The 7 Best Business Video Examples That Will Make Your Marketing Strategy Soar

Which one of your elevator rides are you the most proud of? Oh, you’re not proud of them? 

That’s understandable. We don’t think about how elevators work, just like we don’t think about the brand behind attention-grabbing videos. And yet both work.

We don’t take the elevator for excitement, but for convenience and time-saving. In a way, corporate videos are the elevators of marketing: You simply push a button to get from A to B, and if you want to get to the fancy lounge on the 67th floor, it’s a lifesaver.

Why You Need To Start Creating Business Videos

Brand videos are an essential part of every content strategy, alongside written content, social media and vivid graphics. We’re not here to tell you one is better than the other. 

But consider this: Even the strictest English teacher cannot resist that play button for an explainer video when the conditions are just right. Maybe a tutorial helped them learn how a social media strategist assembles a content calendar. Maybe they wanted to learn how to make their soufflé extra fluffy. Maybe they used the convenience of an animated explainer video with subtitles because their hands were covered in flour.

We won’t judge. But it’s worth considering why visuals are so powerful instead of stating that they are. Whether it’s a founding story we identify with, interest in a feature we’re figuring out or sheer curiosity — something pulls you in. 

So let’s look at why different video ads “just work,” and how you can use that knowledge to inform your marketing strategy and grow your business.

Before You Start Rolling, Consider That Your Brand Probably Has a Type

Before you plan your rise to Netflix-like stardom with your branded animation series, you may want to sit down in your director’s chair and map out at which points (that’s plural) video content will serve your target audience. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but once that picture starts moving, you want to know whether you’re saying “Welcome to our store” or “Thanks for your business.”

We’ve covered a myriad of corporate video types, so now we want to give you some orientation on the reason you might choose a product video over testimonial videos or more personalized videos.

Growing Your Brand vs. Growing Your Business: Video as a Traffic Source

As the world becomes more remote, we need to tell our grandchildren why grandpa used to complain about traffic. These days, we can’t get enough of it, and video content is a big part of it. But before you think about getting your target audience glued to the screen, you have to warm them up. Nobody likes to buy from strangers. So we’ll create some buzz first and then see how you can get your viewers to engage.

First, we’ll look at the top of your marketing funnel where you generate interest and raise brand awareness using organic and paid results in search and on social media. At this stage, viewers may not know your brand or product yet, so you’ll choose different formats compared to later.

Imagine your brand just moved to a new neighborhood and is introducing itself at a party. Everyone wants to know where they got that nice shirt, what’s the secret behind their delicious salad and the story of moving there. That’s your branding, maybe a casual offer and your storytelling.

You’ve got lots of options to tell your story and show viewers who you are so they can identify with your brand’s values. 

• Company culture videos.
• Product videos.
• Promotional videos.
• Short-form video blogs (or vlogs).
• Tutorials.
• Interviews.
• Skits.
• Explainer videos.

At this stage, you want to keep it simple. Your viewers should relate to values, humor and stories. Don’t overtax them with technical tutorials before they know what you’re selling.

The 7 Best Examples of Compelling Corporate Videos

No matter what type of video you include in your content strategy, it should serve a strategic goal within your marketing funnel. Identify actions viewers are supposed to take, which will differ based on where they are in their customer journey.

Consumers make buying decisions based on beliefs, status, culture, and curiosity. Mix these factors for each persona at each state.

With that being said, let’s look at the best types of video content to create to serve those interests as well as your business.

1. Delta

Delta is one of the most valuable airlines on the planet, and yet they don’t use their video ads to sell you flights but to tell you about the Odyssey.

2. Linktree

Linktree is among the fastest growing startups we’ve seen over the last years. Their introduction is more of a product video, but it still makes it all about who you are.

3. Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair keeps delivering prime examples of explainer videos that combine celebrities with humor. These series pay off in positioning them as a go-to source for entertainment and media affairs.

4. Cradlewise

Cradlewise is one of the fastest growing startups of the last few years, and one of their first videos was a simple silent video with subtitles explaining their self-learning crib to parents. A great lesson in respecting those customers who might not be able to listen right now!

5. Notion

At a time when just about any SaaS company integrates AI solutions, Notion doesn’t advertise “automated” chatbots, whose immediate value is always hard to grasp. Instead, they use storytelling and a simple hook: A pressing deadline at the office.

6. John West

The Office and other mockumentaries like Curb Your Enthusiasm have certainly left their mark on the media landscape. Occasionally, we’re still tricked by a grainy nature recording captioned by a British speaker, as John West so hilariously proves.

7. GoPro

Let’s round this list off with a kitten! The danger with animal videos is that you rely only on viewers saying “Aww!” and moving on with their lives. GoPro offers a great example of including a cat in the user-generated content they’re already posting. We’re glad that kitty made it, aren’t you?

Build Authority by Showing Your Business as the Niche Expert

So how can you learn from all those examples and video types and find the right mix for your brand? It’s not about the best camera lens or your posting schedule, but about showing who you are. 

We like who we trust and we buy from those we like. If you become a household name for getting insights, you can use that authority and brand awareness as leverage for future sales.

Here are some business video examples to build authority:

• Explainer videos: Take a technical question in your niche and break it down, even if it doesn’t relate to your offering.
• Q&As: Use your social media channels to engage your audience. Have them send in questions about your brand, product or industry.
• Curation: Become your industry’s news room. Curate the latest trends from all over the web and curate them into a digestible format.
• Case studies: Show your work and explain how your offering helped clients get to the next level. 
• Tutorials: Take your audience through common problems during setup or help them navigate your corner of the industry.
• Interviews: Either talk to experts in your field or expand your reach by talking to influencers.
• Webinars: Host training sessions and live events for common problems and solve them in an hour. Turn desperation into fandom in no time.
• Critiques/rants: Make sure these fit your brand first. If they do, being a little contrarian can get critical minds on board with your brand while positioning you as the expert. Win-win!

Be Approachable and Offer a Peak Behind the Curtain

To build brand loyalty among hardcore fans, offer an inside look at your company culture and industry expertise. These fans already know you, so you can take a more casual approach in these videos, if your brand allows it.

Here are some ideas for in-depth business video formats:

• Internal communication: Share team meetings that provide value to your audience.
• Recruiting: Use videos to show your company culture and values, and even advertise open positions.
• Meet-the-team videos: Share personal stories from your team to make your brand more relatable.
• Behind-the-scenes videos: Show off interesting aspects of your company, while maintaining a consistent brand image.

You can choose how open or private you want to be in your videos. Experimenting with different styles and formats is always an option.

Just 3 years ago, Apple employees would show use cases like planning a vacation in their presentations, sharing “private” photos and making jokes in a scripted format.

Recently, Apple has been adding more effects to its keynotes while also shifting focus to the user rather than individual employees.

Both strategies have their merits. You need to consider a range of practical issues and branding decisions when deciding which one to strive for.

How To Elevate Your Corporate Videos

To grab viewer attention, you have to deliver high-quality videos. Every high school student has a 4K camera in their pocket, so you can’t expect to get any attention with grainy images or muffled sound.

To ensure your videos serve a marketing strategy, you need to draft a video marketing strategy. To ensure they’re serving your strategy, you need creative standards.

So before you even record the first video, think about your production and everything it requires.

• Types of videos and scripts needed.
• Set design and brand details.
• Sound and lighting equipment.
• Potential for AR/VR or 360 videos.

You want to employ proper technique in video SEO, CTAs and in choosing your distribution channels. You also need to know your stats. If you want to reach a young target audience, choosing TikTok over YouTube or Instagram Reels could be part of your strategy. From a CTA for your email campaign to the right mic stand for your testimonial video — every brand asset is carried by a lot of technical minutiae that you’ll never see. Which brings us to our last question…

How Do You Best Tell Your Company’s Story Through Video?

Every good story, whether it’s in a novel or a video, follows a story arc. This means you need to throw your audience off balance by presenting them with a relatable problem that is resolved just before the end.

Storytelling is unique to your brand, and requires a different set of skills than the technical aspects of video production. Think of locations, events, hobbies or jobs that fit your brand’s offering naturally, and create an arc that takes your viewers through the journey — from their initial problem to the solution.

You don’t need a giant production team to create effective videos for your small business. Even a few spontaneous clips or testimonial videos can go a long way.