Small business video marketing is a huge opportunity. Here in Overland Park, and the rest of the Kansas City area, very few small businesses are taking advantage of video marketing. Lets explore why you should include video marketing in your marketing mix, how you can create your own videos, and finally, some different types of videos you can easily create for your business.

Why do video marketing?

The traditional forms of marketing aren’t working as well as they used to. Yellow Pages, direct mail coupons, and newspaper advertising are incredibly expensive and often, 1 time events. Buyers these days are more mobile and more connected with each other. They’re actively search for solutions and referrals.

Videos are perpetual promotion machines. They’re accessible 24x7x365. More importantly, they can be “optimized” for search engine traffic. YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google? In fact, Google places high ranking videos into their search results automatically. Getting a video to rank well in YouTube will help you rank well on Google.

And it can’t be overlooked, videos are easily shared on smartphones, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Video marketing isn’t about perfection; it’s about connection. Video compresses sales cycle times because people do business with people they know, like, and trust. The goal for your small business video is to establish that connection. You do this by being authentic and making sure people can see your eyes and smile. With this connection, you’ll develop permission to market, communicate, and eventually, get them into your sales funnel.

How can I create videos for my small business?

There are two ways to create videos for your small business: you can create them yourself or you can hire someone to help you with it. Lets explore both solutions.

Videography tools are much simpler these days. I suggest starting out with a Kodak Playtouch or even your iPhone. Both of these devices take “good enough” video for the web. More importantly, you can add external microphones to them to improve your audio. Most people don’t realize that the audio quality is actually more important than the video quality of their production. Inexpensive lavalier microphones will do the trick here. Make sure you have plenty of light and always use a tripod to make sure your video is steady.

After shooting, you’ll want to edit the video. Use Windows Movie Maker on the PC or iMovie on a Mac. These are good enough to get you started. Trim the ends of the video, cut out any mistakes, and go easy on transitions. Just because the software does all this fancy stuff doesn’t mean you have to use it. Keep your videos simple.

Finally, you’ll want to post your video to YouTube. Yes, there are other video services like Blip.tv or Vimeo but make no mistake, YouTube is generating upwards of 55% of all web video. This is where your videos need to be and it’ll help you get better rankings with Google.

If all this sounds a little too confusing, you may consider working with someone to help you. Yes, you can use your high school neighbor but you’ll get better results with someone that has the right equipment and knowledge.

For example, before shooting anything, align your videos to your sales process. Mix keyword research into your planning to improve video SEO (search engine optimization). Add graphics, additional video footage, and have a clear call to action for each video. Finally, use legitimate marketing strategies to promote your videos on YouTube.

Different types of small business videos

Here are 7 different types of videos that you can create for your business:

1. Elevator speech – create a 30-second elevator speech that introduces you and your company. Add this video in the footer of your email. When following up with new leads, include this video in your email to make your message stand out.
2. Video Product Demo – create videos for each of your different products and services. Explain the benefits and have a strong call to action for each video. Zappo’s Shoes discovered that simple product videos increased sales by 30% over product pages without a video.
3. Educational – create videos that educate your target market. How-to videos are some of the most popular videos on the web. By creating videos that truly educate, without going into heavy “sales” mode, positions you as an expert. Share your knowledge.
4. Frequently Asked Questions – create a series of videos that answers some of your most frequently asked questions. Use your videos as a virtual customer support tool. Demonstrate how to use, setup, or configure your product. Develop ongoing videos to help your users get the most out of your product or service and increase its value.
5. Social Media Specials – create really short videos that are optimized for mobile playback and social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Promote a daily incentive for immediate action. Keep these fun, time-bound, and with a strong call to action. Measure the results and see which video promotions are most effective.
6. Training – create videos for your employees, agents, contractors, or down-line. Better leverage your time by creating a series of how-to videos that goes over your sales process, internal systems, or new hire process. Provide videos for performance support.
7. Testimonials – create videos from your customers giving testimonials of your work. Even show videos of your external newsworthy events, mentions, or appearances. Develop a library of “social proof” videos that you can share with others to make them feel more comfortable with doing business with you.

Whew, we’ve covered a lot here! These days video marketing is easily incorporated into your existing marketing mix. It’s a great tool that works around the clock for you and allows you to connect with buyers like no other tool. I hope this article helps you get started. And of course if you have questions, leave a comment below or feel free to contact me. Either way, I’ll help out so your business can be successful with video marketing.