6 examples of successful How-To videos
When DIY enthusiasts have a problem and are at their wit’s end, these days they reach for their smartphone and search online for a solution to faulty bicycle brakes, the best home remedy for mold or how to bake fluffy chocolate muffins. Luckily, many questions are already answered online with the help of how-to videos. However, complicated processes are not only found in the home, but also in industry. We ask ourselves: Why do so few companies use the great potential of how-to videos?
Genre with great potential
When I search for a video on YouTube that explains how to write a simple letter, I come across countless videos from amateur channels. They all say roughly the same thing, but somehow they don’t. After scrolling through 15 minutes of overly long-winded videos, I prefer to write the letter as I see fit. If there was an official video from Swiss Post to help me with my problem, it would be a great help. In my mind, Swiss Post would immediately be a company that cares about its customers and communicates with its target group via modern media channels. I would label the letter correctly and not provoke a return. I wouldn’t have to ask customer service either. But since this video doesn’t exist, I’d rather write another email next time.
Great effect with little effort
Even if the example with the post is somewhat exaggerated, it is a striking example of countless processes in which people need support, whether in their private or professional lives. Companies are still wasting a lot of potential on platforms such as YouTube, where they can generate a lot of clicks by producing unpretentious how-to videos.
Using six examples, we want to illustrate the power of how-to videos if you know how to use them correctly.
EXAMPLE 1: FISCHER BICYCLES
More than 1.5 million bike hobbyists have watched the Fischer mechanic change a tube on one of their bikes. All these people have been sitting in their basements, happy to have the technical process explained to them step by step. The best way to stand out from the competition is to give the audience value for their time and attention. The value of this video is therefore very high, because it has a direct impact on people’s lives. Fischer proves that they are not only concerned with sales figures, but also with the well-being of their customers. The fact that the video is very simple and inexpensive to produce hardly matters.
A closer look at SEO
Cycling topics are a subject with constantly high demand, but questions about changing tires in particular are a regular trend. Researching the right Search Engine Optimization (SEO) data and keywords therefore makes sense before shooting a how-to video. If the brand manages to answer the right question, the clicks come automatically and the target group no longer needs to be searched for and advertised to. These mechanisms make the How-To video an important component of a broad-based marketing campaign.
EXAMPLE 2: Trek Mountainbikes
This is another way to create a how-to video on the subject of two-wheelers. This humorously produced short film is a clever marketing move by TREK. Even though the brand is not actively advertised anywhere, the logo flashes into the picture from time to time, but without appearing screaming to your face.
Providing information, as in the first example, is of secondary importance here; the story alone takes center stage. This approach has earned the video 16 million views. Obviously, customers who have never had anything to do with the TREK brand are activated here. And if this video is the start of the user journey for just one percent of viewers, it is a complete success.
Example 3: Tutorials by Tecan
Tecan is a Swiss company that produces laboratory technology and sells it worldwide. The products are highly specialized and technical, which is why specialist knowledge or detailed operating instructions are required to use them. So Tecan approached us with the wish to relieve customer service with the help of a how-to video. After three years of collaboration, more than 20 videos have now been produced, which explain the numerous Tecan models in detail without any frills. This has minimized support requests while at the same time increasing customer satisfaction.
Videos such as those from Tecan also have internal effects: Onboarding and retraining new employees uses fewer resources. All departments have access to a universal knowledge repository. And in production, errors and accidents are prevented and rejects and rework are reduced.
EXAMPLE 4: Animated explanatory video
The example shows an animated explainer video. This genre is closely related to how-to videos, because the aim is the same: The simplified visualization of complicated processes. The animated style fits the topic of AI and image processing much better than real film. Even if we outsource the animation of the videos, we take on the conception and direction of 2D and 3D explainer videos.
EXAMPLE 5: Going completely insane
Sometimes How-To videos are just funny and stupid like the one above. For the right brand, something like this is also a conceivable concept. We would dare to do it. The only question is which company would dare to do it… 🙂
EXAMPLE 6: Music Tutorial
And last but not least, we’ll show you a video that we think is just casual, relaxed and cool. A great tutorial for aspiring and advanced musicians:
We know how-to.
The modern world is confusing and in many areas can hardly be managed without help. If you still want or need to understand what’s behind the processes, how-to videos bring complicated processes to the point in a clear, informative or even funny way – a blessing for B2C, B2B and therefore for every company!
Do you also need a How-to video? Let us show you how to make one. Contact us.
Do recruiting videos always have to be funny?
Finding the right staff is not that easy. A recruiting film can quickly help. We explain how.
Shooting 11 music videos in one summer
We are no longer quite sure what possessed us to produce eleven music videos in just one