If your business wants to get into video content marketing, and you should, you have basically two options: Live videos or animated videos. And by the way, I'm going to group screen capture videos together with live videos just because I can.

Video Content Marketing - Animated Video Or Live Video?

So which is better? This is one of the first questions people ask me and the answer is it depends, and both. I know that sounds like a little bit of a cheeky answer so let me explain why that is.

The main reason why I say it depends when it comes to choosing either a live video or an animated video for your content marketing is because it really depends upon your product or service, your company or brand, and your target audience.

Pros Of Using Live Video

Okay, here are some pros to using live video:

• First, live videos can be really effective if you are selling physical products because a live video lets you demonstrate what you're selling. For example, the videos for Edutige microphones are all live because that’s the best way to demonstrate how the products work.
• Second, live videos are great for showing off you, your staff and your personal or corporate brand more effectively. For example, almost all of the videos I make for myself, I'm in because I am the face of my own brand. Just makes sense, you know?
• And third, live videos are relatively fast to make because you only need to set up a camera, some lights and a microphone and you're good to go.

Cons of Using Live Video

But there are definitely some cons when it comes to using live videos.

• First, you need camera equipment, lights, a microphone and a place to make the video.
• Second, you need on screen talent. You need somebody to stand in front of the camera who is going to represent your brand. So make sure that is the right person.
• And third, there is a chance your customers may not like or identify with the person on screen. That means your customers may not bye because they don't connect with whoever is in front of the camera.

Pros Of Using Animated Video

• First, animated videos allow you to be more flexible in terms of creativity because anything you can imagine, can pretty much be made into an animated video.
• Second, you don't need any camera equipment. If you're making the videos yourself, you only need your computer and a good microphone.
• And third, there are no concerns over you're on screen talent’s appearance or likeability.

Cons Of Using Animated Video

• First, animated videos can be a lot more time-consuming to produce because you kind of have to make them from scratch every time.
• And second, and this is related to the first con, animated videos can be a lot more expensive to make, especially if you have to hire someone to make them.

But here is the biggest negative for a live video or an animated video:

A video could totally f*ck things up if done poorly, and if done poorly consistently. People might forgive you for less than professional video at the beginning, but they won't accept bad video over a longer period of time. And what I mean by poor video is one that either looks bad, has the wrong message, or offers little to no value to your target audience. Worst would be all of those things in one video.

What You Can Do

So here are three things that you can do when creating either a live video or an animated video.

• First, decide what type of video suits your particular audience and what will work best for your product or service.
• Second, remember that your videos are about them, not you. And by them, of course, I mean your customers.
• And third, be consistent with producing your videos because just like any other form of marketing, video marketing is not a one and done type of thing.

Okay, you just learned about whether or not you should use live or animated videos for your video content marketing. But what are your thoughts? What has worked well for you or what do you think is better? Let me know in the comments section below.

And if you’re still unsure about which one to choose, or if you just want someone to help you make the videos or give you some guidance, then please get in touch with me. And be sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future videos. Thanks for watching and talk to you again next time.

Here's Carl Kwan's video which is the original source content for this article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnjvcFZWC0U