Growing a small business today is easier than ever before, and the digital landscape has an important role to play in this arena. With online advertising and social media, small businesses can help widen their reach and attract relevant customers using the power of online content and videos.
Video marketing plays a crucial role in enhancing your brand presence on digital platforms. According to a survey:
- 96% of people watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
- 94% of marketers say video has helped them increase their understanding of products or services.
- 93% of marketers say video has helped them increase brand awareness.
- 87% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic.
- 81% of marketers say video has helped them directly increase sales.
Are you looking for digital marketing ideas for small businesses? If yes, you’re in luck!
Grab your pen and paper (or open your digital note-taking app), and read up to know some innovative ways to leverage video marketing for your small business:
Add Videos to Your Website to Boost Traffic and Engagement
Websites today look and feel a lot different than they did before the lockdown, mainly because viewers are now looking for dynamic content to get information quickly.
In today’s digital age, it is essential to let customers get to know all the details using multiple formats like text, interactive design, and videos.
Adding videos to your website on relevant pages will help the viewer get the information they need in one go and help boost engagement on your page. It can even help boost traffic on your business page, and those searching for related keywords are likely to find your video and discover your website.
Let Your Customers Share Their Stories Through Testimonials
Have customers who love your products or services? Are they willing to share their experience with the world? If yes, give it a go, because having your customer market your brand is the ultimate form of marketing.
Customer testimonials are a great marketing tool for small businesses as they help build trust and initiate a conversion. In addition, potential customers can get to know exactly what benefits they will get with your brand products or services, and this is crucial to help close the deal.
Use Influencers to Your Advantage
Most times, a small business video is self-created, meaning it is the brand that is talking about its services or products. With influencer marketing, you can get a completely different perspective for your customers as you enable those who are influencers or experts in the industry to talk about your brand.
Collaborating with influencers helps your brand to reach beyond your own following and helps build trust. People are more likely to trust and follow brands recommended by genuine influencers, which allows you to get substantial word-of-mouth publicity for your business.
Publicize Your Products or Services Using How-to or Explainer Videos
Simplicity is what every brand is focusing on, but what may seem simple for most may not be the same for others.
For example, an expert may easily maneuver a particular software. However, for a beginner or amateur, the same will seem daunting. How-To videos or Explainer videos play an important role, especially in this situation.
With many customers using products and services remotely, they will first look for help when they are stuck. Instead of calling a friend or reaching out to a colleague, most users try to find the answer online. This is where your video content can make an impact.
Create step-by-step how-to videos and explainer videos, which can even be part of a larger story or series. Videos do not always have to focus on what your product or service does, and you may even tell users what they can do using your products.
Your customers will greatly appreciate this content, and it can help to establish you or your brand as a knowledgeable expert in a particular field.
Create Multiple Types of Videos and Focus on the Storyline
Apart from how-to videos, explainer videos, or testimonial videos, small businesses can use several kinds of videos. While each video format serves a purpose, the essential element for all types of videos is – storytelling!
In most cases, businesses are mainly focused on selling their products or services and tend to lose out on what the customer needs. Instead of marketing or selling your brand, use storytelling to sell experiences. A video can help you do this quickly and even impress the customer.
For example, instead of focusing on your product’s uses or benefits, weave a story around it. Then, tell the audience how your product or service adds value to customers and engage them in your videos.
Customers who are impressed by your videos have a higher chance of conversion, and it will also increase your brand’s retention rate.
Enhance Your Social Media Profiles With Videos
Wondering why your social media channels are not getting enough leads as they previously did? The answer could be due to a lack of interactive or video content.
Today, over 1 billion hours of video are watched daily on YouTube in 88 countries in 76 languages. The same trend is witnessed all over social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn.
According to research, videos on LinkedIn also earn an average of 3 times the engagement of text posts. This comes as no surprise since video content is appealing, helps viewers retain information better, and is even preferred by professionals.
So if you want to promote your business on LinkedIn, make sure you create professional videos that are crisp, informative, and focused on your target audience’s pressing needs.
The Bottom Line
While using video marketing is the ideal way to increase your brand’s reach and awareness, your success is determined by the quality of your content and video editing. So focus on your customer’s needs and problems, and ensure that your video will add value to them.
For anyone unsure about video editing, InVideo has innumerable ready-to-use templates and themes available online to help you get some inspiration and start editing!
McCain is the founder and VP of Client Services at Set Fire Creative. When he isn’t busy helping his clients grow their business through digital marketing, you will most likely find him with his nose in a Stephen King book, eating spicy buffalo wings, hanging out with his wife and Blue Heeler Ozzy, or listening to Guns N’ Roses—sometimes all at the same time.
