Why You Should Create Videos to Promote Your Business (Even If You Think It’s Not for You)
If you think videos aren’t right for your business, think again! Videos are a powerful communication channel and you don’t need a professional team to create effective videos that will build awareness of your business on social media channels and drive traffic to your website or your business’s physical location.
What’s So Great About Video Marketing
It all comes down to the numbers. Studies show that users are more engaged – i.e., likes and clicks – on social media channels than photos or posts with no posts. In 2021, YouTube was the second most popular website and there are no signs it will slow down in 2022. If you want to grow your audience, posting videos is the fastest way to achieve your goal.
Videos have additional benefits for small business owners. A video is a dynamic means of establishing your credibility and building trust. Each video is a new aspect of your business, a new reason your customers should buy from you.
When you talk about your business and what you do to help your clients, your enthusiasm and expertise shine through more convincingly on video than in text or photos. Videos also allow you to take viewers behind the scenes and introduce them to satisfied customers.
What’s Holding You Back?
Some people recognize the value of business marketing, but Let’s talk about some reasons people avoid taking advantage of video to market their business.
Fear of speaking in front of the camera – There’s several steps you can take to feel more comfortable when recording yourself:
- Rehearse in front of mirror
- When rehearsing, practice how you can recover from a mistake
- Look directly at the camera while speaking
- Remember to breath and pause to slow yourself down
- Give some words greater emphasis so you don’t speak in a monotone
- Keep your first videos around 2-3 minutes
- Tell yourself your first recording is your trial run
Don’t take it too seriously. You will get better with practice.
No sure what to say – There are many types of videos, but one of the easiest ways to get started is to provide an answer to typical customer question or solve a common problem. Think of situations where you help a customer meet a challenge. What would you say to the customer? That’s your video! Describe the challenge and provide your solution or guidance. End with a call-to-action that tells the viewer how to connect with you.
Lack of technical skills – To get started, all you need to know is how to use the camera on your cell phone. Record yourself in a comfortable, quiet and well-lit setting, such as at your desk, in your car, or in your backyard. When you’re ready to take it up a notch, try using a selfie stick or tripod to hold your cell phone at a distance for a better shot. Once you’ve decided you’re comfortable with videos you can add more equipment to improve the quality of your videos.
Takes too much time – Actually, no. Once you get comfortable talking on camera and uploading your video to an online platform such as YouTube, you’ll find making a video is less work than you think. You’ll reach a larger audience in less time using video marketing than you will using traditional methods. That’s not to say videos will replace your other marketing efforts; on the contrary, you can use a mix of channels to reach different audiences.
You’re Not Sure Where to Start
Whatever type of business you have, there are many great topics you can explore on video. I’d love to talk to you about how video marketing can take your business to the next level and share my personal experiences building a thriving YouTube channel.
Need more reasons why video marketing is for you? Check out my video on YouTube marketing.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk: