Video’s ubiquity in the digital landscape has made the medium a crucial component of marketing. In fact, a 2024 report showed that 89% of consumers desired video content from brands. 87% of consumers even said that quality videos increased their trust in a brand, while 82% said it persuaded purchase.
To best leverage video marketing for your business, you need to identify the different types of videos and how they can serve you. Below, we narrow down the types of videos by length, purpose, and medium.
Types of videos by length
There are two main types of videos: short-form and long-form. The conventions of each vary by the platform you use.
Short-form videos
Short-form videos are designed to be digested efficiently. They often appear in platforms dedicated to short-form videos, namely Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok. The maximum length of a short-form video varies by platform:
- Instagram: 90 seconds
- YouTube Shorts: 3 minutes
- TikTok: 10 minutes
Short-form videos are typically shot in portrait mode, making them mobile-friendly. They are also typically cheaper to produce. Because they can convey messages without demanding much of the viewer’s time, they are the preferred medium for paid ads.
As time restrictions limit the format’s video to communicate complex ideas, short-form videos usually focus on simple topics, with creators using engaging hooks to drive engagement.
Long-form videos
Long-form videos include any type of video that exceeds the maximum length a platform assigns to a short-form video. If short-form videos aim to attract audiences, long-form videos aim to deepen brand-audience relationships. They maximize the available time to provide comprehensive information or detailed storytelling to keep audiences engaged.
Unlike short-form videos, long-form videos are typically filmed in landscape mode. This makes them slightly less mobile-friendly than short-form videos. Common platforms for posting long-form videos include YouTube, FaceBook, and Vimeo.
Types of videos by purpose
One way to categorize videos is by their function or purpose. Our list narrows down different types of videos by purpose, describing their typical functions, features, and conventions.
Commercials
Commercials encompass a broad spectrum of videos. In essence, the commercial blends creative elements such as music, visuals, and storytelling to promote a product, service, or brand in a compelling manner.
Commercials are typically used in paid advertising. Instead of cultivating engagement organically, businesses pay to distribute commercials to targeted audiences. Commercials in the digital world are typically short-form videos.
Explainers
An explainer is a short video that provides a simple and engaging explanation of a typically complex topic. In video marketing, explainers aim to raise brand awareness. The typical video marketing explainer describes how a company’s product or service solves the problem of its target audience.
Tutorials
Tutorials guide viewers through the steps of a specific task. Tutorials can be long- or short-form depending on the task’s complexity. Video marketing tutorials typically teach customers how to use specific product features, address common product concerns, or fix common bugs.
Educational videos
Educational videos, also known as informational videos, are long-form videos that discuss complex topics related to the brand’s values. Unlike explainers, educational videos dive into topics with greater depth, aiming to raise brand awareness, build authority, and boost SEO.
Product demos
As the name implies, product demos demonstrate how a product or service works. A product demo in video marketing aims to sell the customer a solution to their primary pain points. These videos are typically shot in live action, or via screen recording if the product is a software.
Testimonials
Testimonials are videos showing product reviews from customers or sponsors. Some testimonials gather multiple reviews together to provide proof of overall customer satisfaction.
Case study videos
Case study videos are a type of testimonial that involves interviewing a company’s past customers in depth. The provide an overview of the client’s main issue, how the company’s product addressed it, and what the client liked about the solution. Case study videos aim to provide proof of product or service efficacy.
Event recap videoss
Event recap videos capture the highlights of company events. They aim to foster loyalty in existing customers by rewarding them for their participation.
Aside from strengthening connections with past attendees, event recap videos also help boost brand awareness and promote future events. Including past attendees in the video encourages social shares, allowing you to tap into your existing audience’s network for increased engagement and lead generation.
Company culture videos
Company culture videos highlight your company’s culture, values, or day-to-day routines. They aim to bolster recruitment and retention efforts, promote brand awareness, and create good PR for the company.
There are many different approaches to the company culture video. Some videos interview employees about their thoughts on the company, while others follow employees through their work day to highlight office life.
Documentaries
Documentaries are a type of long-form video that paints a clear picture of a specific subject using a combination of narration, interviews, footage, dynamic infographics, and more. The goal of any documentary is to provide factual information in a compelling but non-biased manner.
Because honesty and unbiased storytelling play a key role in the art form, documentaries are excellent for establishing brand credibility. They give customers a deeper understanding of your brand while keeping them engaged.
Customer reviews
Customer reviews are testimonials created by actual company customers. They are typically longer than the typical testimonial and discuss pros, cons, and features in depth. Because customer reviews are user-generated, they give the brand more credibility.
You can partner with content creators to encourage the creation of customer reviews. While you cannot pay a customer to create a positive review without disclosing your sponsorship, many content creators participate in affiliate marketing, which yields them a percentage of every sale their content leads to.
Comparison videos
As the name implies, comparison videos compare your company’s product or service with a competitor. They outline the pros and cons of each offer to prove that your product has the greater edge. Comparison videos are often used to sway interested and undecided buyers to your product.
Livestreams
Live streaming broadcasts video content in real-time, usually through platforms like FaceBook Live, Instagram Live, Twitch, or YouTube. The spontaneity involved in engaging with audiences synchronously helps your company humanize its brand, deepen customer relationships, and build trust.
Live streaming can be used to showcase many types of content. Popular examples include brand Q&A sessions, live selling, live interviews, product demonstrations, tutorials, behind-the-scenes videos, event coverage, and product unboxing.
You can also cut out highlights from your live stream and distribute them as short-form videos. These can act as promotional material that highlights your brand’s authenticity, attracting customers to future events.
Webinar recordings
Webinar recordings offer a simple, resource-efficient way to deliver valuable content to your audience. They serve a dual purpose: engaging live attendees while sharing the same insights with those who couldn’t join in real time.
Like live streams, webinars can be refined through post-production to create a more digestible format. You can repurpose the recording into concise and educational videos by trimming the recording to focus on key highlights. Since webinars let you demonstrate your expert knowledge, webinar recordings further establish your authority by distributing essential clips to a wider audience.
Vlogs
The term vlog, short for video log or video blog, refers to a video that recounts an experience or opinion in an informal and conversational tone. You can use vlogs to present different types of content, including tutorials, product demonstrations, reviews, comparison videos, Q&As, unboxing videos, and behind-the-scenes videos.
The vlog is an effective way to humanize your brand. Because it uses a conversational tone, it engages your audience while fostering a sense of closeness. This personalization helps you cultivate brand loyalty.
Music video
Music videos provide imagery for songs. Music videos in marketing typically incorporate jingles to promote your brand, product, or service. Due to the cost of producing original music, marketing music videos typically spoof existing songs.
Types of videos by medium
Another way to categorize videos is by medium. We outline how to use each medium to deliver each message effectively.
Live action
The live-action video captures scenes involving real people and environments. It is one of the most popular media types for video marketing due to the lack of skill investment required. Additionally, involving real human elements and emotions makes the medium more relatable to audiences.
The problem with live-action is that it restricts your ideas to the bounds of reality. As your ideas become more complex, production becomes increasingly difficult and costly. You must also account for all pre-production resources, such as talent, location, and props.
2D animation
2D animation, or two-dimensional animation, is the art of creating the illusion of movement by sequencing hand-drawn still images. Unlike live action, 2D animation isn’t confined to the limits of reality, allowing animators to bring virtually any idea to life. The flexibility of the medium makes it a popular marketing tool.
While cartoons are the most recognizable form of 2D animation, its use in marketing extends far beyond hand-drawn characters and stories. Many companies now employ 2D animation for dynamic infographics, leveraging motion to present information in an engaging and visually compelling way.
3D animation
3D animation is the shorthand name for three-dimensional animation. As opposed to 2D animation, 3D animation uses computer-generated models on a three-dimensional plane. The medium combines the strengths of live-action and 2d animation: it allows the portrayal of depth and realism without being limited to the confines of reality.
You can use 3D animation to visualize products that have not yet been built or are difficult to film. Real estate companies, for example, use 3D art to simulate models of upcoming buildings.
Stop motion animation
Stop-motion animation blends the principles of 2D animation with live-action photography, capturing a sequence of still images to create the illusion of movement. Unlike traditional hand-drawn animation, stop-motion relies on photographs of physical objects or clay models.
Since stop-motion cannot be digitally rendered, it is less common in marketing. Creating these animations requires manually building and adjusting models frame by frame, which can be time-intensive and resource-heavy. Despite the effort involved, the meticulous detail in stop-motion animation lends a heartfelt, personalized quality to the final product, helping it stand out in a crowded digital landscape.
Screen recording
Screen recordings capture what’s going on in your computer screen. Typically, they’re used to demonstrate the capabilities of software products. They’re also used to record webinars, online interviews, and other web events.
Hybrid videos
Hybrid videos combine multiple types of videos, allowing you to leverage the strengths of each. For example, it is common to blend live-action with animation when you want to portray a realistic story but need to convey overly abstract ideas. Consider how commercials for soaps typically use live-action to portray hand washing, and then rely on 3d animation to illustrate germ elimination.
The advantage of hybrid videos is that you remove the limitations characteristic of each medium. However, they might be more costly to produce, depending on the types of video you combine. If you combine live-action with 2D animation, for example, you’ll need to account for the cost of your talent, set, production crew, and animators.
Bring business videos to life with SplitMotion
Videos are effective for attracting new customers, driving sales, and cultivating brand loyalty. However, factors like length, medium, and purpose will significantly influence budget, production limitations, and audience engagement. Before beginning your video production journey, familiarize yourself with the different types of video. Your knowledge can guide future content creation ideas and maximize the effectiveness of your production.
Whether you’re crafting a commercial, documentary, or event recap video, SplitMotion can shoot live-action videos that deliver results. Our experts cover every stage of the video production process, from scripting to shooting to editing. We leverage the power of video storytelling to elevate your brand, deepen customer connections, and attract new audiences. Visit the SplitMotion homepage for more information.
FAQs
What are the most popular types of video?
Reports show that the most popular types of videos by weekly usage reach are music videos (48.2%), comedy or meme videos (35%), video live streams (27.7%), educational videos (26%), and tutorial videos (25.8%).
What is the cheapest type of video to produce?
Webinar recordings and event recaps are typically cheaper to produce, as they require minimal pre-production costs and instead leverage existing events. Depending on the complexity of your idea, vlogs, product demonstrations, and tutorials can also be affordable, as they rely on materials that are typically already available at the company.
Customer reviews, case studies, and testimonials mostly rely on still shots of people talking, which tends to be easy and affordable to shoot.
What type of video gets the most engagement on social media?
Short-form videos get more attention on social media than long-form videos. Because short-form videos provide compelling content within short time restrictions, they appeal to viewers’ desire for immediate gratification, leading to increased views and engagement. Statistics from Social Sprout show that short-form videos get 2.5 times more engagement than long-form videos. Additionally, 66% of viewers will watch a video to completion if it had a runtime shorter than 60 seconds.
