Video Marketing for Small Business Owners

Photos are yesterday’s marketing news. Unless you have a solid video marketing strategy, you are likely losing sales and missing out on potential customer visits to your website. There are several options for small business owners to use video marketing to their brand’s advantage. What does this look like? Your questions answered!

Engaging Video Content Knows Its Audience

Videos are ideal for posting on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Facebook and X also offer savvy small business owners the opportunity to connect with potential customers through their platforms. However, remember that each platform has its unique audience.

For example, Facebook is ideally suited for reaching a more mature audience. TikTok and Instagram are better platforms if your company’s ideal customer persona is younger. When in doubt, consider taking your small business video marketing to YouTube, which appeals to many demographics.

The Three Types of Videos for Effective Marketing

Learning how small business owners can use video marketing begins with choosing the best format. Typically, most videos fall into one of three categories.

1. The brand story. Storytelling is an excellent way of getting audiences interested in your company. People are always curious about what goes on behind closed doors, and these videos pull back the curtain. Please talk about the people who make your business what it is. Sprinkle in the value proposition that sets you apart from other companies in your niche.
2. Customer testimonials. In this scenario, you hand the microphone to your customers. Audiences will see customers they can relate to who talk about your product, company, and customer service. It also offers insights into various uses for the items you sell. Customer testimonials make your brand more trustworthy in the eyes of consumers.
3. Explainer videos. By far the most popular category in video marketing, explainers include product demo videos, product features, and occasionally also more technical details that are of interest to would-be buyers who are already interested in your brand.

Of course, you might deviate from these ideas to suit your marketing needs. For example, rather than explaining product features and advantages, tell the audience how your product or service will solve their problem. Another excellent video type is the introduction. If you are still building brand awareness, introduce viewers to the brand, the products you represent, and how trusting you will benefit the consumer.

The Best Video Length for Instagram Reels, Facebook Posts, and the X Platform

These platforms are excellent for posting short videos. One minute is ideal; two minutes is already pushing it. Cutting the fluff and presenting a concise video that targets a primary audience, focuses on a central topic, and avoids tangents is essential. Interestingly, these are also the platforms that support live streaming. Live streaming is a good option if you cannot keep it under two minutes or envision a connection in real time.

If you have a larger budget, consider a video montage. This format requires extensive editing and is best reserved for working with professionals on the project.

It’s Time for a Sound Video Marketing Strategy

Marketing is all about strategy. To reap the benefits of video marketing, it is crucial to understand how this content will integrate with your overall marketing strategy. We have already discussed that you must have defined your target audience and opted for a video type that suits the content you want to present. However, your video marketing strategy has not yet been developed.

Content Planning

Bloggers know a content calendar is an excellent tool for keeping blogs fresh and relevant throughout the year. The same thinking applies to videos.

Budgeting

Video content creation tools do not have to bust your marketing budget. However, some costs are usually associated with making customer testimonial videos, explainers, or brand stories. Additionally, know whether you need to enlist the assistance of talent. For example, who will be the person speaking? Who will write the script? While we have previously discussed 9 ways to use AI for small business marketing, script writing may not be one of them.

Scripting

It is tempting to sit down and start talking. And the best marketing videos look precisely as if this is the case. However, each compelling video is scripted. Video SEO (search engine optimization) must be implemented to make the content easily discoverable. Scriptwriters will try certain expressions and may rewrite them if they do not sound authentic to you or your brand. If you have never written a script, outsource this task to experienced writers.

Production and Editing

You have defined the audience, social media platform, content, budget, and script. Next, focus on the production aspects. While you do not have to invest in professional TV equipment, your video quality must be high. You can certainly use a late-model cell phone. However, set it up so it does not move and is zoomed in on the space you occupy during filming.

Editing videos is both science and art. It gives your video a polished look and feel that separates it from the amateur videos you frequently see uploaded. Editing is vital if you include infographics, three-dimensional animations, and music. Letting a third party handle this aspect of video making is a good idea. It is far too easy to be pleased with what you have created, and you may not have the neutral eyes to cut pieces.

By the way, always add subtitles to any video product you post. You may be surprised that many YouTube users watch videos without sound. The written word will help with engagement in this scenario.

Posting Your Video

Use your social media accounts to post the video you created. However, do not stop there. Embed videos on the business website for SEO. Include them in your email campaigns. And, depending on your budget, you can showcase your video as a paid ad. Going this route will dramatically increase its distribution. If your content is shareable, you may find that social media users will forward it to friends and family members on its own merits.

So, Is Your Video Content Hitting All the Right Notes? Check the Analytics!

Using analytics is critical for small business owners to use video marketing to their advantage. Only if you know what works and what does not will you spend your budget effectively. Analytics are the easiest and most dependable measures of your video success.

• Views tell you how often someone watched the video you posted. They can also tell whether viewers watched the entire video or clicked off early.
• Engagement measures how viewers interact with your video. Examples include sharing the content, liking it, or leaving comments.
• Click-through and conversion rates are the most important analytics. Are viewers following your call to action, resulting in the conversion rate you are looking for?

It is interesting to note that not all analytics have to align. For example, click-through rates may be high, but conversion rates may lag, indicating a problem with the website. Conversely, the scripting may be off if viewers click off early in the video. And if engagement is so-so, your content is not interesting to the social media platform's users. In this case, the scripting or the platform selection may be incorrect.

How to Create Explainer Videos on a Shoestring Budget

So far, we have discussed the key elements of successful Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube marketing for small businesses in general terms. We assume that you have a budget set aside for this marketing effort. Moreover, we assume that you know when and how to use TikTok for small business marketing and when to choose a different platform.

However, what happens to small business owners who want to stand out from the competition but lack the same budget as these companies? In this case, it is advisable to make cuts wherever possible. It starts with the video style you choose. An explainer video requires the least scripting, preparation, and hardware. However, it also puts the most pressure on you (or the presenter).

Choose the primary two bullet points you want to cover in the video. Most importantly, select a setting that supports your branding. There is nothing wrong with setting up the camera so that your lobby sign or other signage showing your company’s name is part of the backdrop. We still recommend working with a scriptwriter who can craft concise, engaging, and SEO-optimized content.

Familiarize yourself with online production and editing tools. Many of them are free or low-cost. The same goes for analytics tools. They may require a learning curve, but these online tools are often the next best option if the budget does not allow for professional assistance.

Is It Worth the Trouble?

You may wonder if following social media video ads tips is worth the hassle. Does it make sense to take the time to learn new online video editing tools? Can a scriptwriter make a difference? Could you not just try to set up the phone and improvise?

These are fair questions. Data research offers answers.

• Social media videos helped 93% of polled companies find new customers.
• Instagram Stories led to new customers for 73% of businesses.
• Using videos on social media leads to a 34% increase in conversion rate.

This information is about two years old. It is fair to presume that the numbers are higher today. Add to this the science behind video success. Terming it the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, you will likely forget half of the new information you learned in the last hour. However, when information is paired with visuals, remembering it is far easier and more effective.

There is little doubt that putting the legwork into creating marketing videos is well worth investing time and money. And if you need a little help with on-site SEO strategies, the E-Marketing Associates team wants to help. Schedule a call to see how we can get your website ready for the traffic your videos will send!