How Small Businesses Can Use Video Content?

Video content is one of the hottest content types in the market today, and it is a critical marketing tool that small businesses can use effectively.

There are many types of video content that can be used to market your business, including explainer videos, testimonial videos, and product reviews. Video is one of the most effective tools for driving traffic, so it’s essential that you invest time and effort into creating high-quality content.

But there are also some things to keep in mind when creating video content. Let’s look at the hows and whys.

Video Content is Engaging

Humans are very visually-orientated creatures, so video speaks to us in a way text can’t always manage. Video is a friendly, sharable format that engages this key human sense and is easy to consume. There’s a reason they say a picture is worth a thousand words!

Video is the most consumed online content currently. From native Facebook video to dedicated platforms like YouTube,if you’re not leveraging the power of video for your brand, you’re missing out. The idea is to focus on useful, relevant content that elaborates on your industry, services, and markets.

The great news for small businesses is that it isn’t about budgets, but about the time and effort put in to creating your video pieces. Even the smallest of video clips has viral potential. It helps close the gap between you and larger service providers. People spend an incredible amount of time interacting with video formats currently. YouTube alone sees over 500 hours of new content uploaded daily!

Video can also be leveraged for informative and tutorial formats very well. This not only establishes trust in your brand and positions you as a knowledgeable, trustworthy partner, but helps build connection between your brand and customers.

Stories Sell So Much

It’s tempting to see video content as either ‘some TikTok thing’, or something you would create for a ‘hard sell’. Yet that’s not where the power of this type of content lies. You can tell so much in an image or two- imagine what even a 15 second video can get over. Video formats allow you to add value to what you do, but they also allow you to add human connection. And that’s priceless!

Building an emotional connection with your audience is what will foster belief and trust in your business as a partner people can trust, not merely a cash-grab… and that’s what will bring long-term sales and support through the door.

It Doesn’t Have to be Long

In fact, short and sweet is often far more effective than going on and on. Many of the hottest social media marketing platforms favour short videos- 15 seconds to 1 minute is the typical format. Attention spans are short, and your video content would need to speak within the first seconds- often called a hook.

Plenty of low-cost video editing options that can still create high-quality, appealing video content are out there, so you can offer competitive content even as a small business. All you need to create compelling, high-quality content is a smart small business content strategy.

Focus on your Core Audience

As a smaller business, you don’t want to make just any videos. You want to make sure you’re making content that engages and speaks to your core demographics. That’s why good SEO and data analytics are so important in online marketing- video is no different. You still want to include a clear call to action, and all the usual good SEO strategies. Just because it’s a visual format doesn’t mean best practices can go out the window! Videos have descriptions, tags, headings, and other features that can be leveraged for implementing SEO best practices.

Types of Videos to Try

So, what types of videos will speak to your audience? This will always look a little different, based on your core audience and your business. But here’s some food for thought.

1) Helpful, Explainer Videos

We’ve mentioned this briefly above, but it’s worth mentioning again. Video is a great format to help people learn more about products, functionality, venues, destinations- whatever you do!

2) Behind-the-Scenes

You may not think your daily biz is fascinating- but your audience likely disagrees! Behind-the-scenes videos humanise your brand and let you establish a human connection to your audience.

3) Product Showcases

Launching something new? A video can be a great way to introduce your audience to why and how it will make a positive difference in their life.

4) Brand familiarity

Video is also a great way to let people know what you do simply and engagingly, and build a trusted presence in your market. Showcase your values, how you work and play, and other things that will engage people.

5) Testimonials

Testimonial videos are one of the best options for businesses of all sizes. These videos let customers share their experiences with your brand and help build trust between you and your target audience. Plus, they can offer an extra dose of credibility that can be invaluable when selling products or services to new consumers.

Key Benefits of Video Content for Small Businesses

So, what will regular video content do for a small business?

• Broaden your reach and target audience at minimal cost
• Leverage the most consumed content type currently for your business
• Create another important point of interaction with customers, with great reach and minimal upkeep
• Drive sales in an appealing format that gives a lot of facts in a small space
• Boost leads and brand awareness
• Videos encourage sharing, making more people aware of you
• Videos allow you to use smart SEO to gain industry prominence. Tags and individual focuses allow you to open up keyword niches and other critical SEO areas in an entertaining and appealing format
• Get search engine prominence on video pages as well as main pages
• Videos offer another way to engage with customers, giving them more opportunities to engage in ways that are preferred by them.
• Videos draw the eye, and often stay more prominent in clogged social feeds
• Videos allow you to develop your brand personality and humanise what you do.

Getting Started with Video Content for Small Businesses

How to get started with small business video marketing? Of course you can always devise some in-house options. However despite how accessible high-quality video creation has become, it can still be incredibly time-consuming and intimidating to get started. Don’t worry! The help you’re looking for is out there. If you want to get started in creating great video content, reach out today- we’re always here to help.