As a small business owner, you’re at a point where you’ve already poured countless time, labor and capital into getting your business up and running. Your operational, and now you’re looking to expand.
The question is: how do you do it? There are a million and one avenues for growing your customer base and bringing money in the door. So, which do you choose?
If you’re still considering billboards or direct mailers, let’s state unequivocally why you should redirect your attention toward videos. Using videos for marketing in general is extremely effective, and this fact is all the more salient for small businesses with limited resources.
Let us show you how to attract, engage and grow by harnessing the power of videos — the power of commercials, YouTube, social media, websites, and B2B marketing.
Let’s start with an oldie but a goodie: the TV commercial spot. Advertising on TV is often immediately glossed over by small business owners who assume before the fact that it’s too much of an expensive investment.
Actually, TV is not as expensive as you’d think. At least, it isn’t if you know how to plan and buy media according to your budget and marketing needs.
As a local small business, remember that you don’t need to be broadcasting your first commercial to a national audience during this week’s episode of America’s Got Talent. A local ad on cable can be, at worst, just as effective but a fraction as expensive.
In any case, you don’t need to grow exponentially just yet because your business needs to scale. What you do need to do is identify your target market, including geography and demographics, and target creative TV commercial spots toward them.
If your strategy is flawless and you’ve purchased the right media spots at the right time on the right channel, then the commercial itself will do the rest of the work for you.
As much as we love working with television as a medium, there’s no denying that this is a digital age owned by the World Wide Web. And in this era of online video watching, YouTube reigns supreme.
Let’s briefly go over a few statistics that demonstrate the immense potential YouTube has for growing your small business:
If you think YouTube is just a repository for videos of cute kittens, consider how the following video formats can help you to build trust and a loyal following of customers:
1: How-To Videos are a perennial favorite for small businesses. If you own a plumbing company, for instance, consider making a short tutorial on unclogging your sink. That kind of simple advice gets searched on YouTube all the time, and showcasing your ability to do it is a huge demonstration of expertise and professionalism.
2: Interviews are also good, especially when used for cross-promotional purposes. People like to watch interviews on what industry professionals think about this product and that service. Getting in touch with one such individual is a win-win: they get free, no-strings-attached publicity, and you get to demonstrate some professional credentials while also making a name for yourself and your business.
YouTube is a social medium — but only one in an ever-growing list of social platforms. Every day, videos get shared on Facebook, Tumblr and Google+. Why? Because within them are interesting stories and remarkable content.
Using social media for business is (among other things) about cultivating brand awareness, and this occurs by posting content that gets shared and — if you are lucky — goes viral. The way to do this is to produce videos that are interesting and contain remarkable content.
Producing remarkable content isn’t easy. It is, after all, remarkable. But if you know your company and its selling points, ASL Productions has the creative capacity to make you stand out. It’s all about emphasizing your unique statement of value.
YouTube, social media, etc. are all about demonstrating the unique value your small business provides, thereby drawing people toward your profile. But it doesn’t end there — you don’t make sales off of your social media profiles. That’s only a sphere you inhabit. It’s not where your business actually lives.
As far as the Internet is concerned, your business lives on your website. And every business needs a website. You need a domain you own that you can funnel people to from social media. You might need a landing page if you’re running ad campaigns. And regardless of what business you’re in, you need to utilize a website to broadcast your company info and contact details.
The problem with many websites is that they tend to be boring. They’re poorly designed, cluttered, and terrible at converting visitors into customers. People don’t want to read 1,000 words about why your small business is worth their money. They get bored, they leave, and they don’t come back.
This is where video comes in. Videos are proven to, on average, produce higher sales generated from website leads. They don’t require too much thought or concentration, and they allow users to actually see with their own two eyes what your business can do for them.
One of the most useful functions of a video is the concept of social proof, i.e. a real-life demonstration of value. We’re talking about product demonstrations. We’re talking about case studies. We’re talking about video testimonials.
Psychologically, people place their trust in concrete and demonstrable facts. When the first thing above the fold on your webpage is a video, they are given the undeniable facts about your company: who you are, what you do and why you’ve earned their business.
The last benefit of small businesses using videos that we’ll list has to do with forging B2B relationships. As a startup or relatively new business, you’re the new kid on the block. Unless you’ve been networking day and night for the past few years, you probably don’t have many friends in the industry.
A video can change all of that. Just as it earns the trust of your potential customers, a video can be monumental in earning the trust of others in the industry. If you’re a women’s clothing boutique, a video can convince someone higher in the supply chain to sell you their fabric. If you’re a real estate attorney, you can forge a referral-based partnership with a similar firm you don’t compete with, such as a corporate law firm.
It’s important to remember that industry partnerships can bring just as much business in the door as actual customers. And the principle of demonstrating value and attracting business remains the same no matter who your audience is: explain in a creative way what your business is and why it is unique.
That’s what videos are all about, and that’s why they are such powerful tools for marketing your small business. If you own a small business and you’re not producing videos, give ASL Productions a call and let us show you how we can turn your business into a brand! Want More Videos? Here’s a Collection We’ve Done for Small Business
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