It's no secret that video is the most effective type of content for nearly every type of business. That includes manufacturing companies. But getting started with video can be a challenge for marketing coordinators and business owners.
We've put together this guide for manufacturers looking to get into video marketing and industrial video production. The goal of this guide is to get you thinking of different ways your business can use video. We'll go over some of the messaging and objectives behind the videos and then give you some specific examples of videos used by other manufacturers. We recommend also checking out our video above where we go even more in-depth. If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to reach out to us.
Manufacturers Video Strategy
Before we get to some video ideas that manufacturers can use, it's first important to understand the customers. Manufacturing is a very broad classification. Your customers and how you should market to them will vary greatly depending on your business.
For simplicity, we've identified the three most common types of sales models and customer profiles. Your business might utilize just one model or a combination of all three, but this will help you give context to the video ideas we'll talk about later.
Direct-To-Consumer
Video is extremely effective in the direct-to-consumer sales model and it’s becoming more and more popular with manufacturers. When you’re selling online directly to the end-user, important that your videos show the value of your products and services and that you provide viewers with enough information to make a purchase.
Dealer Network
Many manufacturers sell their products through dealer networks. Here, your customer is actually the dealer's sales team. The goal is to help them sell your products over your competitors’, which the dealer might also carry. Your videos should show how easy it is to sell your products, describe the win-win partnership, and provide support to their sales efforts.
Another thing to keep in mind when working with a dealer network is that you should still speak to the end-user in your videos. While you might be dealing only with the dealer’s sales team, they are talking or selling to end-users, so your videos should reflect the value they get from your products.
Distributor / Wholesale
Manufacturers most traditionally have used the distributor/wholesaler sales model, where their sales team is selling to distributors and wholesale buyers. In this sales model, it mostly comes down to having a great product that's in stock. Video can be used effectively here, but it doesn't have the impact it does with dealer networks and direct-to-consumer models.
Manufacturing Video Objectives
Now that we understand our customer profiles, we can create some video objectives. Obviously, increasing sales will always be our primary objective, but how do you do that with video?
You do it by understanding customers’ goals and desires and addressing why they would purchase your product to achieve them. So, to increase sales, videos should:
- Show the value of your products and services.
- Provide enough information to make a purchasing decision.
- Motivate dealers to sell your products.
Now that we've identified our core objectives let's go over video ideas that manufacturing businesses can use to incorporate video in their marketing strategies.
Video Ideas For Manufacturers
This list of 14 ideas for manufacturers will help your marketing team get started with video. Need some help formulating a video strategy? Please reach out to us! We offer consulting and full production for manufacturers.
1. Product Overview Videos
Most manufacturers should start first by creating product overview videos. Product overview videos are short videos that go over your products’ specs, how they operate and how they provide value. Most often, they are created using a voiceover or spokesperson and are usually under two minutes, but they can be longer depending on the video style.
The above example is a simple product overview video from Ridgid Tools. It does a really good job of showing the value the tool provides. Depending on your business, you can create videos like this for each type or series of products and services.
2. How It's Made Videos
As the name makes clear, how-it's-made videos demonstrate how your products are made. The goal of these videos is to show your team’s attention to detail and quality of the manufacturing process. This is one of the best ways to clearly demonstrate the value your products provide.
How-it’s-made videos can be longer than product-overview videos.
The above example is one of our how-it's-made video favorites. It beautifully captures the process behind a single bolt being made, which, as previously stated, clearly communicates the quality and attention to detail of the manufacturing process. We also really like this example from Tesla
3. Installation & Support Videos
Installation and support videos should show how to assemble and troubleshoot your products. They can star someone from the company or utilize a voiceover, but either way they should be kept simple. Installation and support videos are critical for dealer networks, as they provide the information they need to sell your products.
The example above does a great job showing how to assemble a standing desk and makes it easy for anyone to follow along.
4. FAQ Videos
If you've noticed that your customer service team gets the same questions over and over, consider creating a FAQ video.
FAQ videos are straightforward and easy to create. Basically, just make a list of your most common customer questions and answer them on video, then embed the video on your website and support pages.
Garmin does a great job in this FAQ video of showing how its watch works. It's very simple and provides a ton of value to the user by answering very common questions. This example is created using 3D animation, but manufacturers can use traditional video production methods, too.
5. Factory Tour Videos
Factory tour videos are one of our favorite types of videos for manufacturers. They should be kept casual and are usually filmed by following a walk-through of your facility.
Factory-tour videos demonstrate the value you deliver and provide information about your company. They often do very well organically because they are not as "produced" as other marketing videos. You should consider using them to introduce some of your employees, as well.
Above is a very simple example of a factory tour video Capture created for Prosper-Tech Machine & Tool. Factory tour videos often do very well organically because they are not as "produced" as other marketing videos.
6. About Us Video
About us videos are crucial for all types of businesses. About us videos tell viewers who your company is, why it exists, how it provides value and, finally, what makes it different. About us videos are generally more polished and are created using voiceover or interview-style video. Steelcase does a great job in this about us video of telling us how they started, how they create value and who they are.
7. Partner-With-Us Video
If your business utilizes any sort of dealer network, you should have a partner-with-us video. This type of video should talk about the dealer relationship and speak to how easy it is to sell your products. The above example is a video we create for Cavallo. While Cavallo is not a manufacturer, it still utilizes a dealer network. This video very quickly shows why companies should partner with them to sell their software products.
8. Product Comparison Videos
Product comparison videos are great for manufacturers that have similar products or want to differentiate themselves from their competitors. In these videos, you should compare specs side-by-side and make recommendations for products based on a viewer’s needs.
Our creative director, Rob Devroy, made the video below for Grilla Grills. it compares their products to similar products made by one of their competitors. A note - be careful when comparing to other companies, as it's most beneficial when you are a smaller company.
9. Product Buying Guide
A buying guide is a long-form video that aims to educate the customer on all the different products you are offering. These are 20-30 minutes and should include as much information as possible. Our above example is actually from a YouTuber, but the same principles apply. These videos do very well in YouTube and Google searches.
10. Customer Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way for manufacturers in eCommerce to attract new customers. You can create these several ways by asking a customer to send a video of their review, or by producing a traditional testimonial video. Testimonial videos provide the social proof your customers and prospective customers need to convince them to make a purchase.
11. Explainer Videos
Explainer videos are a great way to explain the technologies behind your products. These work great for dealers and end-users because they provide crucial understanding about your products. The above example is an explainer video Capture created for our client Watchfire. This is a very specific product, but an explainer like this has proved invaluable for Watchfire’s sales team.
12. Dealer Testimonial
If you utilize a dealer network, you should consider using a video dealer testimonial to attract new partners. Ask them how it is to work together and what it’s like to sell your products. We found a great example from SANY that highlights one of its dealers, which is effective in showing the dealer’s success in selling SANY products.
13. Lifestyle Content
If you are a manufacturer focused on selling directly to end-users, you should consider lifestyle content such as vlogs and social media videos. This is a great way to build a community around your business.
Above is a video Capture created for our client Grilla Grills. We created the vlog for a product launch campaign, but it’s continued beyond that, doing an exceptional job of showing how Grilla Grills products actually function in a real-life scenario.
14. Trade Show Videos
A lot of the videos we've talked about before can be used for trade shows, but sometimes you should create videos specifically to announce new products or services. For trade shows, it's important that the videos use text, as most often it’s difficult to hear recorded audio in noisy trade show environments.
Above is a trade show video we created for Kawasaki announcing a new series of hydraulic pumps. As you can see, we used text in line with their branding to deliver messaging.
Where Can Manufacturers Use Video?
Just because you've made a video, that doesn't mean it's going to be successful. You need to take time to create a strategy to implement your videos and incorporate them into your overall marketing strategy.
Let’s take a look at the different spots you can use video. We recommend watching our video at the top of the page, where we go over this in detail.
YouTube can be extremely effective.
A little-known fact is that YouTube is actually the 2nd largest search engine, only behind Google. What does this mean? A well-made and value-packed video on YouTube could be a way to drive considerable traffic to your brand. That’s why Capture recommends putting all your videos on YouTube and then embedding them onto your website. Embed the videos on landing pages, product pages, blogs and your dealer portal. For more information about YouTube, check out our YouTube vs Vimeo blog.
Consider putting some resources into social media.
While some manufacturers might not see the value in social media, there is no denying that people are spending more and more time there. Upload your videos to social media, as well, to further your investment. If you’re in the e-commerce space, this should be your primary focus. Either way, using social media helps create a loyal following behind your brand.
Trade shows present unique video opportunities.
If your company attends any trade shows, consider using video. If you have a larger booth you can display a text-based video behind. Talk about new products or announce new services. You can also use videos on a small TV in your booth.
Video Production For Manufacturing
We hope this guide has been valuable to you. If you have any questions about what we went over, feel free to reach out to us. If your business needs help with video marketing, we offer consulting and full video production services. Set up a free discovery call today by filling out our form.
If you enjoyed this content, please check out Capture’s blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel. As part of our ongoing content marketing strategy, we're putting together content to educate marketers and business owners on the best ways to use video. Thanks for reading!
