It’s no secret that videos dominate socials. So much so that according to a Hubspot research 54% of consumers in the US, Germany, Colombia, and Mexico prefer video content from the brands they support. From this data, it’s clear that small business video marketing forms an integral piece of the overall marketing strategy.

If you’re not sure how video marketing fits into your strategy, you’ve come to the right place. Say sayonara to sterile corporate messaging and hello to the future of brand marketing.

This article takes an in-depth look at how to use small business videos in your marketing plan. Read on.

Types of Marketing Videos

Video for business marketing is one of the most effective tools you can use to get your brand message across in the most creative and memorable ways. That being said, there are essentially 3 types of videos you can create for your small business.

Storytelling Videos

Video storytelling connects and converts leads. If you want to build a brand while fostering a sense of loyalty and trust among your audience this type of small vid will help you do just that.

It tells the story behind the brand and gives consumers an idea about how the business operates. Storytelling videos might comprise behind-the-scenes footage and employee profiles.

Explainer Videos

These genres of videos for small businesses are typically captured in a “how-to” format. More often than not they are animated and are focused on showing consumers how a particular product solves their problem. If their search rankings are anything to go by, consumers really trust this format.

Testimonial Videos

These videos capture third party narrations of their experience with a brand. They are great for building credibility by showing potential customers the tangible benefits of your product or service offerings.

Small Business Video: 15 Ways to Use It in Your Brand Marketing

The simpler and rawer a video is the more authentic it is. Audiences the world over seem to respond better to those types of videos.

So, if you’re not creating videos as part of your strategy to increase your small business revenue, then chances are your business is lagging behind. Here’s how you can use it in your marketing plan.

1. Small Business Videos Are the Perfect Way to Introduce Yourself

There’s something about the human brain that’s programmed to respond positively to both audio and visual stimuli. Customers absorb complex concepts much easier through video than if the same concepts were crammed into wordy paragraphs on your homepage.

Chances are, they would skip through it or leave your website altogether. A quick 90-second video on your homepage detailing who you are, what you do and how you’re going to solve your customers’ problems is likely to get your business more traction. The video doesn’t necessarily have to be an animated explainer video, but more often than not, it’s the perfect starting place for small businesses video marketing.

2. Showcase What You Do

Videos are a great medium for showcasing your products, the different services you offer and going into detail about their features. It’s a creative way to provide additional information to your customers to nudge them in the right direction if they’re confused about what to settle on.

An introduction video on the homepage of your website or socials is a great way to introduce people to your business. However, if you want to win your audience over, description videos might just be what the doctor ordered.

3. Inspire Confidence with Video Testimonials

According to a report by Spiegel Research Center, 95% of customers say that their decision to buy one item over another is largely determined by what online reviews say. Imagine how much more effective this would be if you used video marketing for business?

Get different people in front of the camera raving about how much they love your product, how it changed their lives and why others need to get in on the action now. It’s so much more believable than touting your own horn.

Those types of videos more relatable than captions on your website that read, “XYZ product from ABC Company saved me from impending doom!” – Jeff, LA. Get the idea?

4. Use Videos for Culture Content

Have you ever come across those behind-the-scenes videos about a company you love? They’re fascinating, aren’t they?

Giving your audience an inside look into your company’s culture gives them a sense of who you are. They view your brand not just as a faceless name, but an organization that’s made up of real human beings.

That’s exactly what culture content is. So, capture footage of you and your team in action on a typical day at the office. You could do a time-lapse video of an entire office day and highlight parts where you’re interacting with members of your team –laughing and merry-making.

You can also create a production-video to give them the real picture of where their purchases come from. If you run a cupcake business, for instance, show your audience some footage of the batter preparation process for your signature cupcake.

This doesn’t only apply to companies that sell physical products. If yours is a service-oriented company, a time-lapse video of your team hard at work will be just as effective. You’ll be surprised at the response you get from your audience.

5. Show Leadership from the Front

If you want to show that your company is a leader in your industry, what better way than to put the leader in front of the camera? The audience will certainly sit up and listen.

Think about it. If Richard Branson, for instance, got in front of the camera every Friday to explain how to build an airline company from the ground up, would you miss that discussion? Probably not – unless you already have your own thriving airline business, in which case you can take a seat.

Having the leader of a company engage with its audience through educational videos even if the business is at its infancy stages creates the perception that your company is a leader in your space. Try it out and see the results.

6. Share Your Creation Story

Who doesn’t like a good story? People love to hear about the inception stories of the brands they care about particularly for small businesses.

You just have to find the perfect balance between telling your company’s story, the inspiration behind it, your vision for where it could be and making sure it’s relevant to your customers and employees. Making a short 15-minute documentary should cut it. It’ll do wonders for your business.

7. Show Your Customers Appreciation

Never take your customers for granted. The idea here is to grow your brand not just by acquiring new customers, but by keeping the ones you already have.

Making your customers feel loved and appreciated goes a long way in keeping them loyal to your brand. Others might even give word of mouth referrals to their friends and family about how amazing your small business is.

Do a high production-value video every so often. Reminding your customers about how much you value and appreciate their support means they’ll stick by your business through thick and thin.

8. Great Opportunity for Expert Interviews

If you’re a small business owner and you want to build trust and authority with your target audience you can start by doing videos with industry experts and thought leaders. You don’t even need to share the same opinion on issues.

The point is that if your audience thinks of them as influencers, and your business is directly or indirectly associated with them, it shines a light on both you and your business. Audiences will want to learn more about who you are and what you bring to the table. So, you need to get these types of discussions in front of your audience.

9. Display Demo Videos

Demo videos exist for the sole purposes of showing your audience how things work. These videos range from product unboxing videos (YouTube is full of these) to videos that put products to the test.

For instance, if your small business makes high-heels that are designed for users to sprint in, your audience would definitely want to see them in action. Capturing a video that proves this assertion is likely to drive up the sales of your high-heel business.

10. Highlight Previously Hosted Events

Hosting roundtable discussions, charity fundraisers, conferences are all great ways of giving your small business much-needed exposure. Always make a point to record these events on videos and produce a highlight reel that captures some of the interesting moments from the gatherings. Any noteworthy interviews and presentations will augur well with your audience.

11. Water-Down Complex Concepts with Animated Videos

The human psyche associates animation with simplicity. Animation videos tap into your audience’s inner child.

It’s a great way to explain abstract, hard-to-grasp concepts that are, more often than not, intangible. These need strong visuals and a slow audio voice-over to get the message across.

12. Tap into Your Audience’s Senses

Thanks to modern technology 360-degree videos allow viewers to see virtual content from every possible angle. You get to take your audience on an exploratory journey.

It allows them to experience your product as though they were physically there. Virtual Reality (VR) videos, on the other hand, are basically 360-degree videos on steroids. Remember Exploring Antarctica?

Audiences get to control and navigate their experience. With apps like Google Cardboard, your audience experiences your product in a way that’ll leave them coming back for more.

13. Use Videos for Lead Generation and Conversion Optimization

With the right client management software, you can now use video to increase and improve your conversion rate optimization. To generate leads you can start with adding relevant and captivating videos to your business website’s landing page.

This draws attention to your CTA (Call To Action). Strategically placing annotation links at different points of your video prompts your visitors to follow through and eventually convert.

14. Get In-Depth Analytics About Your Content

With the comprehensive and clear-cut data that videos provide, you get invaluable analytics about the content that resonates with your audience. This reflects directly on which of your business’ products your audience love versus which ones need a little improvement. By reviewing the data on how many times your video has been watched and shared, you get a deeper insight into how they engage with your content vis-à-vis your product offerings.

15. You Get to Meet Your Audience in the Medium They Love

It’s amazing how much today’s consumers love to watch video content. They’ll click on that little triangle at any chance they get.

Once you identify who your target audience is and what genre of videos they like to consume, then you need to add more of that content to your blogs, your website, and socials. The best part about it is you don’t even need a Hollywood-type production budget to do this.

You can use any standard quality webcam to record a video blog while sitting in your office or conference room. You could even use your mobile device to capture your thoughts while in your car or walking down the street.

The idea is to engage with your audience. Be in their face often enough in the mediums they love until you become synonymous with your company.

When All Is Said and Done

As more companies integrate small business video marketing into their strategy, it’s clear as day that if you haven’t boarded that train, your business is passing up a huge opportunity to rev up sales. Implementing video marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or intimidating. You just have to start and go from there.

With the current consumer trends, people may eventually lose interest in companies that don’t employ videos at all. Use the insight you’ve gained in this article to incorporate videos into your business plan. Your future self will thank you.

Are you using video for sales? Follow these 9 essential tips to win.