Top 10 YouTube Content Ideas for Business Success in 2023

Looking for YouTube content ideas?

Concepts that’ll take your business to the next level?

From unboxing videos to how-to guides, YouTube has become the viewer’s friend and teacher.

Over the past two years, the world’s consumers have watched over 50,000 years of product review videos on mobile alone.

And your customers are three times more likely to watch a tutorial than to read the actual instructions. Searches related to the term “how to” are growing 70 percent year over year, according to searchengineland.

This is the kind of content your company’s marketing should promote!

Let’s jump into the why and how.

Why Use YouTube for your Small Business?

YouTube marketing is fast becoming an essential activity for any small business wanting to find new audiences and engage with their customers.

Producing the right kind of YouTube content enables your small business to:

Connect with new customers.
Strengthen your brand story and relationship with existing customers.
Improve customer experience of your product or service.
Extend your reach beyond the 90% of businesses that don’t use YouTube!

Still not sure? Here’s why it’s important for small businesses to have an active presence on YouTube.

More than 2 billion people use YouTube every month, almost ⅓ of internet users. [1]
73% of people say they’re more likely to buy an item after watching a video explaining the product. [2]
Product videos increase the chance of a purchase by 144%. [3]
Get there before others. Just 9% of all small businesses in the US currently use YouTube. [4]

And don’t stress, it can be easy to make them with today’s best video tools and the ideas below.

Headway Capital researched the 10 specific video types that can help your small business thrive – and created a new infographic to introduce each video type.

Including pro tips to make each one a hit!

They put in the work and allowed me to share this wealth of info for your benefit.

So let’s check it out.

What Kind 0f Videos Should Your Business Make?

We’ve summarized 10 video content types in 4 groups below!

One or more of these will be perfect for your business.

And don’t forget to come up with a branded look for your YouTube thumbnails so your efforts really stand out visually.

Product / Service Content

Videos can be a powerful tool for showcasing your products and services.

Here are four types of product videos and tips for making the most of each of them. [5]

Product Spotlight videos

A great way to show what a product does and what’s so great about it.

1. Tell a story

Using storytelling to bring your product to life helps to engage viewers emotionally, and studies show that positive emotions toward a brand are a major factor in building customer loyalty. [6]

Pro tip: Use the Three Act Structure which dates back to Ancient Greece and is the core of any classic story. [7]

Setting: Children are playing with a toy car.
Conflict: They’re getting bored and frustrated because when they push it forwards, it only moves a little bit and then stops.
Resolution: In a flash the car changes into the new product and when they push it forwards, it starts doing stunts and tricks, delighting and exciting the children.

2. Show, don’t tell

When working with video, it’s important to use everything at your disposal to tell your brand story: colors, editing, music, voiceover, and much more.

Pro tip: Create a moodboard of audio or visual sources that go with your product and use them in the video.

For example:

Colors: These could be your brand colors, but also any that fit the mood of your video.
Locations: Where could your product be used? Does it belong in the countryside or a more urban setting?
Music: This set the tone for the video, does your product go with edgy music or something more upbeat?
Voices: What kind of people will be using your product? Old or young? Male or female? These are the type of voices you want to have in your video. [8]

3. Get the lighting right

This can make your video look pro. Product videos shouldn’t look homemade, because that can undermine trust in how well made the products are.

Pro tip: Use three-point lighting to make your products look good and avoid shadows.

The three main types of lamps you can buy are:

Clamp lights: Budget-friendly and easy-to-use, these are ideal starter lights.
Studio lights: Offer more customization options and better results with more technical expertise required.
High-end lights: The most expensive kind but packed with features. Recommended if you are regularly filming professional videos. [9]

4. Include a call to action

A call to action is a message that lets viewers know what they need to do next after watching your video.

Pro tip: Asking a question is a great way to engage your viewers to take action.

Instead Of Saying	Say	Why
Do you want to live in a house infested with bugs? If not, try BugBlaster	Do you want to get rid of your bug problem for good? Then try our new Bug Blaster.	Negative questions can leave a negative impression of your brand.
Are you looking for affordable rates on cruise packages or do you just need to find lodging? You can find the best cruise rates and more on Jetset Deals 4 U Today.	Are you looking for affordable travel deals? Check out Jetset Deals 4 U today.	Complex and overlong questions distract viewers from the message in your video. [10]

How To videos

Videos that explain how to use your products are not only great advertising tools, they also represent good customer service. [5]

1. Choose subjects that people want to know about

Use Answerthepublic.com to find popular questions around topics relevant to your brand. [13]

2. Write a script and stick to it

Working without a script can mean your video lacks focus and misses important details.

Pro tip: Lay out your script like this to match words to visuals:

Voiceover	Action on screen
Our new smartphone is ten times smarter than the average phone.	A man is seen holding the new smartphone and smiling.
Waterproof and shatterproof, it’s built for living your active life without fear.	Shots of people running and playing sports intercut with shots of the phone being dropped without breaking.
With a battery that lasts four times longer, you can live your life without limits.	More shots of happy people using their phones on the go, outside and indoors, alone and with friends. [11]

3. Keep it short, between 2-5 minutes

When scripting, remember this rule: 130 words of voiceover = 1 minute of video. [12]

4. Ensure your audio is clear by using a decent mic

‘How to’ videos won’t work if viewers are struggling to hear and understand the instructions.

Pro tip: The following types of microphone are good for creating YouTube videos:

Dynamic Microphones – Good for voice recording in noisy environments.
Lavalier Microphones – Small microphones you can clip to your clothing.
Shotgun Microphones – Good for recording at a distance and cutting out background noise. [14]

Product-in-Action videos

There’s no better way to showcase what your product has to offer than by showing it being used by your customers in YouTube videos, so here’s how to get them right. [5]

1. Storyboard your video

This helps you set out a worthwhile story that helps customers really understand the product.

Pro tip: Use this template: [15]

Scene: ____________________________

Shot #

Action: ___________________________

_________________________________

Dialogue: ________________________

________________________________

FX: _____________________________

________________________________

2. Use a professional voiceover artist

Product-in-action videos rely on compelling voiceovers to tell the story. You can find a voiceover artist at VoiceBunny.com and Voices.com. [15]

3. Choose a thumbnail that grabs people’s attention

Use Snappa.com, a simple design tool that lets you create graphics for a thumbnail without needing a graphic designer. [15]

4. Make them exciting to watch

Showing products in action should be engaging to watch, so be sure to capture footage that delivers action and excitement.

Pro tip: For filming high quality action footage, you will need the following kit:

A tripod for steady filming.
A gimbal stabilizer for handheld filming.
A camera that offers a high frame rate for slow motion footage.
A drone camera if you want to film aerial shots.
A GoPro for Point of View (POV) footage.
A microphone that plugs into your camera. [16]

Frequently Asked Questions videos

FAQs have long been an essential tool for communicating with customers and can be even more engaging when made in video form. [5]

1. Gather the right questions

Find out your most frequently asked questions by checking:

Customer service queries received by email.
Questions asked via your social media channels.
Surveys. [17]

2. Don’t include too many questions

Break your FAQs down into chunks, for example: [18]

Complaints & returns
Product queries
Technical issues
Hints and tips

3. Keep the tone simple and conversational

Ensure your script is conversational by avoiding the passive voice, eg:

Say	Don’t Say
“The van delivered the flowers.”	“The flowers were delivered by the van” [19]

4. Don’t try to offer comprehensive answers to complicated problems

If a question needs a more comprehensive answer, provide this in writing alongside the video. [17]

5. Be honest

An FAQ video needs to build trust, so it’s not the place for showing a member of staff dodging difficult answers, or bending the truth.

Pro tip: Weasel words are words and phrases that are used to be misleading. You can show authenticity by not using them:

Well..
Research shows…
I would say that…
Often
Probably
Possibly
Some
Many
Could be [20]

Customer Experience Videos

There’s few more powerful tools for convincing people to try your products than showing them how they delight your customers.

Below are two types of customer videos along with tips for how to create them. [5]

Testimonial videos

Here are some tips for how to utilize the words of your satisfied customers to create engaging and impactful videos.

1. Capture their stories with your product or service at the heart

Your testimonials need to let your customers tell potential customers how you solved their problems.

Pro tip: Ensure each testimonial has these two elements:

Before	After
What their problem was.	How your product or service has helped them and what the results are. [21]

2. Make sure it comes across as authentic

Testimonial videos work best if they are genuine and trustworthy, rather than scripted.

Pro tip: Instead of writing a script, prepare questions and share them with the subject beforehand, eg:

What made you start looking for xx?
How did you find starting to use xx?
What impact has it made on your life/work?
How have you found our customer service?
Would you recommend xx to others? [22]

3. Highlight the emotions, not the numbers

When interviewing, be sure to ask the customer this key question at the end: “And how did that make you feel?” [22]

4. Get the right composition to tell the stories

Use the Rule of Thirds. Viewers are drawn to the top left anchor point, which is a good place for a face to appear: [23]

5. Use music carefully to highlight emotions

You can get royalty-free background music from:

YouTube.com/audiolibrary/music
FreeMusicArchive.org
Bensound.com [24]

Review videos

These are similar to testimonial videos but usually need to come across as more authentic, so here’s how you can achieve that.

1. Focus on the product, not the reviewers

In contrast to testimonials, reviews should largely stick to talking about the product, not the customer’s back story.

Pro tip: Keep the questions focused on the product, eg:

Which features have been most useful for you?
What’s your favorite aspect of the product? [25]

2. Intersperse talking with action shots

Stick to the ‘three second rule’ before cutting between shots. [25]

3. Add in ‘b-roll’ footage

‘B-roll’ footage helps to provide context for the video as well as mixing up the visual style to keep it engaging.

Pro tip: Use the following types of ‘b-roll’ footage:

A mix of shots – close-ups/medium/wide angles.
Shots of the product/service being used.
Setting – an office/their home.
Alternate angles of them speaking. [22]

4. Focus on benefits rather than features

A review video should be talking about the impact of your product or service rather than what it does.

Pro tip: Use these definitions to be clear about the difference between a ‘feature’ and a ‘benefit’:

Feature: What the customer is getting from you, ie, the attributes of your product or service.
Benefit: Why that matters for the customer, ie, why your product or service is valuable for them. [22]

5. Pick out highlights for promoting the video

While filming and editing, keeping an eye out for a killer quote that can be used on social media can help to promote your video.

Pro tip: To create engaging social media videos, Facebook recommends creating videos as short as 15 seconds. [26]

Influencer Collaboration Videos

Influencers have the power to get your products in front of potentially millions of their fans. Here are some tips for creating the most popular types of influencer videos. [5]

Shopping Haul videos

For retail businesses, shopping haul videos feature influencers showcasing your range of products and discussing their qualities. Here are some tips for making these work.

1. Choose the right influencer

With a saturated market of influencers, it’s crucial to pick the right one to avoid wasting money or causing controversy.

Pro tip: To check if an influencer is right for your brand:

Watch at least 10 of their videos to get a feel for their content.
Analyze their levels of audience engagement (likes, shares and comments).
Look out for red flags in their content that don’t align with your brand values. [27]
Don’t rely solely on follower count. Beware of fake influencers!

2. Measure their success against KPIs

The key YouTube Analytics metrics you should pay attention to for a shopping haul are:

Watch time: Are customers watching the whole haul or being turned off by the influencer’s style?

Audience Retention: At what point in the videos are you losing viewers? This can be used to plan future hauls.

Engagement: Shopping hauls should be driving conversation about the products featured, so be sure to track comments, likes, dislikes and shares.

Impressions Click-Through Rate: This shows how many people saw the video and clicked to watch it, indicating how much of a draw the influencer was.

Unique Viewers: How many people watched your video, an essential metric for measuring its success. [28]

Unboxing videos

These videos show influencers opening up your products and sharing their enthusiasm for them. Here are tips for successful unboxing videos.

1. Don’t make it look too professional

The appeal of unboxing videos is their homemade aesthetic, so overly-produced ones will come across as fake.

Pro tip: Let the influencer have creative control over what they produce as long as they work within your brand guidelines and you have final sign-off. [29]

2. Be sure to get the packaging right

An unboxing video won’t work if the unboxing experience is dull, so be sure to offer memorable packaging.

Pro tip: Ensure a great unboxing experience for influencers and customers alike by:

Branding your packaging.
Using unique packaging materials.
Considering the product presentation within.
Including free samples/treats. [30]

Company Profile Videos

Along with your customers, YouTube videos give you the chance to showcase your staff and let them broadcast your values and brand personality. Here are the different types of company profile videos and some top tips. [5]

Behind The Scenes videos

These videos give you the chance to show customers how your business works, building trust and engagement in the process. But only if you get them right.

1. Show how you work

Take customers on a journey through your production process with clips of each stage. [31]

2. Highlight your dedication to quality

Explain some of the reasoning behind decisions made and why they have a positive impact on the quality of the finished product. [31]

3. Make sure the acoustics are right before filming

Videos shot in factories, offices or shop floors only work if the audio is good enough for people to hear what is being said.

Pro tip: Make a sample recording of at least 30 seconds in the room you are going to use to test whether there are echos or other issues with the audio. [23]

4. Tell your brand’s story

Showing your company’s story through an engaging video will help to focus an audience on the human side of your business.

Pro tip: Find inspiration for your story from these classic business narratives

Origin story: How was your company formed?
Failure story: What went wrong and how did you bounce back?
Winning story: Focus on your successes
Kudos story: Highlight someone who has played a crucial role
Higher purpose story: What is your brand’s mission, what causes do you support?
Backstage story: Who are the unsung heroes of your business? [32]

Meet The Team videos

Empowering your staff to be your YouTube stars with fun Meet The Team videos enables customers to get to know who is behind your products.

Here are some tips to help them shine.

1. Don’t try and make them into marketing videos

Meet The Team videos work best when they seem natural, rather than forced. Stick to the 80% entertainment : 20% marketing rule. [33]

2. Let your team plan the videos

The best Meet The Team videos are the ones where the team are engaged with them, so give them some ownership over the final product.

Pro tip: Run a brainstorm session and encourage all team members to bring an idea to pitch to the rest of the team who will vote for the best idea. [34]

3. Get videos of staff interacting socially

Letting your staff be natural around each other on film is a great way to demonstrate how well they work together.

Pro tip: Here are some tips for filming great b-roll in a crowded area like a staff conference:

Start with the wide lens, filming exterior and interior shots with a tilt or pan
Be aware of backgrounds and avoid filming towards bright windows
Try to compose your shot with multiple layers, including a foreground and a background
Add variety by filming the same scenes from a variety of locations and heights [35]

4. Don’t forget the recruitment potential

Meet the team videos are an excellent tool for recruitment, as prospective employees will watch to get an idea of what it’s like to work at your company.

Pro tip: Ensure staff talk about key areas like:

Workplace culture
Career progression
Benefits [36]

YouTube Video Content

YouTube videos offer small businesses so many opportunities to engage their audiences.

Be sure to check the best time to post on YouTube, and get some great ideas on how to rank YouTube videos so they get more eyeballs!

The infographic below sums up the top 10 YouTube video types for business. The original was created by Headway Capital under CC 4.0 license. I have shortened it for the sake of readability.

Be sure to pin it to your marketing tips board on Pinterest!

Then try some of these YouTube video ideas, following our tips, and see what you can achieve.

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