The advent of social media and the presence of online marketing can feel overwhelming to a business owner. Your online presence is very important, but you don’t want to be “that guy” with the annoying pop-ups on your website, bugging innocently browsing customers with a barrage of requests for their personal information. At the same time, you don’t want to miss out on possible leads and have potential customers slip through your fingers.
Recent studies have shown that video marketing is hot. Fifty-three percent of consumers agreed that they would like to see more videos from the businesses they support, and the same study showed that consumers tend to watch videos but only skim written content.
So if customers prefer watching videos, what kinds of videos should you make?
Video blogs
Video blogs, or vlogs, can be a great way to utilize video for your customers. A vlog is a fantastic tool to demonstrate a product or provide a how-to tutorial. You can add text and visual effects in a video editing program after recording. Vlogs can be recorded on something as simple as a mobile phone or laptop, though investing in a good camera is wise if you plan to spend a lot of time working on your vlog. A good camera can make a big difference in the finished product and is money well-spent.
Tell your story
Your customers want to know more about you, and allowing them a closer look at your business helps them to feel connected and builds brand loyalty. How did you decide to start your business? What inspired you? Who had an impact on your career choice, and which people were important in your trajectory to becoming who you are? What was your first day as a business owner like? There are a thousand things you can talk about in this type of video. It doesn’t have to be highly edited. Telling a great story and giving a little bit of insight into your world through video can draw people in in a way that written words aren’t able to.
Educate your customers
Of course you want to keep your customers up-to-date on your most recent sales and programs. That’s an obvious way you can use video. But what about sharing your decision to source your materials from a more eco-conscious supplier? Or updating them on upcoming products, or projects you are working on and hoping to roll out soon? Videos like these provide interesting content and keep consumers informed about your day-to-day decisions. They can be impactful and memorable, and keep customers coming back for more.
Ads
Yes, ads. You knew it had to be in here somewhere! Video ads with eye-catching content can help drive your product sales. They can be short and packed with content, and buying video ad space on social media or YouTube can catch users that might not otherwise be exposed to your business. With a variety of plans available, you can spend as little or as much as you’d like.
A great ad can also be spread organically by your customers. If your ad is particularly funny or heart-warming, your customers will share it on social media, making the word spread even more quickly.
Customer Testimonials
Savvy shoppers research before they buy. They spend time checking reviews, seeing what their friends like, and asking for referrals before they finally decide to purchase something. Why not make this process easier for them by having real-life customers give video reviews of your products? Use videos to provide the visual of an actual customer talking about your product or service and sharing the results of how it improved their lives. This type of video shows potential customers an honest reflection of your company from an unbiased source, and can help move a potential customer to purchase your product.
Making videos for your business can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. A good quality camera and microphone can help go a long way in making professional-looking videos. You can use services such as this Youtube video maker to give your videos a polished look without breaking your advertising budget.
No matter how you end up making your videos, it’s no question that if you want to market in today’s world you need to be using videos on some level. Give it a try, keeping in mind that just like anything else it may take some work to get it right. The time investment will almost certainly be worth it in the end.