Small Business Marketing Tips: Getting Started With Video
For most of us getting in front of a camera and putting ourselves out on the internet in video form is an extremely uncomfortable process. Often we don’t come off as very impressive in our initial on-screen appearances, and sharing those appearances for the world to see can be a very scary thought.
So why do so many business owners push themselves through the potential embarrassment and get on camera anyway? Because the rewards of video marketing are too good to pass up on!
According to data shared by Social Media Today:
- 78% of people watch videos online everyday.
- 72% of customers prefer learning about a product or service through a video.
- 82% of all consumer internet traffic will come from online videos by 2022.
- Video consumption through mobile devices rises by 100% every year.
- Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it through a video.
If your company’s current marketing plan doesn’t include video, we are sorry to tell you that you’re already behind. The good news is that now is the perfect time to get started with creating original videos for your business. In this small business marketing tips post, we’ll let you know exactly how to get started, and why creating video content may be easier than you think.
What You’ll Need And What You Won’t Need
Let’s start this conversation off by saying that there are many different types of marketing videos. For traditional video advertisements, that resemble a commercial you might see on TV, people will expect the production value to be quite high. When producing these kinds of videos, you would be wise to reach out for professional help.
Another way to go, is to create videos in which you talk directly to the camera, and educate the audience on a topic related to your business. These marketing videos are much simpler to make, and can be highly effective tools for helping you connect with new customers.
These types of videos can often be filmed on your smartphone or through a webcam attached to your computer (the Logitech BRIO Webcam can be found for about $200). Producing these types of videos won’t require you purchasing any high-tech filming gear, and you won’t have to worry about spending thousands of dollars on video cameras or lighting equipment.
The truth is most people aren’t expecting TV-level production quality from your marketing videos, and will be much more interested in what you’re saying than how you look. With that in mind, you should go ahead and purchase a lapel microphone, so that your audio comes across as clean as possible. Consumers will usually stick around for so-so video quality, but will quickly bail when a video has audio issues.
One thing you won’t need to buy for your videos is new fancy clothes. The pandemic has made dressing up for marketing videos pretty much a thing of the past. Business-casual attire or your everyday uniform (if you have one) is all that’s really necessary to wear on camera these days.
Now if you’d like to bring a higher level of production value to your videos or dress up in fancy suits, you absolutely can. Just don’t overcomplicate things and let production value concerns hold you back from making any videos at all.
What Should Your Videos Be About?
There’s a lot of different ways you can go with your business’ marketing videos. If you’re looking for some inspiration, try putting together a list of your customers most frequently asked questions. Then go through that list, and create videos centered around answering those questions.
For example, if you work in HVAC, and customers are always asking you when it’s time to replace their boiler, you can create a video called “How Long Should You Wait To Replace Your Boiler”. This video can simply be you talking to the camera, sharing expertise in the same fashion you would with a customer in front of you. Don’t stress too much about giving professional guidance away for free. Remember, your viewers will still require your help in actually replacing their boiler.
Great video ideas can also come from simply checking in on news and current events. When a news story occurs that involves your industry, don’t miss out on the opportunity to talk about it. Pick up your camera and let your followers know exactly how these recent events could impact their lives. For example, if you were an accountant this past spring when tax day was pushed back to July, you could have created a video called “Everything You Need To Know About The Tax Return Extension”. If you are going to address the news in your videos, make sure you do so shortly after the events occur, and try to have an interesting and unique take to share.
What If You’re Not Very Good On Camera?
If when you create your first few videos the results aren’t so great, don’t panic. While some people are naturally gifted speakers, most of us end up being quite awkward on camera in the beginning. Even some of today’s biggest video marketing gurus were once uncomfortably stuttering and asking for another take. While the biggest key to getting better on screen is repetition and practice, following these tips should also help.
- If you’re trying to remember dialogue from a script or read off cue cards, chances are everyone will know it, and you’ll risk coming off as too robotic or look very uncomfortable. Instead, outline some key talking points for the video before it begins, and start sharing your expertise once the camera starts rolling.
- Keep your videos simple in the beginning. Focus on answering just one question or addressing one particular topic per video. As your on-camera abilities become more advanced, so can your topics of discussion.
- Prepare to do a lot of takes, and don’t rush the process. As painful as it might be, stop and watch every take. You’ll likely notice a few things you can improve upon for the next take.
- Bring someone else on camera with you. Presenting on camera with a co-worker will usually make the process less daunting, and give your videos more of a conversational tone. Also consider interviewing people in your videos, such as expert figures and former customers. Video conferencing technology makes socially-distant interviews incredibly simple to set up.
What Should You Do With Your Videos?
Videos can be featured in a wide range of places, but you’ll probably want to start with these two: Your YouTube channel and social media pages.
YouTube is an extremely important place for your videos to be, as videos published there will have a great chance of ranking high in Google search results. Try to have your video titles reflect things your customers might be searching for, and always be as specific as possible with your topic ideas. You’ll be much more likely to rank high for a video called “What It Means If Blue Smoke Is Coming Out Of Your Tailpipe” than “Why Is Smoke Coming From My Car”.
Video can also provide a major boost to your social media pages and make your social content much easier to digest. So every time you create a new video, make sure you upload it to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram pages. When posting those videos, offer a question or prompt to go with it to get the conversation really rolling. If you are consistent with your social sharing efforts, you should see engagement start to go way up over time.
Want more small business marketing tips?
Learn here how to create case studies
Learn here how to jump-start your company’s blog