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If you’ve ever used a video streaming service, then you’ve likely seen a video ad before. Video is an increasingly popular form of media, which makes it the perfect form of advertising. Not just for large companies, but for smaller businesses as well. When you make use of a video campaign, you’re creating some great opportunities for attracting customers and increasing conversion rates, which pave the way for growth.
How Video Campaigns Help Your Small Business
Video campaigns are more than just another way to get your message out there to potential customers. While the internet has provided a great way for customers and businesses to connect, the remote access can sometimes lead to a lack of close relationship in comparison to interactions in a physical store. While a blog can increase SEO, Video lets you put a face and voice out there, letting you bring your in-store sales strategies to the forefront.
People are also much more likely to remember what they hear and see in a video than what they read in a blog post, plus customers engage more with emails and webpages when videos are involved. While we’re at it, people are also much more likely to make purchases after watching a video. This means that with video, you can increase brand recognition, engagement, and conversions, all in one fell swoop.
Getting involved with video also means you can show up on the second most popular search engine in the world: YouTube. When people have questions about something, there’s a strong chance they’ll look up a how-to video about it. When you’re there, you get to build authority by showing your knowledge of the topic, plus show off your brand.
Video also works for every demographic, unlike some other forms of media. Even when you change your marketing tactics, video will still be appealing to your audience. You also get a way to engage with mobile users – as shocking as it may seem, mobile viewers actively watch video ads for much longer than desktop ones.
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And even if you don’t build an ongoing campaign with your video, integrating them into your website has SEO advantages. In our post about SEO we talked about the idea of “rich media,” where websites incorporate more than just text. Video is one of those rich media options, which means you could get a ranking boost by having a few on relevant webpages.
Types of Videos to Start With
With all those benefits to keep in mind, getting your small business involved with video may start to seem like a good idea. Even so, there’s a lot you can do with a video besides just build an advertisement. Video is a vast media that allows for an extensive array of content to give your audience. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these types:
- Introductions. What is your company? What do you do? Answering these questions for your audience is one of the first steps of successful marketing. But putting all that into a bunch of text that’s informative while still engaging the reader can seem like a near-impossible challenge. Creating a 90 second (or less) introduction video is a lot more effective.
- Give More Details. Your introduction video provides a great start to letting customers know what you do. A great video series to take on is letting customers know what you do – in more detail. Delve into different product features or services to win your customers over.
- Educate Your Audience. When you know your audience well, you know how to offer them help. There’s no better way to show your authority in your field than by educating your audience. No matter what type of company you have, there’s something you can help audiences understand. When your company leaders host these videos, you’re also showing off their skill as well.
- Bring in Outside Testimonials. You can talk about your success story all you want, but what really convinces people that your product or service is worthwhile is the word of satisfied customers. Have someone else talk about how you helped them.
- Tell Your Creation Story. People love stories, so one of the best things you can do is give them yours. Tell about where you came from, plus incorporate how your background helps your customers.
- Share Your Culture. Much like your creation story, customers care about who you are. Put together a video that shows off your values and employees. The more faces a viewer can see, the more personal their connection with your business becomes.
- Try Video Blogging. Blogging is a relatively simple form of content that doesn’t have to be super structured to bring your audience in. Even if it’s little snippets of company life or employee thoughts, potential customers care. These videos don’t necessarily need high production value, either, making them easy to put together.
- Go Behind the Scenes. How is it that you do what you do? If you have a physical product, show how you make them. If you offer services, show how your team works. Customers get a picture of who you are and where your product is coming from in the process!
- Thank Your Customers. When in doubt, thank your customers – after all, they’re the reason you’re in business! Putting together a simple video lets customers feel appreciated. This is a great type of video to slip into an email update or other mailing list.
With so many options for video, you can reach out to your customers in an engaging way. Even better, with advances in technology, you don’t even have to invest in expensive equipment to create great looking video content. Filming with your cellphone is entirely an option, and you can transform your office space into a quick recording area with some simple touch-ups.
Integrating video is a great way to spruce up your marketing campaign, and there’s always more tech for small businesses to discover. Stay tuned for our next post on CSS!