Since its advent, few things have captured the attention of the world quite like motion pictures. In fact, in the digital age, 79% of all internet traffic is related to video content. That means digital video marketing is an enormous market for any small business.
The question is, what are the benefits of video marketing?
Namely: a new platform, direct engagement, brand awareness, and higher sales—and it doesn’t end there. If you’re not implementing video marketing for your small business, you’re missing out on an opportunity to directly engage with your audience. There’s no need to wait any longer.
This article is your guide to all the advantages that come with video marketing for your business. From real estate to retail, we’ll discuss what you should consider when designing videos and getting the most engagement, and how that engagement directly impacts your business.
#1 A New, Engaging Way to Tell Your Story
Your company came from somewhere. Whether you started in your parent’s garage or picked up your real-estate license while driving a taxi, there’s an origin to your small business.
Not only can you tell your origin story through your video marketing materials, but you can also tell your audience a little about where you’re headed, and how you’re going to get there. Giving your audience a little peek at your journey helps encourage connection and makes you memorable to potential customers.
But how do you go about telling the epic tale of your small business adventures?
Lynn McDaniel, Chicago local and co-owner of the vintage furniture store “An Orange Moon” has this advice when it comes to telling your business’s story: “Do what’s important and just speak from your heart. Whatever you do, stay positive.”
Whatever element of your business you choose to highlight, a positive approach is always recommended when communicating with your customers. When telling your story through video marketing, be sure to:
- Get below the surface – Viewers can tell the difference between corporate-approved, overly edited storytelling and the real human story. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. People respond to honesty, vulnerability, and emotionality.
- Display your ideals – Many customers tend to be more invested in supporting a company that shares their values. In fact, one survey showed that 71% of consumers prefer buying from companies that align with their beliefs. Whether you’re committed to the goals of a specific community, or passionate about addressing a global issue—one sale at a time, you can communicate what your company stands for through video marketing.
- Share something compelling – Your video marketing content is the perfect place to inspire your audience. Research has shown that 55% of customers who respond to a company’s story are willing to make a purchase. Pick a topic that resonates with your customer base on a personal level and brings value to them in some way, whether it’s a product demonstration or testimonial from satisfied clients. Add engaging music, insert your brand’s personality, and as Forbes suggests, make the most of the first few seconds.
Through telling your story, you can cultivate trust, loyalty, and interest from prospective customers, ultimately resulting in big benefits when it comes to growing your business. Video marketing is a prime way to get across exactly who you are. Start sharing a little more through your content.
#2 Increase Brand Awareness
Think about some of the most memorable ads you’ve seen in your life. No matter what product or service they’re related to, they all do one thing—increase brand awareness.
According to a survey, 97% of marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service which increased brand awareness. As the research suggests, small businesses that choose to implement video marketing campaigns into their strategy are likely to benefit from a high return on investment.
Marin County Realtor, Logan Link has said, “Videos catch people’s attention and do a great job conveying emotion—especially short films that display well on social media. We tried this out recently and received a fantastic response, and put even more focus toward the concept.”
Real estate video marketing is just one example of small businesses building their brand, and the same logic applies to many small businesses.
Build up your brand through these video tips:
- Start with a clear vision – Define your goals before crafting your videos to make sure everything is directed toward brand awareness, and always be open to retooling your video content if you find some things working better than others.
- Grab your audience’s attention – Your video marketing should always be eye-catching and immediately engaging. Choose thumbnails (carefully selected cover images for your videos) that create curiosity, and titles that stimulate the audience’s imagination.
- Use visual shorthand – Whatever you can do to translate your products, services, and solutions through simple visual cues (color-palettes, logos, etc.), can help build consistency and continual connections to your brand.
- Stay focused – By hammering home your message, values, and identity clearly and concisely through your video marketing, you can deliver a focused piece of brand awareness that sticks in the viewer’s head.
#3 Improve Your Metrics
Videos generate clicks, there’s no question about that. Whether you’ve placed a video in an email or on a web banner, there’s a significant boost to using video over all forms of media.
When designing your videos consider the following options for increasing your clicks, shares, and site visits.
- SEO marketing – When done right, SEO is a way to ensure your content is put in front of the people who are already searching the internet for goods and services that you provide. SEO (or search engine optimization) is the practice of making your website easier to find in search engine results like Google by improving a user experience and your website’s backend. Adding a dose of SEO by optimizing your videos through titling, share buttons, and inbound links, you can tailor your ads to include the always-helpful SEO connections that will bring more viewers to your content.
- Subtitles and audio descriptions – Videos are frequently watched without sound, so be sure to add subtitles to your videos and consider audio descriptions as well for the hearing impaired. Your content should always be inclusive.
#4 Encourage Community Engagement
If you’re a small business, you know that your customers are really your community. To make selling your products or services easy, start speaking directly to your customers through video marketing.
Today, 92% of mobile video consumers share a video with others, so your video can connect on a one-to-one level over and over again, leading to higher potential sales and bringing fresh eyes to your company.
When crafting a video that engages with the greater community around you be sure to:
- Address community needs – A video can do more than advertising: it can address what your specific community is looking for. Whether you’re providing opportunities, jobs, or extra services, let people know through your video marketing.
- Become an advocate – Consider teaming up with a local charity to craft a new video campaign. Your business and your community can benefit by working together toward larger goals. Be the advocate your neighbors can be proud of.
- Connect with other businesses – There’s nothing quite like a local collaboration to make a marketing video truly shine. Share the costs and benefits of connecting with another business to double the potential of your videos and strengthen the bonds of your community.
Being a local business is more than just being in the neighborhood, it’s about being a leader. As your videos are watched, you’ll cement your place in your community and become a familiar face your neighbors trust and want to support.
#5 Expand Your Audience
Wherever your business is located—whether strictly online or in a brick-and-mortar storefront—video marketing can create further accessibility through multi-platform engagement.
You can think of video marketing as a way to bring your business to another location online—not just as an advertisement. Through exploring various platforms you can open up a whole new world of audience engagement.
Consider options such as:
- Banner ads – Also known as display ads, banner ads are like digital billboards on the most visible parts of web pages. While banner ads were once static images, it’s become increasingly common to find videos on popular websites, displaying products and services in a highly engaging way.
- Social media – There’s no denying the power and popularity of the largest social media sites. Not only do these sites have a global presence, but they can also be highly localized for maximum engagement with the community that your small business serves. Don’t overlook these platforms when it comes to bringing your videos to your audience.
- YouTube– A well-placed ad before a YouTube video (or in the middle of one), has been shown to attract high engagement. Viewers can start interacting directly with your small business with a single click, and with real-time feedback, and analytics, you can know exactly how well your ad is connecting with your audience.
Your digital platform can mean a whole new outlet for your brand’s voice and products, so once you’ve pinned your platform (or platforms), you can begin crafting entertaining, informative, and exciting video content to let neighbors know about your small business.
Go Beyond Video Marketing with Nextdoor
Now that you’ve heard about the benefits of video marketing for business, you’re probably ready to start creating videos, telling your story, and engaging with your community. Before you head off to the editing suite, be sure to start connecting directly with your neighbors on Nextdoor.
Designed for locals, by locals, Nextdoor is the community hub that allows you to share engaging posts, outline your service offerings, and interact with your customer base all in one easy-to-use online platform. With free Business Pages, over 50 million business recommendations, and news updates, Nextdoor is the perfect tool to complement your marketing strategy. Claim your free Business Page to get started.
Sources:
CISCO. Global 2020 forecast highlights. https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/m/en_us/solutions/service-provider/vni-forecast-highlights/pdf/Global_2020_Forecast_Highlights.pdf
Business insider. 5 ways to use video marketing to strengthen your small business branding. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-video-marketing-to-expand-small-business-branding-2021-2
Small business revolution. Story 13 An Orange Moon. https://smallbusinessrevolution.org/small-business-revolution/story/an-orange-moon/
UWA. Storytelling in marketing: the importance of brand narrative. https://online.uwa.edu/news/brand-narrative-storytelling/
The close. 29 Clever Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2021. https://theclose.com/real-estate-marketing-ideas/
Claim your free Business Page to get started on Nextdoor. For resources on how to use Nextdoor to stay connected with your local customers, pertinent news affecting businesses, and more, follow us at @nextdoorbusiness on Facebook.
