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Video Marketing

Video Marketing

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Video Marketing

Video marketing how-to guide for small business. 

Video marketing is using videos that you, your employees, your customers or professionals make to educate or promote your business, products, services or yourself as an individual expert. Videos can be used to create awareness and interest; help educate and persuade prospects to buy during the pre-sales process; train and troubleshoot post-sales support issues. The most talked about video marketing success stories are when a video "goes viral" because they are funny or cool.  

  • Top Suppliers for Tools and Services for Video - we've done the research and continually update this article on top suppliers for video cameras, video software, video posting sites, video analytics and new tools and services for creating videos for the masses.
Know this
Know this:  Most people think of video marketing as videos posted on YouTube. Videos can either run on the business’ website, blog or on a “channel” the business creates on a video service.
 
Tip

How video marketing can help your small business
 

1.  Videos "humanize" a business

People like to know "the faces behind the company."

How can you create a video that makes "stars" of the key people at your company?  Make a video "the day in the life of an order" or "who answers the phone" or "who is here making things happen".

2.  Videos can help with personal branding

Videos are helpful for all businesses but especially so for service business and consultants. A video with an expert explaining something is the equivalent of getting a product demo for a service business or consultant. Videos give business owners and consultants the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and personality by explaining something or helping a prospect or customer solve a problem. 

  • Personal branding TV contains lots of examples and helps you get started.

 

3.  Videos can help sell by demonstrating how a product or service works

Here's an example of a small business doing this: SuperCollar is a small business that sells a unique dog collar with a leash integrated into the collar.  The video on their home page shows it "in action". 

Know this
Know this:  Many people are visual learners and appreciate learning through video. If you understand the three different learning styles (visual, audio and kinesthetic) and key insights about personality types, you can tailor your sales and marketing to ensure you incorporate different ways to explain, educate and sell to people based on their learning style and personality type. And that can mean more sales and sales made more quickly. 
Learning Styles and Personality Types explains more about this.

4.  Videos keep visitors on websites longer

Because (well-done, short) videos are more exciting than text, website visitors stay on video-enhanced websites longer.  A website that holds visitors for three minutes or more is considered “sticky.” Visitors who watch informative videos are more likely to “convert” or share their contact information to sign up to receive a newsletter.

5.  Videos may increase website traffic through a (possible) increase in page rank

Search engine optimization specialists recommend including a video in a company website because they believe it will help increase search rankings. Since the search engine company algorithms are secret, no one knows for sure. Experts say it's more likely to appear on page one search rankings if your web page has a video and is focused on a specialized niche or local to a city or neighborhood. If the video is posted on other websites, you've created an important "backlink" that aids in search engine optimization as well. 

  • Search Engine Optimization covers this topic in more detail. 

6.  Videos can go viral, particularly when they’re enabled with a Facebook “Like” button and other buttons that facilitate sharing.
 

Know this
Know this:  Many small businesses would love to create a “viral” video. Blendtec did this with its Will It Blend? videos that demonstrated an industrial-strength blender destroying cell phones, whole fish, shoes and more. More recently, the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”  commercials have managed to go viral to the tune of 23 million viewers plus all the word of mouth offline and the press coverage. The likelihood of this happening is like winning the lottery (unlikely). That said, a small business, particularly if they’re in a narrow niche, has little chance of appealing to enough viewers to hit a viral video out of the park. The benefits a video offers, outlined below, still amount to reason to get out the camcorder. What goes viral are things that are amazing, authentic and generally funny or entertaining.
Tip

Ideas for what to include in a video

Interviews: Interviewing others in your industry, at your company or having someone interview you as the business owner is an effective way to deliver helpful information.

Demonstrations/How-to:  Yes, you can include product and service videos that are traditional demonstrations. Another idea that is popular on video sites are "how-to" videos that solve a customer problem. For instance, a wedding planner could cover removing last minute stains from bridesmaid dresses. A landscape architect could demonstrate how to cover delicate plants when a frost is on its way. A veterinarian can show how to trim cat nails. This show concern for their customers.

TIP:  You can learn a lot from watching Home Shopping Network and you may pick up tips from MarketingZone members on the article How to Sell on Home Shopping Network where they share what works and what doesn't selling there.

Explanations:  If something dramatic or frightening happens in an industry (like strawberries tainted with e-coli or cribs collapsing), the business can create a one-to-one explanation. Explaining the business' perception of the crisis and what it's doing to protect customers helps build customer loyalty and may even be picked up by the media.  How to Deal with a PR Crisis has more tips.

Entertainment: Music videos and spoof comedy have typically been the videos that have "gone viral." While they don't deliver much information, they can get attention for the brand.

TIP:  Scroll through the Decade's Top 10 Viral Campaigns to see what appeals most to millions of viewers.
 

Customer Testimonials:  In the majority of cases, customers feel honored when a business asks them to say something about the business or product on camera. It gives them the sense that the business values their opinion, making them feel special. What will make customer testimonials most credible is if they are authentic and include a customer sharing a time a product or service failed and the steps taken by the company to correct the situation. Customer Testimonials has more ideas on this approach.

 

Next page how to create a video

 

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