We get that the idea of video marketing might send tremors of self-doubt through the bodies of many small business owners. It can be hard to picture yourself being engaging enough to maintain the interest of your audience. But video marketing is something you should really consider if you want to remain competitive as a local business. You don’t even have to be in the video to make it engaging and informative. So before you become too resistant to the idea, take a read to learn more about video marketing and the many benefits it offers.

What is Video Marketing?

Well you probably know the answer to this question, you might not understand the type of content video marketing can contain and what goals it can help you meet. So, let’s review that. Video content can be just about anything from product knowledge to something more entertaining, like a jocular commentary between you and a customer. It can be short or long and should be designed to meet your marketing goals, including:

What Goals Your Video Content Should Meet

Brand Building

Helping people understand your brand or even the people behind it are key to increasing brand awareness in your town. You can talk about your brand, what you do, the people who work there, your expertise, etc. Basically, your content should show people why your brand is worthy of their attention and let them know you share the same values. It puts a face to the name and makes you seem real.

Establishing Expertise

Educational videos help establish expertise. They can be handled in a number of ways but share the same goal of positioning you as an industry leader. You can take a few different approaches, such as covering a specific topic related to your industry, such as content creation for a digital marketing agency or trends in hair color for a hair salon. FAQ videos answer common questions about your industry, products or services, while instructional videos offer tips on how to use certain products effectively.

Improving Product Knowledge

As a new company, you might want to improve product knowledge. Things like 360° videos can show customers a full view of your product, or if you run a hotel or event space, you can use a video for Google My Business to show a complete tour of your facility. Product videos introduce the benefits and uses of a product, and show off features of products or design details for clothing and accessories.

Company Culture/Social Responsibility

As a local company, you want to attract customers and also make it easier for potential new hires to learn why they should work for you. Your culture speaks to things like your commitment to zero emissions, going paperless, or being completely diverse in your workforce. Other things you can feature would be charity work, work ethics in the workplace, ethical practices, sustainable materials, etc.

Customer Loyalty

Building customer loyalty is always important. Sharing video with customer testimonials, customer appreciation days, special steps you’ve taken to assist customers with special needs, etc., all help build customer loyalty.

The possibilities for content are endless and limited only to the goals you set for your business and, of course, your imagination.

Why You Need Video Marketing

Wyzowl’s State of Video Marketing in 2018 survey has the answer to this question. It’s not short, but it is clear. First, 81% of businesses were using video marketing at the time of the survey. Next, when it comes to your audience, the average person watches over 90 minutes of video content daily, so you can be sure your customers are part of the video crowd. When it comes to effectiveness, 76% of marketers find video helps increase their sales and traffic. So, all things considered, the evidence is quite compelling and should set your mind straight on the why’s behind video marketing.

The Benefits of Video Marketing for Local Businesses

That brings us to the benefits of video marketing for your local business:

Benefits of Video Marketing for Local Businesses

Establishes Brand Awareness

We listed this as one of your possible marketing goals. However, it is also a benefit to video marketing. Regardless of your video content, you will raise brand awareness. For example, if you post your video on Facebook, this channel generates 8 billion video views per day. Although you probably don’t have or even need a tiny fraction of this audience, it simply shows you people respond to video and want video content.

If you can generate more views, you’ll make more people aware of your business and stand to gain from the possibility of new customers. A picture might say a thousand words, but they’ve got nothing over an exciting, engaging video. This is your chance to introduce yourself to your community, and with the right content, you can really make an impression.

Builds Your Online Presence

Video marketing can help improve SEO and, in turn, build your online presence. Every local business needs to create an online presence to survive. With most people using their phones to find products and services “near me,” the game is afoot to get your business noticed in local searches. The better your video content, the more likely people will remain engaged with your content longer, which improves SEO. You can also get more likes and reviews, which is also something that improves SEO. That’s why SEO agencies use video marketing to improve content and time on page, which helps locals find your business.

Introduces Your Brand Personality

Brand awareness is one thing, but brand personality is another. When you literally put a face to your brand, you introduce your brand personality to the community. If you don’t want to be the face of your brand, you can choose someone in the company who will do your brand justice. A salesperson, a team member, a customer service rep or someone unexpected like your humble assistant might just turn out to have the perfect face and personality to create real connections with your customers. Video breaks down barriers and creates a face-to-face experience that makes people feel more comfortable. They learn more and create a connection you just can’t create with other marketing methods and content.

Increase Engagement on Social Media

Your social media posts get boring after a while when you share nothing but images and text. Video is the way to go if you want to improve engagement. You can instantly see more likes and shares when your videos are fun, interesting, emotional, humorous or even just a little quirky. It all depends on your brand personality. The more relevant, entertaining, and educational your videos, the more likely you are to connect with customers in a more meaningful way.

Build Loyalty and Trust

Video helps build trust and loyalty because it provides a more intimate experience with your followers. That face-to-face connection is far more personal and, dare we say, more vulnerable. It allows people to really get to know you, and it becomes even more effective when the video includes interaction with customers and team members. The more faces related to your brand, the more it makes you feel authentic and real to people. You become the brand people can trust and who people feel more loyal towards.

A Cheap and Cheerful Marketing Option

Sometimes small business owners get nervous about hiring a production company to create quality video. But this really isn’t the case. All it takes is a steady hand, a smartphone and, in most cases, a plan to create a pretty decent video. While pro production is always better, sometimes that authentic feeling video works best.

digital marketing agency can often produce high-quality video for a reasonable price as well. They’ll use better equipment and know how to edit for smooth transitions but still have a home video feel if that suits your brand. Of course, if you have a law practice or doctor’s office, you’ll want to have a more professional feel to your videos. But you probably also have a higher budget than, say, the local coffee shop!

Some budget-friendly tips include:

  • Invest in some professional intros and outro’s using sites like Fiverr. This can be done for under $20.
  • Speak to a digital marketing agency to see how much they charge just to edit your video. This provides a professional-looking finish but saves on the cost of a full professional video production.
  • Experiment with free video apps and software to see if you can perfect your own video editing.
  • Enlist the help of your team. Social media has made film producers out of many teen geniuses, so you’re sure to have someone with mad skills to assist with your video projects.

Video Editing

Increase Sales

That brings us to the real meat and potatoes of any marketing strategy. You can use videos to achieve all your marketing goals, but in the end, what you really want is to increase sales. The best way to boost sales is to:

  • Promote brand awareness
  • Improve online presence
  • Create brand personality
  • Improve social engagement
  • Build trust

In other words, all the benefits offered by video contribute to increased sales. As a bonus, the affordability factor helps improve profit margins.

The bottom line is that video marketing done right does increase sales. Since this is the ultimate goal for your local business, it’s worth giving it a try. You might be surprised how quickly you get the hang of it, and we’re pretty sure you’ll also have fun.

Our team specializes in video marketing and is here to discuss strategy! Schedule a discovery call today

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