Video is a critical channel for successful marketers and brands. But navigating all the video marketing shop talk can seem intimidating for new video creators. That's why we created the complete video marketing glossary featuring a library of terms covering all the must-know video topics including:

Video types glossary
Video advertising terms
Video production glossary
OTT video marketing glossary
Video engagement glossary
Video metrics marketing terms
Streaming protocols glossary
Webinar and virtual event marketing

To make it easier and faster for marketers to find what they need, we’ve arranged our video marketing terms in alphabetical order — feel free to jump to relevant section as needed.

If you're looking to learn the ropes of how to plan, create, and launch your video marketing campaigns, check out our official video marketing crash course for savvy marketers.

A

Above the fold

Content positioned in the upper half of a landing or web page that shows immediately to the visitors without them having to scroll down.

About us videos

About us videos are sometimes known as company culture videos, these videos explain your business’s story, your mission, and the values your organization upholds.

Ad inventory

Ad inventory is the ad space that a publisher puts on sale for advertisers to buy.

Advertainment

A media style that combines advertising with entertainment to promote products/brands. It includes anything from songs to movies.

Aerial shot

An aerial shot is a camera angle that captures a video scene from an elevated point.

Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR streaming)

Also known as adaptive streaming, it is technology that delivers the highest quality video to your viewers with the available network conditions. Put another way, it doesn’t send one video to all viewers (as progressive streaming does). Instead, it sends the most usable video quality to each user depending on their device, location, and internet speed.

Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD)

Advanced Video Coding High Definition is a high-definition video file format for digital recording and playback. In contrast with MP4, these videos feature a better quality and have a bigger frame rate and video resolution.

Aspect ratio

Aspect ratio is an image’s width and height, commonly denoted by two numbers separated by a colon (:).

Asynchronous Video

Asynchronous video is recorded video that you can share with viewers at any time. For example, creating screen-recorded videos.

Dive into the action: Create screen recorded videos for training and educating your customers and employees alike with the free Vimeo Record Chrome extension.

Animated video styles

Animated videos are videos featuring animations. This could be 2D animation, 3D animation, live-animated, or more.

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

Annual Recurring Revenue is a metric typically for Software as a Service (SaaS) businesses that calculates the annual amount of revenue coming from either a specific client or from a business as a whole.

Autoplay video

A video that automatically plays when a user is on its page, or it automatically plays in the user’s feed. Usually, videos that autoplay have the sound muted so the content has to catch viewers’ attention without relying on sound.

Audience engagement

Audience engagement includes any steps you take to encourage your audience to interact with you in a live event. For example, hosting polls and Q&A sessions in webinars.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that lets two businesses connect with each other by opening their data and functionality to third-party developers that enable the connection.

B

Bumper ads

Bumper ads are short, 6-second video ads that play before a YouTube video starts. These are non-skippable, so brands have an opportunity to win their audience’s attention using short, memorable messaging.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over an internet connection in a defined time. Bear in mind, this is not the internet speed. Instead, it’s the volume of information that can transfer in a given time period. Bandwidth is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).

Bitrate

Bitrate is the amount of data that is conveyed (technically, encoded) per unit of time. It’s measured in megabits per second (Mbps) for video. And in kilobits per second (kbps) for audio.

Good to know: For streaming a high-quality video, you need a higher video bitrate, which in turn, requires more bandwidth.

Byte

A byte is composed of eight bits and represents a unit of storage in computer systems.

Gigabyte. A unit of computer memory or data storage containing about 1 billion bytes.
Terabyte. A unit of computer memory or data storage containing about 1,000 billion bytes.

C

Caption

A few lines of text that explain the visual on the screen (be it in a video or an image), improving the content’s accessibility.

Closed captioning

Lines of text that represent all that’s happening in the video. These are aimed at making the video accessible to those who are deaf and hard of hearing. As a result, closed captions capture everything happening in the video — from the laughter sounds to the chirping birds.

Subtitles

Like closed captions, subtitles are also textual representation of the video content. Subtitles, however, assume the viewers has access to the audio so these don’t notify speaker changes and background noises.

Click-to-Play

Click-to-play is a video performance metric that tells how many times a video was viewed after someone clicked to play it.

Cost per Impression (CPI)

Cost per impression or cost per 1000 impressions is a traditional advertising unit used to calculate the cost an advertiser pays when their ad is shown per a thousand impressions.

Cost per Landing Page View (CPLPV)

This is the average cost for each landing page view or the sum you pay on average to get viewers to your landing page.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

A call to action is an action step that you encourage viewers to take after they’ve watched your video.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

The total cost of convincing a customer to buy a product or service.

Cost per Mille (CPM)

The cost an advertiser pays to have an ad viewed by 1,000 people.

Cross-screen measurement

Cross-screen measurement is a way to allow video marketers to analyze their video performance and consumer behavior across devices. Thanks to this holistic view, you can better plan and optimize your video content.

Constant bit rate (CBR)

Constant bit rate is a telecommunication term related to transmitting data at a constant rate. When it comes to encoding, CDR refers to the encoder outputting data at a constant rate.

CDN (Content Delivery Network)

Content Delivery Network, also known as content distribution network, is a geographically distributed network of servers that are connected to provide fast delivery of online content.

Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN)

An Enterprise Content Delivery Network is a CDN that uses private infrastructure to deliver internet content.

Cloud Video Distribution (CVD)

Cloud video distribution uses cloud streaming software to host and deliver video files to viewers. The streaming software is based on a network of cloud servers that encode and transcode video files in different playback-ready formats.

Cue point

A cue point is a marker for a precise time in a video. Use it to trigger new scenes/chapters in a long video, mid-roll ads, commercial breaks, and so on.

D

Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

A device that records video and audio on a hard disk.

Digital rights management

Digital rights management is the control and management of digital content.

E

Employee spotlight videos

A video type highlighting a particular employee in your company. These are great for showcasing your company culture.

End screen

End screen or an end card is a screen that shows up in the last 5-20 seconds of your video, usually featuring a call-to-action. Learn how to make an end screen to help increase your engagement.

Engagement

Engagement is a video analysis metric that denotes any form of viewer interaction with your content. This includes video views, like, shares, comments, and link clicks.

Engagement rate

The percentage rate at which viewers interact with your video comment.

Electronic Sell-Through

Sometimes referred to as Download to Own (DTO), electronic sell-through is a media distribution method where consumers give a one-time fee to download and store a media file.

Explainer video

Explainer videos are videos that explain a concept/idea or how your product/service works.

F

Fill rate

The percentage rate at which ad requests are filled by ad networks you choose to work with.

H

Hook

Something attention-grabbing at the start of your video to get your viewer’s interest.

How-to videos (Video tutorials)

How-to videos are types of videos that walk viewers through the steps to do something, say baking a cake.

High Definition (HD)

High definition is a system for showing high-quality picture on television or screen. An HD video features either 720 or 1080 lines per frame with a wide-screen format.

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

High Dynamic Range is video technology that captures more color range and luminosity than the Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) tech. As a result, HDR delivers high quality pictures, incredible color, and darker shadows.

Hybrid event

A hybrid event uses both in-person interaction and digital elements to create a mixed in-person and online event.

I

In-stream ads

Video or image ads that play during your video stream.

Interactive video

An interactive video is a form of media that allows users to interact with elements of content within the video itself. Viewers can take digital actions, such as clicking, scrolling, and dragging, within the video experience.

Informational video

Information videos are educational video types that aim to explain an idea or concept to viewers in an easy to understand and retain manner.

K

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

A KPI is a quantifiable measure of performance for a defined objective.

L

Latency

Latency is the time gap between your action and a web app’s response. In live streaming, latency means the delay in data transfer from your side to the viewer’s end.

Lead generation

Lead generation fancy word for all the different ways you can help attract and nurture potential customers who are interested in your products or services. For online marketing strategies, this may include collecting contact information using a form on a video, virtual event, gated page, or form.

Lifetime Value (LTV)

The estimated revenue that a paying customer generates for a company throughout their lifespan as a customer.

Live Video (Live Streaming)

A type of video where the video and audio are broadcasted online in real-time.

Live linear

Live linear streaming is a live stream that is aired 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So, it’s quite similar to a traditional TV station. However, the difference is with distribution as a linear live stream is distributed over the internet.

Live streaming software

A platform that helps you host live streams.

Live action video styles

A live action video is any video featuring real-world footage.

Talking head video

Talking head videos are live action videos typically featuring one person (generally a subject matter expert) talking about a subject while directly looking into the camera.

Vlog videos

Video log or video blog videos are blogs in a video format. Vlogs usually feature the host talking to his/her viewers through the camera — either reviewing a product, covering an event, sharing a day in their life, or similar.

M

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

In a Software as a Service business, the monthly recurring revenue indicates the monthly revenue for an individual client/subscription.

Motion graphics video

A video that features images moving at a rate at which the objects appear to move smoothly.

N

Native advertising

A type of advertising that’s designed as per the form and style of the platform the ad runs on.

O

Over The Top (OTT)

A streaming service that delivers video content via the Internet.

OTT App. An application that allows users to stream videos via the internet. Typically available on TVs, tablets, mobile phones, gaming consoles, etc.
OTT Streaming. Video consumption that takes place over the internet. Includes video viewing via services like Netflix, YouTube, and more.
OTT Platform. An online portal that allows users to access videos.
OTT Infrastructure. The physical and organizational elements that an OTT service uses to operate on, such as internet connectivity, devices, screens, etc.
OTT subscription channel. An internet-powered channel for streaming video content to its subscribers. Example: These four brands.

Dive into the action: Create your own OTT channel today with Vimeo OTT.

Overlay ad

A small-banner-like ad taking up about 20% of a video screen’s bottom. It doesn’t obstruct users’ view and they can easily turn on and click these ads.

P

Pre-roll ad

A video ad that plays before a video starts.

Post-roll ad

Post-roll ads are ads that show after a video finishes.

Pixel short

A pixel is a picture element, the smallest image unit that displays on a screen. Together these

dot- or square-like pixels create an image.

Pay-Per-View

A cable or television service that requires its viewers to pay to watch a specific broadcast.

Promotional video

Promo videos are videos that promote a specific sale, event, or marketing initiative.

Product video

Product videos are compelling explainer videos that educate users about a product or a specific product feature.

Progressive streaming

Progressive streaming sends a single video file (usually in .mp4 format) to all your streaming viewers. As a result, the video is squashed and stretched to fit the screens of different users, impacting the video quality. For example, a video sized 1280 pixels x 720 pixels will appear pixelated on a screen that’s 1920 x 1080px.

R

Real-time video analytics

The process of monitoring event activity in real-time to track performance and alert operators of any urgent or unusual activity.

Retargeting

Also known as remarketing, retargeting is the strategy of showing your ads to people who have previously shown interest in your product/service.

Rich media ads

Rich media is an interactive type of an ad as compared with typical text-based ads. The ad features more interactive elements such as audio and video that encourage its viewers to engage with it.

2K resolution

2K resolution is video content featuring horizontal resolution of about 2,000 pixels.

4K resolution

4K resolution is video content featuring horizontal resolution of about 4,000 pixels.

S

Screen Share Videos (screencast videos)

Videos involving either the host or attendees sharing their desktop screen on a video.

Simulcasting

Simulcasting, also known as multi-streaming, is the act of sending live streaming video to multiple channels (think: LinkedIn Live and Facebook Live) from one platform.

Learn more: What is a simulcast?

Standard Definition (SD) video

SD video is a video resolution measure. SD videos are low quality videos with small file sizes.

Standard Dynamic Range (SDR)

SDR is the standard for video and cinema displays currently. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the quality that HDR brings to the table.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is the process of creating a storyboard, a visual representation of how each scene in your video breaks down.

Streaming protocol

A streaming protocol is what runs your live streams by delivering the data (audio and video) over the internet from your set up station to the viewer’s screen.

Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP)

RTMP is a powerful streaming protocol, developed by Adobe (previously Macromedia) for live streaming.

Learn more: Everything you need to know about RTMP streaming

WebRTC

WebRTC is an open-source streaming protocol that’s used to transmit data via browsers with sub-500 mg latency.

HTTP streaming

HTTP streaming or HLS is another streaming protocol. It’s developed by Apple and is the most widely used streaming protocol that also offers great viewing experience.

MPEG-Dash

It stands for Moving Pictures Expert Group and is an open-source protocol that is codec-agnostic, which means it can use content encoded in any format.

Software Development Kit (SDK)

Software Development Kit is a set of tools that a hardware provider or operating system gives to facilitate application creation.

Synchronous video

A video type in which communication happens in real-time at the same time (literally, synchronous). It typically means people talking in real time with each other over a video call such as a Zoom call.

T

Text overlay video

Also known as text overlay, this refers to adding text over a video file so viewers can see what appears in a video when watching it.

Testimonial video

A video featuring positive words that a user/customer says about a business.

Thought leadership video

Thought leadership videos share a new idea or concept with an educational intent. Expert interviews and keynote speeches are examples of thought leadership videos.

U

User Generated Content video (UGC)

UGC or consumer-generated content is brand-specific content created by a brand’s customer/client and often published on social media. Example: a product unboxing video.

V

Video Ad Serving Template (VAST)

Video ad serving template is a way to structure ad tags to serve ads to video players.

Video carousel

Video carousels are ad types that combine multiple videos into a single ad.

Video clicks

Video clicks is a video engagement metric that shows the total number of times viewers have

clicked your video.

Video completes

Video completes is a measure of the number of times a video is played to the end.

Video encoding

Video encoding is the process of converting one video file format into another.

Virtual event

Virtual events take place exclusively online. They come in many different event types like a virtual conference, virtual summit, or an online event. The goal of a virtual event is to bring people together to meet and learn from each other in an online setting.

Video hosting

The concept of uploading your video content to a video hosting platform to distribute it.

Viewable impression

It is a measure of an ad being viewed by a human. According to the International Advertising Bureau (IAB), a viewable impression is counted when an ad appears on more than 50% of the viewers’ screen for over one second.

Video marketing

Video marketing is when videos are created and used to increase brand awareness, educate customers, and market products online. Learn more with our video marketing crash course.

Video monetization

A way or model to make money from your video content such as generating revenue using subscriptions, paywalls, ad revenue, and more.

Video on Demand (VOD)

A system that allows users to choose which program they want to watch any time rather than having to watch as per a predetermined schedule.

Ad-based Video on Demand (AVOD). A type of Video on Demand service that makes money by playing ads throughout. Example: YouTube’s free platform playing ads overtop its videos.
Free Video on Demand (FVOD). This is a type of Video on Demand that lets viewers consume videos for free.
Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD). It is a type of Video on Demand service that users subscribe to to access video content. Example: Netflix.
Transaction Video on Demand (TVOD). Another type of Video on Demand service where users pay per video.

Video Player Ad Interface (VPAID)

A common interface between video players and ad units that creates an engaging in-stream ad experience.

Video player

This is hardware or software that helps you play videos.

Video plays

Video plays is the number of times your video starts to play.

Video project management

A workflow to organize, manage, produce, and distribute videos by a set schedule.

Learn more: Tips and tricks for flawless video project management

Video pre-production

The planning and ideation phase of video creation. It covers everything from budgeting to scheduling different tasks involved in the video production phase.

Video production

The video production phase covers recording, reviewing, and revising/editing the video content that you create.

Video post-production

The final video creation phase involves polishing footage to get it to a final form. It involves steps like cutting video, adding transitions, B-roll content, voice narration, audio, graphics, special effects, animation, and brand assets

Video quality

As its name suggests, video quality is the image or pixel quality of your video.

Video resolution

Also known as screen resolution, video resolution is the number of pixels contained in each frame.

Learn more: The Vimeo pro guide to video resolution and quality

Video script brief

A video script document in a brief document covering a rough outline of the video content and sharing essential information about the video. This includes everything from who the video’s target audience is, its call-to-action (CTA), and which stage of the funnel it falls into.

Video SEO

Video SEO is the optimization process to make sure that Google indexes your video so that search engines can find your video content.

Video streaming

Streaming is live or recorded video delivered to computer and mobile devices through the internet.

Video syndication

Video syndication is reusing or repurposing video content by publishing it on a third-party website.

Learn more: Repurposing content 101: Getting more mileage out of your marketing content

Video Text Tracks (VTT)

Video text tracks is a method for adding closed captions in sync with the video’s speed using time stamps.

Video thumbnail

A video thumbnail is a still image or custom graphic that showcases what’s in the video.

Video widget

A video widget is a feature that allows you to upload videos on your site.

View-Through Rate (VTR)

The percentage of people who view an entire video or past a predetermined point in the video, usually measured for an advert’s performance.

Virtual Reality Video (VR Video)

These are videos that allow users to immerse in a virtual video. Most VR videos are video game based.

Viewability

Viewability is measurement of whether an ad was seen by a user.

Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (vMVPD)

A service that brings together live and on-demand TV channels to deliver the content over the internet.

W

Webcast

A webcast is a pre-recorded or live, one-way broadcast of information for many viewers.

Webinar

A webinar is an online event covering a specific topic that’s relevant to the audience.

Learn more: What is a webinar and how to plan one

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)

Wireless Application Protocol is a technical set of communication protocols for accessing information from a mobile network.

Webinar script

A video script is a written document that your webinar’s dialogue. It helps you prepare well for a webinar.

Whiteboard videos

Whiteboard videos are types of animation videos that show images being drawn on the screen.

Learn more about video marketing

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