To grow and expand your small business, you need to stand out. And one of the best ways to do that is with video marketing.
Using videos to promote or market brands or products isn’t new. The first company to do video marketing was Bulova. The watchmaker ran its video commercial in 1994 in New York during a local television station’s airing of the Yankees baseball game.
By the time YouTube came to life in 2005, videos were on track to become the next big thing in branding and marketing. As evidence, consider the Rondaldinho video on YouTube that generated one million views.
When Google bought YouTube in 2006, companies started using videos for their marketing campaigns. Think Old Spice and Dove.
Nowadays, videos are used in every area of marketing, including content marketing campaigns. But video marketing is considered a stand-alone strategy, and it’s not only used by businesses but also by organizations, public offices, charities, and even individuals.
Why Use Video Marketing?
Here are specific reasons why video marketing should be a priority for your brand:
- People like watching explainer videos when they encounter a service or product they do not understand or would like to learn more about.
- Consumers understand and remember a message better when it is handed to them as a video.
- More than 60% of consumers would rather watch videos than read eBooks, articles, presentations, and infographics when a product or service is introduced to them.
- Today’s audiences have shorter attention spans, which is why videos are more interesting than other forms of marketing material.
Video marketing is used not only for increasing brand awareness but also helps salespeople and marketers connect with their prospects and improve customer satisfaction.
Video Marketing Tips for Your Small Business
To start your video marketing campaign, you do not have to use high-end fancy equipment. If you have a computer and smartphone, you’re good to go.
Hire a professional videographer if you have the budget and no one on your team is comfortable doing video. But if you don’t have enough budget, anyone from your team who knows how to use a smartphone can take your videos.
You can also equip yourself with basic video marketing tips. Here are five tips that may help.
1. Add a video to your homepage.
On your website, one of the first things that visitors see is the homepage. Take advantage of this opportunity by adding a video that can easily catch their attention.
It can be a short story of your company, an introduction to your product or service, or a customer review. Use only high-quality videos and ensure that the thumbnails are of good quality as well.
Landing page videos must be placed above the fold so that visitors can quickly notice them. Alternatively, they may be uploaded to Vimeo, YouTube, or any other standalone video player.
2. Take advantage of the popularity of live streaming.
On your Facebook page, schedule regular live streaming activities if you want to connect with and get close to your audience. Use it for
- Question & answer sessions about the brand or company
- Introducing a new product
- How-to videos using your product
Live video events allow you to interact with your audiences in real-time. Just make sure to announce the live streaming schedule ahead of time, so your followers can block out their calendars.
You can also do live streaming activities on YouTube and Instagram.
3. Turn your blog posts into videos.
An easy way to create video marketing content is to turn relevant blog posts into videos. Summarize your blog content and then find music, photos, and videos that match it.
Just choose the most read, most loved, and most relevant blog post. Be sure to optimize your video descriptions for the keyword your audience will be searching for when they’re looking for the information you’re sharing.
4. Use a variety of videos.
Videos that you can utilize for marketing your brand or product come in different forms. Choose one or two, or use them all.
Explainer videos. These are popular in video marketing because they help answer a lot of hows and whys. Explainer videos are how-to articles in visual form. These are typically used for making tutorial videos or for explaining how a particular product is used.
For example, if you’re marketing Netflix, you can create an explainer video showing the steps in creating a Netflix account and how to choose the movie or TV series you want.
Introduction videos. These videos are particularly helpful for brands and businesses that are new in the industry. Introduction videos give you the opportunity to introduce your brand or product, company, and team. You can add a brief history of your company and its goals.
Testimonial videos. Testimonial videos are the video equivalent of the text reviews you see on Amazon and other e-commerce sites.
Ask your clients to share their experiences in using your brand or product. Tell them you’d like them to explain in detail why they recommend your product.
Event videos. These are videos that show you and your team in company activities. It can be a product launching, a company anniversary, or a simple get-together. These videos will show audiences how you work and establish your brand and company’s reputation and expertise.
FAQ videos. These videos are like question-and-answer sessions on video. As most people prefer watching videos to reading instructions or answers to inquiries, you can use these as your FAQ instead of asking people to go to your website’s FAQ page.
All that you have to do is list potential questions. Then create a video of yourself answering each one. FAQ videos allow you to connect and establish a relationship with your customers.
BTS or Behind-the-Scenes videos. These videos are similar to “a day in the life of…” videos, but instead of showing your daily routine, they show what happens behind the scenes in your office or during a company event. For example, if your brand sells ice cream, your BTS video can show how you make your ice cream (just be sure not to show your secret ingredients!).
5. Share your videos on social media.
Leverage the power of social media by sharing all your video content on your pages. Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, videos attract a lot of attention. They’re visually appealing and easy to digest. They’re also shareable, so anybody who views them can repost and share them with their friends. Thus, your videos are guaranteed to reach a wider audience.
Using videos to market your brand or product and company is not an overnight thing, but it can be done. Just follow the tips above and find an experienced marketing team to help you carry out your video marketing campaign.
