5 Most Popular Types of Video Content for Small Business Marketing

Video content is one of the best ways to engage your audience. Sometimes, however, it can be challenging to come up with fresh ideas for things to film.

Data from Statista shows that online videos reached nearly 92% of internet users worldwide in 2025, and certain types of video content performed better than others. If you need inspiration for new video content, try one of these formats to boost engagement on your channels.

Tutorials and how-to videos

The animated video production company Wyzowl reports that 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. How-to and tutorial videos are a great way to build trust with your audience. By showing potential customers how to use a product or by teaching them a new skill, you’re able to demonstrate your expertise and show how useful your product or service is.

“How-to videos help build brand awareness, explain your products or services, and establish credibility with your audience,” wrote HubSpot.

[Read more: How to Create How-To Videos to Grow Your Audience]

Vlogs

Vlogs, or video blogs, are incredibly popular at the moment; nearly 24% of global internet users watch this type of content each week. Vlogs encompass a wide range of content. “Probably the key to vlogging is that it features predominantly self-made first-person videos—either live-streamed or pre-recorded and uploaded,” wrote Influencer Marketing Hub.

For instance, Ali Abdaal, one of the most popular vloggers, runs a channel about his life as a doctor in the United Kingdom. Small business owners can share behind-the-scenes moments from running their businesses. Alternatively, consider working with an influencer who can integrate your product or service into one of their daily vlogs.

Product reviews

Product review videos help you harness the power of user-generated content to promote your brand. More than 25% of global internet users watch product review videos each week. Product review footage is clearly helping users decide what products or services to buy.

Work with an influencer or a loyal customer to get an honest take on your product or service. Stream it live to make the experience even more authentic and build trust with your followers. Or make an unboxing video, a short clip showing a customer receiving and trying your product for the first time. These types of transparent recommendations are very convincing for potential customers.

Explainer videos

Like how-tos and tutorials, explainer videos give you a way to establish your reputation as an industry expert and help your audience solve a problem. 

“An explainer video is a short and compelling video, often only two to three minutes in length, that sells an idea or product by highlighting its biggest strengths and benefits for the end users. Think of it as a video elevator pitch,” wrote Atlassian. “The ideal explainer video should answer your target audience’s biggest questions and clearly describe how your product or idea helps them.”

This format lends itself to dozens of content ideas. These types of videos can be as product-focused as you want. Some brands, like Shopify, use the explainer format to show how to use their platform. Other brands explain industry trends, news stories, pop culture, or how products get made.

Challenge videos

Remember the #icebucketchallenge? Challenge videos have been popular for years, and they remain so on TikTok and other platforms. Challenge videos are a great way to build a community around a cause or product and show your brand’s personality.

Start your own challenge and include your employees, your partners, and your board of directors. Or put your own twist on an existing challenge that’s circulating social media to bring a lighter side to your marketing campaigns.

[Read more: 4 Best Practices for Creating Engaging Social Media Videos]

How to choose the right type of video for each marketing goal

Not all video content serves the same purpose. Choosing the right format depends entirely on your goals, your audience, and where your prospects are in the buying journey. 

If you’ve just launched your business, focus on brand awareness: short-form videos are your best bet. If you want to bring a new product to market, demos and explainer videos are a much better approach. If your goal is to generate leads, webinars and tutorials give your audience the answers they need upfront in return for solid leads. And if you're looking for social proof, customer testimonials or case studies are the way to go.

Also consider where your customer is in the decision-making process. For instance, explainer videos are most effective in the early discovery stages of the buyer's journey. These videos educate buyers about your product, illustrating why they need it. Demo videos, on the other hand, come into play further down the funnel, where prospects want more detail on specific features before making a purchase. 

Video distribution tips for YouTube, social media, email, and landing pages

Where you publish your video matters, and each channel rewards a different approach. 

Treat YouTube like a search engine. This channel incentivizes creators to use the most important keywords at the beginning of your title. Keep titles around 60 characters, and always put important links or calls to action at the top of your description, since viewers have to click "show more" to read the rest. 

After YouTube, you can repurpose that same video into 15- to 60-second clips for Instagram Reels, Facebook, LinkedIn, or TikTok, and add captions, since a large share of social video is watched on mute. 

Email is a great way to boost your email marketing, too. “Video can boost open rates by 19% and click-through rates by 65% — and reduce unsubscribes by 26%,” wrote Wistia. Put the word “video” in your subject lines to improve open rates, and rather than embedding the video in the email, include a thumbnail plus link so you can track views more easily. 

For landing pages, placement is everything. Position video above the fold so it's one of the first things visitors see. Avoid autoplaying videos with sound (which often causes people to click away), and use a compelling thumbnail with surrounding text that tells visitors exactly what they'll see if they hit play. 

CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.

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