Not every video is worth making. I’ve spent more than 20 years telling stories with a camera, and the projects that pay off for a business all have one thing in common: they were made with a specific job in mind. Below are the seven types of video I recommend most often to small business owners and marketing teams, what each one is good for, and how to get the most out of it.

1. The brand story video

This is your “who we are and why we do it” piece. It usually runs one to three minutes and features the owner or leadership team talking about where the business came from, what it stands for, and who it serves.

Where it works best: your homepage, your About page, LinkedIn, and the start of sales presentations.

Tip: skip the corporate script. The best brand stories sound like a real conversation. I ask questions and let people answer in their own words, then shape the story in the edit.

2. The customer testimonial

A happy customer saying what it was like to work with you is more convincing than anything you can say about yourself. Testimonials are short, focused and personal.

Where it works best: service pages, landing pages, email follow-ups and paid social ads.

Tip: ask customers about the problem they had before they found you, not just how great you are. A clear before-and-after story is what helps a new buyer picture themselves in it.

3. The product or service explainer

If people regularly ask “So what exactly do you do?” or “How does this work?”, an explainer video answers that question once, clearly, for everyone.

Where it works best: product pages, FAQ pages, onboarding emails and trade show booths.

Tip: keep it to one idea. If you have three products, three short explainers will usually do better than one long one.

4. Social media cut-downs

Cut-downs are short clips pulled from your bigger videos and reshaped for social platforms, often in vertical format with captions. One good shoot day can produce a brand video and a whole month of social posts.

Where it works best: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

Tip: plan for them before the shoot. If I know you need vertical clips, I’ll frame shots so they work in both wide and vertical formats.

5. The recruiting video

Hiring is a marketing problem too. A recruiting video shows candidates what a day at your company actually looks like and lets current employees speak for the culture.

Where it works best: your careers page, job postings, LinkedIn and job fairs.

Tip: feature real team members, not just leadership. People want to hear from the people they’d be working next to.

6. The event recap

Conferences, launches, open houses, galas and company milestones are expensive to put on, and they’re over in a day. A recap video keeps that investment working long after the event ends.

Where it works best: promoting next year’s event, sponsor reports, social media and internal communications.

Tip: grab a few quick interviews with attendees during the event. Short, genuine reactions make a recap feel alive.

7. Drone and location footage

Aerial footage shows things you simply can’t see from the ground: the size of a property, the setting of a venue, the path of a waterfront or the scale of a big event. It works especially well for real estate, hospitality, tourism and outdoor businesses.

Where it works best: opening shots for brand videos, property listings, venue pages and tourism promotions.

Tip: use drone shots as seasoning, not the whole meal. A few well-placed aerials make a video feel bigger, but the people and the story still do the heavy lifting. I fly a DJI Mavic 4 Pro, and I plan flights around weather and local airspace rules.

How to choose where to start

You don’t need all seven at once. Here’s how I’d prioritize for most businesses:

  • If people don’t know who you are: start with a brand story video.
  • If people know you but hesitate to buy: start with testimonials.
  • If you get the same questions over and over: start with an explainer.
  • If you’re struggling to hire: start with a recruiting video.
  • If you have a big event coming up: book a recap shoot and grab testimonials while your best customers are in the room.

Get more from a single shoot day

The smartest move I see clients make is to combine several of these into one production. On a single day, we can film a brand interview, two or three customer testimonials, some b-roll of your team at work and a few drone shots, then edit all of it into a main video and a set of social cut-downs. You pay for one setup and get a library of content.

If you’d like to know what that might cost, I break down the main price factors in my post on corporate video costs in New Jersey. And if you’re wondering whether video is worth it in the first place, the “Why should your business use video to grow?” section on my homepage is a good place to start.

Let’s figure out which video you need first

Whether you’re in Central New Jersey or the Orlando area, I’m happy to talk through your goals and suggest the one or two videos that will make the biggest difference. Send me a note through the contact form on my site and tell me a little about your business.