The rise of video marketing has affected how consumers support a brand and remain loyal to them.
According to research, viewers tend to remember 95% of a message when they learn from it through watching a video instead of reading it in a text.
With 78% of people watching online videos weekly, it's clear that most online video traffic will continue to increase in the coming years.
If you're a small business owner, you can take advantage of this trend by creating engaging videos that can be uploaded directly to your website or shared across social media sites.
This guide shows you how video marketing for small businesses works and some exciting ideas to help you get started.
Table of Contents
Video Marketing for Small Business: 8 Results-Driven Ideas
- Create a Welcome Video for Your Homepage
- Talk About Your Company’s History in a Short Documentary-Style Video
- Do a Live Q&A Session With Customers
- Introduce Your Team Members
- Host a Virtual Tour of Your Office
- Share Videos of Customer Testimonials or Success Stories
- Make an Instructional Video of How to Use Your Product or Service
- Showcase Special Announcements
Over the past few years, 86% of businesses have used video in their marketing strategy.
Getting started with video marketing can be a bit daunting, so here are some results-driven ideas to inspire you in creating videos.
1. Create a Welcome Video for Your Homepage
Create a welcome video for your homepage or landing page. Use this opportunity to introduce your business and explain what you do. It's also a great place to share more information about how you can solve customers' problems or help them achieve their goals.
Add videos to product pages and blog posts. It's another way to engage visitors with relevant information about your products or services and how the audience in question can best use them.
2. Talk About Your Company’s History in a Short Documentary-Style Video
Another way to connect with your audience is by creating a short documentary-style video that shows the history of your company.
For example, if you are a small business owner and started your company at home, this is a great way to show how much work it took and how you grew into the business it is today.
Also, if there were people who helped along the way, their names could appear in the credits at the end of this type of video.
This type of video would be perfect for an email marketing campaign or Facebook ad because it allows customers to get to know more about what makes your company special.
3. Do a Live Q&A Session With Customers
Live Q&As with customers are a great way to engage with your audience and build trust.
They're also an excellent opportunity for you to get honest and actionable feedback from people who have the most at stake in your brand and products: those who use them.
4. Introduce Your Team Members
People want to know who they're working with, which also helps build trust. You can also add a voiceover where you describe each team member.
Another way to introduce your team is by showing the location of your office space, including what kind of environment it is and how many people work there. You could also share something about the office's culture.
5. Host a Virtual Tour of Your Office
Put together an interactive virtual tour of your office space or work culture.
You can show off the team's favorite spots, like their break room or lunch spot.
Or, suppose it's a workspace without walls; you could use these stories as an opportunity to highlight what makes your employees unique— their hobbies and interests that help them stand out from other teams in their industry.
6. Share Videos of Customer Testimonials or Success Stories
One of the most effective ways to build trust with your audience is by sharing videos of customer testimonials or success stories.
You can use these videos to show how your product or service has helped customers and, more importantly, how it can help them in specific ways.
Share the story of how your product or service has helped customers and the story behind why they use it.
Doing this will help you establish credibility and give customers an idea about the results they should expect from using your products or services.
7. Make an Instructional Video of How to Use Your Product or Service
An instructional video is one of the most effective ways to brand your product. Doing this will allow you to show customers how your product works and help them understand why it's so great.
To start creating your instructional video, you'll need to gather all the necessary materials, such as images and videos of your product, as well as information on its key features and benefits. Once you have all the materials, you can use the video maker website to create a polished and professional-looking video that is easy for customers to understand. You can add text, images, and voice-over narration to help explain the features and benefits of your product or service.
Your script should include all the information necessary for someone to use or purchase your product: what it does, where they can find it on sale online or in stores locally, any special offers or discounts, and any warranty information available.
8. Showcase Special Announcements
Showcase special announcements, such as new products and services, events, or promotions you're running.
Give all the details of your offer and how long it's suitable. When you do this, your customers will feel like they know what they're getting and when they'll get it.
It makes them feel more secure in their purchase decision, which means they'll be less likely to cancel their order or dispute the charge on their credit card statement when it comes through.
Which Is the Best Platform to Post Your Videos?
It depends on your business, but a few general guidelines can help you decide where to post your videos.
YouTube
Suppose you're interested in establishing yourself as an expert in your field and building an audience of followers who look forward to seeing new content from you. In that case, YouTube is probably the best platform for your videos.
YouTube has some of the best analytics available for tracking video performance. Also, this platform allows you to use unlimited links within the description box on each video so people can easily find out more about you.
Facebook has become the most effective social platform in the world—it's even bigger than Google. If you want to reach many people simultaneously, Facebook might be the best option for your business's video marketing needs.
It's a great place to post your video content because it's designed to drive engagement, and people are more likely to watch and comment on videos than links or images.
However, you don't want to upload a new video every time you make one—you should also be posting regular updates on your page.
Twitter offers many benefits for small businesses looking to promote themselves online through video marketing campaigns. It's easy to use and allows users to post videos up to 10 minutes long.
It's an excellent platform for sharing short clips that can help viewers learn something new in just a few seconds.
Make sure each clip has an eye-catching thumbnail image, so users will know what they're clicking.
Videos on LinkedIn should be short, professional, and informative.
LinkedIn is more likely to attract an audience that isn't necessarily looking for entertainment or humor in their videos as a professional network. But they may be interested in learning more about what you have to offer as a business owner.
TikTok
If you're trying to reach younger audiences interested in seeing how businesses work, TikTok might be a good option for you.
The platform allows users to create short videos up to 15 seconds long that can include music and text overlayed with images or GIFs.
And it's wildly popular among teens and young adults looking for something fun and entertaining while on their phones.
Instagram is another excellent choice if you want an audience more likely to respond well to videos than written content.
Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for video production companies because it has such a broad reach and is used by many people across different demographics and age groups.
It allows you to take advantage of filters, stickers, and hashtags to make your content stand out among other users' social media posts.
Why Videos Are Effective for Small Business
- It's easier to explain something with a video than in writing.
- Videos are more memorable than text-based content.
- Videos can communicate trustworthiness and credibility.
- You can make videos about anything.
- By using video, you can break down your content into easily digestible chunks, making it easier for people to understand.
- They go viral quickly if done correctly.
- They're engaging. People love watching videos because they're entertaining.
- They're also convenient— your viewers can watch them anytime and anywhere.
Quick Tips for Creating Your Videos
- Use high-quality video: low-resolution videos are grainy and hard to watch on the small screen of a smartphone; 720p HD quality looks great when viewed on any device screen size.
- Research keywords related to your business: Use Google's keyword planner tool or marketing analytics tools like Ahrefs to find relevant keywords that people commonly search for in your industry. Incorporate these keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and content so it’s easy to find.
- Create an outline for each video you make: A strategy is essential for structuring your video correctly and SEO, as it lets search engines know what your video is about.
- Have an interesting story to tell: Give viewers a reason to connect with it. Your account should be easy to understand, even if it's short.
- Use captions: Captions are a vital part of any video, but they're significant for small businesses because they allow people to watch your videos without sound.
Video Marketing for Small Business: Final Thoughts
Video marketing is the way to go if you want to increase your brand's reach and visibility.
Video marketing has emerged as an effective way to connect with an audience, which makes it the perfect tool for small businesses that want to make sure the right people hear them.
This type of marketing can help you connect with your audience more personally than other types of content. It can be especially effective when used as part of a larger video marketing strategy.
Professional video marketing agencies can also help you with this process, so we advise looking for the right agency to partner with for your project.
