The Top 8 Business Video Formats to Choose From
Which of These Business Video Formats Is Right for Your Brand or Business? Here Are the Top 8.
There are many different business video formats. If you watch online video, you know it’s true.
There are multiple styles, and different conceptual areas that businesses tend to use.
So, for the benefit of marketers and business owners everywhere, I’ve put together this handy list of popular formats.
Business Video Formats
Let’s say you’ ve already decided that you need a video for your website.
Now you need to choose WHAT KIND of video. Which of these storytelling formats will work best to tell your story?
#1. The Talking Head
Number one on the list is perhaps the most basic of business video formats—a person talking to camera.
In a business video, the talking head format can be used in various ways. Maybe it’s an interview, with an off-camera voice asking questions. Or a presentation, with the talking head explaining a product or a process.
it could also be a testimonial, where the talking head is one of your customers.
The talking head can also act as a spokesperson—a representative of your company. This could be you, a knowledgable sales person, or a paid actor.
You can also use multiple people in a talking head video. That’s where snippets of dialogue are edited together, cutting from person to person, giving the impression that customers say similar things. This is also known as an “On the Street Interview.”
Which leads us to our next video format:
#2. The Montage
Number two on the list of business video formats is the montage. That’s where multiple video clips are edited together, flowing from one image or idea to the next. As mentioned above, this can include cutting from person to person. But a montage video doesn’t have to use dialogue at all.
It can also be used to show highlights. Sports montages are common on ESPN. Or it can be used for a video tour, showing multiple details of an overall scene.
For example, a home tour video might feature close-up shots of the kitchen appliances, the backsplash tile, the dining area, the master bath, edited together to a music track.
It can also be a tour of a trade show or business conference—showing various exhibits, speakers and events.
A montage can also tell a story, highlighting important events. This is also known as a “Day in the Life” format.
#3. Photo Slideshow
If you’re on a tight budget, a photo slideshow can be a more affordable alternative to a video montage.
As the name implies, it uses photography instead of moving images. But the effect is very similar to a montage. You’re editing images together, and can add camera movement during the editing process to emphasize specific parts of each picture (known as the “Ken Burns Effect”).
Photo slideshows can also incorporate other effects, such as parallax.
#4. Scripted Scene
In a scripted scene, characters act out an idea. They don’t talk to the camera, they talk to each other.
It’s like a scene from a movie or TV show. We shoot characters in a location or environment, from multiple angles, acting out a script.
In the world of business video, scripted scenes can be used to re-enact a problem, to show real-life examples, or to inject humor.
They can also work in B2B. Imagine characters in a meeting, or having a conversation at work. A scripted scene is a wonderful format for storytelling.
#5. Product Demo
Number five on my list of business video formats is the demonstration video, or product demo. Some business videos are designed for a specific purpose. For example, explaining how a website works, or showing product features.
This is where a product demo video comes in handy. It literally shows how something works, step-by-step.
A cooking show is an example—it’s a demonstration of how a dish is prepared.
Many product launches include a demonstration video of some kind, showing product features and explaining the details of how the product works.
Demonstration videos are also common for employee training. They might show the correct way to install something, or new techniques to use in a sales call.
Demonstration videos are also known as How-to and Explainer Videos.
#6. Video Tips
This is one of my favorite types of video marketing—a series of short videos that offer handy tips or expert advice.
For example, a furniture manufacturer might explain the differences between good and cheap construction. Or a landscaper might offer advice for caring for plants.
Video Tips tend to be short and easy to produce (it isn’t uncommon to shoot ten in a day). So they’re not only cost effective, they’re perfect for social media videos.
#7. Animated Graphics
Number seven on my list of business video formats is animated graphics.
Infographics are very popular in website design. They’re those little bits of artwork that illustrate abstract ideas.
They tend to be simple shapes and objects—a coffee cup, a pencil, a house, a smartphone. They can also be bar charts, pie charts and other types of graphics.
To create animation videos, we can borrow existing vector art files and animate them in simple ways. Maybe the bars in a bar chart move. Or the hands of a clock turn. Graphics can be paired with typography to communicate a story, or with audio from a voice over announcer.
Use More Than One?
There’s no rule that says you have to follow any one of these format ideas. There are ways to combine different formats into your own unique approach.
Maybe it’s video tips that use animated graphics. Or a scripted scene that incorporates a product demo.
That’s why the last of our business video formats is…
#8. Combination Video
Maybe we start with a talking head, then while they continue talking, cut away to a montage or animated graphics. Or maybe our video tips include a product demonstration.
It’s all about communication—what you’re trying to say, and finding the best way to say it.
In conclusion, I hope you find this list helpful. Maybe it will spark some new ideas for your next video project.
About the Author:
Harry Hayes is the owner and executive producer at Content Puppy Productions, a corporate video production agency based in Charlotte. Before starting Content Puppy, he spent 20+ years as an advertising writer and creative director.
