Why Video Marketing Works So Well For Small Businesses
Video marketing used to be for the big brands, giving an advantage to corporations and big budget operations over the mom and pop shops to grab attention and get noticed. But that uneven distribution of advertising potential is on its way out the window. Now with tools like Promo, every company can create commercials of the highest quality to show what their small business is all about.
If you’re still asking yourself, “why would I want to invest in video marketing,” the day has come to answer that inquiry. The short and long of it is because, frankly, people watch video. Companies advertise with video. You want to keep up.
Think about this: in 2005 YouTube didn’t exist. In 2018, YouTube has 1.3 billion users uploading 300 hours of video every single minute. On top of that, 3.25 billion hours of video are watched every single month just on YouTube. Sprinkle in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, emails, websites (we could go on and on) and that’s a ton of video watching. You may have even viewed a video clip already today.
So now that we can all agree that watching video is an activity becoming more frequent and accessible, let’s break down why creating those videos for your small business is a must.
Minimal Barrier To Entry
A few short years ago, to create a high-quality videos you would have needed to hire an entire production company (big $$), scout a location, get some talent willing to show off your goods, storyboard a genius idea … the list goes on. The development alone would limit you, even with loads of resources, to creating a handful of videos each year, maximum. Good news – The barrier of entry has completely vanished with online video marketing tools.
Now, you can enter an online platform, choose your ideal bit(s) of footage, add your own text, place fully licensed music on top of it and you’re ready to go. If that sounds like too much, it gets even easier with Promo Collections, which are template videos for various industries and holidays.Â
Not only has the process of creating your video changed from a week-long ordeal to a matter of minutes, the flood of social media channels that now get even more viewership than the television has also evened the playing field. Gone are the days of buying late night ad time on your local tv station or publishing in the yellow pages. Advertising, including top-notch commercials, are all online. This means that small businesses have NO disadvantage when it comes to finding your relevant customers.
Professionalism
Even though videos are everywhere and everyone can make them, using high-quality footage in your video marketing efforts will make you appear seriously professional. Yes, we all can snag a decent clip with our cell phones, but placing dynamic text over filmed footage will surely set you apart.
Most viewers would never even guess that a small business, certainly a business of 1, could possibly create something so exceptional without being a very serious business. And no matter what you’re selling, that’s exactly how you want to appear. You take your company seriously, you are professional, you are high-brow and you are deserving of people’s time and money. This is your image after all, and the first way any new clients will discover you.
Brand Loyalty
Yes, videos are proven to build trust and brand loyalty. Certainly, for those making purchases online with a new business, videos include the elements that set someone apart from only perusing your site or Facebook page and clicking the purchase button. One of those reasons is professionalism, as mentioned above. Another is that you’re really able to share a story. You can include more meaningful information and better communicate who you are with a video than with text or a still image. A large part of that is by sharing emotional content. And by emotional, we mean it can be funny, exciting, inspirational and more. The feeling you provide with your video content will stay with a viewer long after the ad has left the screen.
Distribution Opportunities
The distribution opportunities may seem intimidating at first, but the potential ROI is 4x that of non-video ads. That’s high enough to warrant increasing your skill set in the world of online advertising campaign management. And it’s getting easier and easier with platforms like Facebook and Instagram. So, small business owners need not worry, you could master this marketing must in a matter of days and spend as little as $10 per day doing so. When it comes to Facebook, use Facebook Ad Library to conduct research on which ads are working and not working for your competitors. This is a great way to control spending by taking on tried and true techniques.
Your first step is to open accounts on a few social media channels if you haven’t already. Our recommendations are to start with: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest (if you’re eCommerce). Let’s even say to get the hang of two of those channels from that list first. Then you’ll want to begin posting your video content regularly and setting up campaigns. Check out our blog for tips on how to compress a video, how to add audio to video, and so much more!
Increased SEO
You can also add your exciting new video content to your website. This will keep your visitors on your page longer thus signaling to Google that you have a quality website. The more Google thinks you rock (one way to gauge that is by tracking Time On Page), the higher you will rank in Search Engine Optimization. Meaning, adding those videos to your website will get you new clients just from searching relevant terms and seeing your site show up at the top. Turns out if you put a video on your homepage and you are around 50x more likely to be indexed.
Another way to grow your SEO with video is by adding those videos to YouTube. It’s free, for starters, and, because it’s a Google platform, it will also increase your visibility as a Google search result.
Access To Customers On Mobile
Since we all have the attention span of an ant and are married to our mobile phones, getting in the pocket of your future clients is a competitive task to accomplish. With great video content, you can. Short video ads are the perfect content item to get viewers to watch and remember amidst so many other distractions. And yes, we all wish we could snag intentional attention, but grabbing someone during a passive moment of scrolling on their handheld device is pretty great for business, too.
Community Development
Videos are a conversation starter. Period. When you showcase your creativity and have some fun with videos you can really entice people to begin a dialogue. Maybe you ask a question, or showcase a current user, or run a fun contest all with your videos. These already feel more personal than an image and allow for a more comfortable communication to begin. Give it a try by posting a video asking your community to tag a friend it reminds them of, or share your special event with someone who needs it (etc etc) and see what comes up. Then make sure to engage with them to keep it going and get the most out of your posting.
