COVID-19: How (and why) to master video marketing while you’re homebound

Small businesses are the heart and soul of cities and towns across America as well as around the world. With the current state of our world, COVID-19’s impact on small businesses is still unknown. Since most of these businesses rely on foot traffic and in-person purchases, this new reality is making it difficult to bring in customers and maintain sales.

According to NPR, half of the people who work in America are employed by or own a small business. As misinformation and fear swirls in the air and across the media, this is the time for your small business to maintain open communication with your customers and partners. This can take the form of a strong social media presence, customized emails, and an engaging video marketing campaign.

Find opportunity even in difficult times

Although the world as we know it is rapidly changing each day with new restrictions in place, many small businesses are finding ways to stay relevant and prosper. If your business has the potential and bandwidth to move online, this is advised. 

Here are a few examples of how businesses are pivoting right now:

Keep customers informed – You can update your company’s website and social media channels to stay in touch with your customers and followers. During this troubling time, it is important to post a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about how your small business is operating during the coronavirus. This will help keep customers informed and updated on your offerings and any deals you plan to run.

Virtual events – If you had in-person events scheduled, you can host virtual events such as webinars. You can also auction off private lessons or classes for the future. Any fitness or makeup classes can be restructured for an online audience. Consider the specific skills that your business offers and strategize a way to translate this to a digital platform. 

Deliveries – You can take an inventory of what you sell and decide if it is possible to deliver your goods or services to customer’s homes. With quarantine restrictions keeping people homebound, brainstorm ways your business can become useful for your consumers.

This can include prepared food, crafting projects with detailed instructions or even delivering exercise equipment (there is a great need for weights and yoga mats). Think of items or activities that customers can do from the comfort of their homes to stay busy and happy.

It is also important to remember that your business can offer the necessary supplies and services that large retailers don’t or can’t at this time. Highlight these items or offerings across your social channels, website and email updates. This will help your small business stand out and attract more customers.

Gift cards – If your business isn’t able to make deliveries or offer virtual sessions, create a gift card program that allows purchases now to be valid at a future time when business can resume. 

We know times are hard, but now more than ever, it’s important to put our heads together to come up with solutions and, even, opportunities.

Master video marketing now, thank yourself later 

Whether you already have posted a few videos online or you are starting from scratch, video marketing is a proven method to attract attention and spark interest in your business and products. According to Forbes, “one of the best reasons to use video marketing is because it helps communicate your company’s unique value proposition in a more engaging manner.”

Think of what sets your brand apart and convey this through videos that speak to potential customers. By creating a video that makes people laugh, smile or even shed a tear, viewers will be more inclined to share with their friends or post on their own social media channels. 

How?

Whether you are a video marketing veteran or newbie, there are tons of helpful resources online. If you have time at home  to really dive in and learn how to make effective marketing videos and build a Facebook strategy, we suggest you check out our video marketing workbook:

Download  FREE Video Marketing Workbook  

A step-by-step guide to creating scroll-stopping video ads and running your own successful Facebook campaign.

Other than Facebook video ads, here are some other effective ways you can utilize marketing videos to help your business during this challenging time:

Showcase your products

Videos allow your business’s personality to shine through and customers will receive more information than from a static ad or image. As Vidyard found, “the combination of both audio and visual stimulation in video makes describing complex concepts much easier—and easier to understand.” This helps customers comprehend your offerings and how to utilize your products. Business2community reports that 62% of consumers watch product review videos before proceeding with a purchase. This shows that people want to know exactly what they are buying and how they can actually use it. 

Feature happy customers

To drive this idea even further, you can feature loyal customers in your videos. They can explain how your brand has helped them or how they implement your products into their everyday lives. This will help potential customers to see your product or service in real-life situations. You can also make ‘thank you’ videos that show love for your supporters. Consider including a coupon or promotion code to maintain loyalty and increase sales. 

Tease your audience

These short videos are usually around 30 seconds and draw your viewers in to pump them up for a new launch or product. Think of this type of video as a quick trailer to a new show or movie. Don’t reveal too much but build the drama and anticipation for what is to come.

Focus on a specific promotion

By creating videos that promote a specific product or discount, you will draw your audience’s attention to one particular aspect of your small business. This type of video is perfect for deals that you can promote during coronavirus.

Placement is key

After creating your videos, consider where you should place them. According to research conducted by Instapage, “adding a video to a landing page can actually boost your conversions as much as 80%.” This allows potential customers to connect with your brand quickly and efficiently. Consider adding videos to your emails with a strong call to action (CTA). You can also include the word ‘video’ within an email subject line to increase the number of click-throughs by 20%! As we found in our 2020 Small Business Video Marketing Trends study, this is where most small businesses publish their videos:

Homebound but still thriving

With fresh inspiration and a bit of time on your hands, now is the perfect opportunity to work on your video marketing plan. Possible videos you can create for your brand on Promo.com include: teasers, video ads, social media videos, product videos, explainer videos, ‘thank yous,’ testimonials and more.

Although this current corona reality is making ‘business as usual’ more difficult, you must keep moving forward and find ways to make these hardships into something positive and beneficial.

Visit our COVID-19 Small Business Support Hub to make videos and more for free