Although it may be apparent for experienced brands in the niche, beginners often mix video marketing and advertising. Purportedly, they think video marketing and advertising go hand in hand, and there is no difference between them. After all, they both include the word video, so taking these terms as synonyms is common. And yet, they differ, and the scope of difference is significant and needs to be explained more in-depth. The article highlights the main differences between video marketing and advertising.
Definition of Video Marketing
Video marketing, also known as video content marketing, is an umbrella term that describes any visual piece. Designing a full-fledged video, using a template tiktok free of charge to craft a remarkable video, or creating an animation is video content marketing. But experts state that although a broad field, it’s best to whittle it down and define video marketing as the activity of crafting videos. Notably, such videos aim at improving the recipient’s knowledge about any topic. More on that below.
Definition of Video Advertising
Video advertising, in turn, is a method utilized to promote a specific product. Likewise, it focuses on a video format, but its purpose is entirely different. Company A rolling out a short 2-minute video about its product alongside its features and benefits is an example of a video advertising strategy. At first glance, it may appear as though these two terms are similar because they rely on a visual format. However, their difference is evident once you look closer at their purpose and other essential aspects.
Purpose
Looking at purpose makes things a lot more straightforward. Video advertising has one aim in mind: to promote the item or service and attract as many customers as possible. It’s purely product-oriented; if you are a business owner and want to sell something, you first need to make sure this product is circulating the web to increase the likelihood of people purchasing the product.
Video marketing is entirely different. While it could have some bits of advertising and include products promoted, it is primarily commercial-free and focuses on providing valuable content to the consumer. Video content marketing, in most cases, has a mere commercial quality, i.e., it lures users to check the brand’s page and purchase products if they find them excellent. However, video marketing prioritizes content value and strives to come in handy. Watching video marketing pieces educates viewers and enriches their understanding of a specific topic.
Length and Format
Length and format are two things that differentiate video marketing and video advertising. This difference hugely influences their quality, costs, and placements, but let’s take one thing at a time and try to compare video ads and video marketing.
Regarding video advertising – imagine watching a YouTube video. What are you likely to see first? Right, an ad! This ad is a typical product of video advertising. Graphic commercials usually last up to 3 minutes and can be broken down into several cuts appearing within the viewed video or classic movie.
Video marketing, in turn, differs. First and foremost, its format varies. You can generate video marketing content in the form of a live video or an already recorded one. The next dissimilarity is the length. While graphical ads don’t exceed a 2-3-minute frame, video content can even reach 20 minutes of a live video! Regardless of the purpose–tutorials can require more time while describing symptoms may take five minutes–the length of videos falling under video marketing is often more substantial than video ads.
Quality and production costs
The difference in production quality between the terms is huge, and here is why. Using video advertising to spread the word about the brand and its products, you have no right for mistakes or any visual blunders. You must ensure that the designed video is professionally recorded and includes high-quality effects and animations. Since video ads are usually placed on TV or platforms like YouTube or Twitch, it’s essential to do the best and create something outstanding in terms of visuals that will sell the product and convert the viewer into a customer. This purpose is usually costly, but that’s the price for succeeding in advertising and making the video ads viewed by numerous people.
Unlike video advertising, marketing is much more flexible. It’s no secret that brands often operate on a tight budget and can’t invest plenty of resources in generating video content. But the truth is, they don’t have to! Successful graphic marketing banks on creativity, so even in-house and DIY videos can work wonders. Whether placed on social media channels or newsletters, video marketing must first be valuable and exciting to the receiver. The quality of the picture isn’t the top priority in this case. The idea is what matters the most. That’s why production costs are also much lower compared to video ads.
Conclusion
Interchangeable as they often seem, video marketing and advertising are two different terms with unique purposes and formats. Although revolving around videos, they have a unique set of objectives that result in different quality and production costs. It’s crucial to learn the terms’ ins and outs to better understand whether the company needs to promote a particular product (by using video advertising) or build a good rapport with people (by employing video marketing). This way, the efforts will ultimately be paid off in full.
