Video Marketing Part 1: Humanize Your Small Business through Video
Small businesses can be at a disadvantage when it comes to video marketing. You don't necessarily have the immediate brand recognition of a behemoth brand like Walmart, and you clearly don't have the marketing budget of a quality car-brand like Cadillac. But small businesses have their own unique strengths when it comes to reaching out to potential customers. Here's how to leverage those strengths with powerful video content:
Tell your creation story
People like getting a glance into a company's culture, and one of the best ways to do this is through a well-told story about how your business started. Small business startup stories typically include all the elements of being the underdog and taking inspirational risk that people love to hear about. If you combine that with how your products or services uniquely help individuals like your viewers and proof that you respect both your customers and your small band of employees, you already have the makings of a great video. Plus, audiences typically engage better with video much more than text, so filming a short video about how your business got started is a great way to present that information.
Videos make your company more personable
Advertisements are almost always more effective if they focus on the people behind the product or service, even if it’s as simple as the subjects just standing and smiling without using your product or service directly. If you amplify that effect by posting videos with your employees, customers, and testimonials, you'll have advertisement material that viewers consider more trustworthy than marketing graphics without people as part of the subject material. People ultimately do business with other people; so, make sure your viewers know the faces behind the company name.
Make videos about how you make your products or services actually work
At first, this seems counter-intuitive because giving those details might mean your customers won't need you anymore. But many people enjoy learning the overview of your process, as well as a few interesting details, even if they never plan to make use of the information in a do-it-yourself fashion. Often this behind-the-scenes glimpse gives the viewer a new respect of all the hard-work and thought that makes your product or service so unique and effective. This glimpse into your inner workings also makes customers feel closer to your business since they have the “inside scoop.”
Learn More About Video Marketing
Videos are a great substitute for traditional text content: you can change useful, but dry, or nominally required information into an engaging video production that viewers are more likely to watch than read. But video marketing also gives you different opportunities than text to let your customers know more about you and your business. This blog was the first in a 5-part series of how to integrate videos into your marketing strategy. Check back in two weeks for the second part of the series focused on grabbing your audience’s attention. In the meantime, contact us if you have any questions about video marketing.
