Use recent enquiries and conversations with your sales or client-service team to find topics. Check what your audience already knows so you can explain the subject without unnecessary jargon or background.
Choose a format that suits the subject
A team interview can work well when someone needs to explain an approach in their own words. A demonstration is useful when the viewer needs to see how something works. A behind-the-scenes video can show your team at work.
A client testimonial lets someone describe their experience of working with you. An animated explainer can help with an idea that’s difficult to capture on camera.
Let the subject determine the length. An introduction may only need a short edit, while a detailed walkthrough needs enough time to make the steps clear. Remove repetition, but keep the information the viewer came for.
Make the opening specific. Tell viewers what you’ll explain or show, then get into it. Check that captions are accurate and that important on-screen information is readable on a phone.
Plan several topics for the same filming day
If the same people and location are needed for several videos, it makes sense to plan them together. You can prepare the questions, organise filming and collect supporting footage for the whole series.
For TXM, a consultancy working with manufacturers, we recorded over 15 videos during a single shoot. Each covered a particular question or part of the company’s work. TXM released the series across the year, avoiding the need to arrange filming each month.
We took the same approach with SACS, a psychological assessment consultancy. Each video covered one subject in detail, so prospective clients could hear the team explain their work.
Start with a manageable group of related topics. Check which need a speaker, a demonstration, a client interview or footage of the work itself. Allow enough time to explain each subject properly when deciding how many videos to film.
Allow time for approval. A series isn’t ready to use until someone has checked the facts, wording and finished edits. Include that review in the publishing schedule.
Plan shorter versions before you film
Decide which videos need a full explanation and which also need shorter versions for social posts or email introductions.
For example, you might plan one complete interview and two short answers that can be watched independently. Tell the production team where the videos will appear so they can plan the camera framing, supporting footage and captions.
Each shorter edit needs enough context to make sense on its own. Identify the speaker where necessary, make the subject clear and keep any qualification that affects the meaning. Don’t cut a client’s answer into a stronger claim than they actually made.
A checked transcript can also provide material for an accompanying article or email. Review it for accuracy and rewrite it for the reader rather than publishing an unedited transcript.
If you’re filming a conference, our guide to turning event footage into a content library explains how to plan several videos from the same event.
Decide where each video will be used
Choose channels based on where you already reach the intended audience. You don’t need to publish every video everywhere.
A process explanation might belong on the relevant service page. A detailed answer could sit inside a helpful article. A short excerpt could introduce the subject on LinkedIn and point people to the fuller explanation.
If you use YouTube, give the video a descriptive title and a useful description. Embed it on the relevant website page with enough surrounding text for visitors to understand why it’s there.
In an email, explain why the video is relevant and link to the page where the recipient can watch it. Avoid sending a video link without context.
Keep a simple publishing list showing each topic, the final file, where it will be published, who’s responsible and the publication date. Choose a schedule your team can maintain, including time to answer questions and keep the information current.
Make the next step relevant
An educational video might lead to a related guide or a fuller demonstration. A video explaining your service might lead to an enquiry. Put the relevant link beside the video or in its description, and make sure it takes people to the right place.
If you offer a downloadable resource, explain what it contains and make any sign-up requirement clear before someone clicks through.
Your sales team can also use the videos to answer questions between meetings. Our sales video funnel guide explains how to choose videos for different stages of a buying decision.
Review what people watch and do next
Return to the purpose you set at the start. View counts show how often a video was watched. They don’t tell you whether it answered someone’s question or led to an enquiry.
If your video platform provides the data, check how long people watch, where they stop and whether they click through to the next page. Look at relevant enquiries too. Ask your sales team which videos they use and what questions still come up afterwards.
Use the findings to make a specific change. If viewers leave before the explanation begins, test a more direct opening. If they watch but don’t follow the link, check whether the next step is relevant and easy to find. Change one element at a time where practical so you can learn from the comparison.
Put results in context. A video may contribute to an enquiry alongside several other conversations or pieces of content. Treat small samples cautiously and avoid giving one video sole credit for the result.
Start with a useful first series
Choose a small set of questions your team answers regularly. Agree on who will explain them, where the videos will be used and who will manage approval and publishing. Review the response before planning the next group.
Bring those questions to a production company and explain who you want to reach, where you’ll share the videos and when you need them. You don’t need a finished script to begin planning the filming and edits.
For more advice on using video to support enquiries, explore our video marketing and lead generation guides.
Ryan Spanger is the founder and managing director of Dream Engine, a Melbourne video production company established in 2002. Over the past two decades, he’s produced hundreds of videos for businesses, government departments, universities and healthcare organisations across Australia. Ryan specialises in helping organisations explain complex ideas through clear, engaging video content, with particular experience in corporate communications, training and education.
