Is your budding small business interested in harnessing the power of video?
In this post, our friend Chad from CubeCreative will explain:
- How content marketing can utilize video to help your small businesses
- How to overcome several of the obstacles you may encounter with video marketing, and
- Finish up with a few suggestions for developing your strategy
Now I am sure you know that video killed the radio star but did you also know that video has taken over the internet? According to Statista, at the end of 2021, “online videos recorded an audience reach of 92 percent among internet users worldwide.” And Forbes reports that “90% of consumers indicate product videos directly inform purchase decisions.” They go on to say that “Companies utilizing video content experience a 41% increase in traffic through web searches” and that the ROI on video is nearly 52%!
Given these nuggets, video should definitely be part of your content marketing plan. Here are three reasons why:
3 Reasons Why Video Is a Key Component of Your Content Marketing
1. Higher SEO Value
Focusing on your SEO should be a vital part of your content marketing strategy. Therefore the more engaging your online content is, the more prospects will want to come to your site. This will help your ranking improve, which has been proven to increase traffic by almost 70%. With a video, you can increase the time on the page, use a transcribed version to add closed captions, or add written content to the page - all factors that give a big boost to your SEO.
2. Increased Conversion Rates
Conversion rates or the percentage of prospects who take the desired action grows exponentially whenever a video is present.
3. Improve Your Online Presence
With today’s technology, maintaining a consistent content-rich online presence is just as critical as offering a high-quality service. The accessibility and authenticity of videos contribute to that online presence. Including videos on your website helps sell your goods and services tremendously. Each small business has a message to convey, and developing your internet presence through video is an excellent way to do it.
Why Social Media Videos Matter for Most Small Businesses
Video offers an immense content marketing opportunity for businesses of all sizes, especially on social media. According to an Animoto survey, “93% of businesses say they’ve gotten a new customer thanks to a video on social media.” And on average, it will generate 12 times the shares than text and images combined. This makes video a powerful tool that can and should be incorporated into your social marketing throughout the buyer’s journey to maximize the success of your marketing campaigns.
How to Use YouTube for Small Business
You’ve probably heard that Google is the most popular search engine. What you might not know is that YouTube is the second. What does this have to do with you and your small business? YouTube is being used by more people than ever before (including your clients) to find how-tos, product reviews, and other information.
Making YouTube videos can put you in front of more clients looking for videos about your geographical area, products, or services.
How to Use Website Videos for Your Small Business
When it comes to using videos for your small business, it is a must, as the average consumer will spend nearly 90% more time on your website if it has a video. Now there are lots of ways to incorporate video on your site, including:
- Explainer Videos: these are great for the early and discovery stages of the buying process as they help to educate buyers about your services or products.
- How-To Videos: These step-by-step tutorials can be informative as well as entertaining. According to a report from Vidyard, 42% of companies are using them now.
- Thought Leadership Videos: These are ideal for building thought leadership within your geographical area and industry. They help you establish your expertise on a given topic while educating your prospective clients about a particular subject and making a human connection.
- Testimonial Videos: These videos help provide the social proof aspect that many of today’s consumers are looking for. And guess what you can repurpose these videos on YouTube and other social media channels.
How to Use Email Videos for Your Small Business
Adding a video to your email marketing campaign isn’t as complicated as it may sound. There are lots of services such as Vidyard and Wistia that make it super easy. Be sure to include the word “video” in your subject line, as it can increase your open rate by nearly 20%, and it’s not uncommon to see an increase of CTR of 95%+.
Small Business Video Marketing Hurdles
Many small business owners see the value of video marketing but fear that the time, budget, gear, and software seem expensive or too complicated. I am here to help you dispel these common misconceptions!
Myth #1: Video Is Too Time Consuming
Frankly, I blame Hollywood for this myth. When it comes to making videos for social media or embedding them on your blog or website doesn’t have to be complicated. All it takes is a few hours a week. Once you get more comfortable, you will get better and faster.
Myth #2: Video Is Too Complicated
Even with the time set aside, many small businesses do not employ video because they think the editing software is complex. Several options are now available to make it easy to create and edit high-quality videos.
When it comes to social media videos, you don’t need a lot of production. Videos with only a few pictures or a single clip with text are often more intriguing. My recommendation is to start small and try more complex techniques as you gain experience with video editing.
Myth #3: Video Is Too Expensive
This one has lost some steam over the years. The smartphone in your pocket or your hand has a powerful video camera. Combine it with a budget-friendly microphone and an inexpensive tripod, and you have a powerful setup to record some fantastic videos.
I suggest you add text over your video recordings as a large percentage of people watch with the sound off anyway(this includes yours truly). You can tie all this together with an inexpensive, easy-to-use video editing tool, possibly on your phone!
Tips and Tricks for Small Businesses Looking to Incorporate Video
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your video marketing.
- Begin with what you have: You probably already have images and video clips; utilize them as a starting point.
- Plan for sound off: Remember that if you plan to post the video to social media, that 85% of people watch with the sound off. Therefore, use text and captions to tell a story that works whether or not the sound is on.
- Think of your mobile audience: More and more viewers watch videos on their phones. For mobile or social media videos, make sure that the text is large enough to read and use a square or vertical format.
- It’s not a one size fits all: A video that works well on one social media platform may bomb on the other. Be sure to design your videos accordingly.
- Use your smartphone: You don’t need fancy gear to start. As I mentioned above, we all have great professional cameras in our pockets, and it shoots better video than you think!
- Pay attention to lighting: Good light (or lack thereof) may make or break your video. If you don’t have or don’t want to invest in lighting, try to shoot in the sunlight, near a window, or turn on as many lights as you can inside. If you shoot in daylight, don’t set your subject directly in the sun. This will cause them to squint and turn out bad. However, if you don’t like them, put them in the direct sun!
- Pay attention to the audio: The quality of your audio might affect your video more than the video itself. When recording, consider using headphones to check the sound.
Next Steps
When it comes to marketing your small business, you need to harness the power of video. Therefore your next step is to whip out your phone and record your next video. I will be the first to tell you that the first ones you do will be harder, but with time you will get the hang of it and be more comfortable on both sides of the camera.
Bio
Chad is the Chief Smarketing Officer at Cube Creative Design. He loves to work with small businesses to grow their online presence and strengthen their overall business. He is also a proud husband to a middle school teacher, Amber. Together they have one son Raylan.
