Top 10 Ways to Master Video Marketing for Small Business

I’ve been writing scripts for videos and creating video content for small business owners for almost two decades. It used to be so difficult to convince a local shop that videos could bring in customers.

When I mention that TV commercials have been around since 1941, they think that video is unaffordable. Welcome to the age of video marketing, folks. Even high school kids are making money with online videos. Still, local businesses are struggling to get onboard.

Online marketing can be brutal for small business operators. You get close to figuring it out, but then something happens and you get back to square one. Not this time. Read this article if you’re struggling to get online sales conversions and succeeding keeps eluding you.

The concept of using videos online to influence buying decisions seems like a straightforward decision now, but just two decades ago, not that easy to execute. The first video streamed on the World Wide Web was released in 1991. In order to stay competitive, it’s vital that small businesses incorporate video marketing into their plans. Here are 10 solid tips for growing your local business with video marketing.

You may have been trying to figure out how to get web traffic to your local business website for a while now. Everyone seems to do it. They seem to make it look so easy. Currently, video marketing is one of the most effective methods of driving traffic and converting that traffic into sales.

Every day, Americans spend over 3 hours on their smartphones. Consumers watch more video on mobile devices than ever before. Marketers report that video increases their ROI by 83%. These are just some benefits of using video to build your brand and reach your audience.

The big content marketing agencies share the same tips, tricks, and secrets that you’re about to learn. Using video marketing to attract targeted leads to your online offer is among the most effective methods. Look at these tips and see if they work for you as well.

Tip 1:
Never create a video without a plan or a script. Start out with a plan that considers who you wish to reach and what they are interested in.

Even the most casual TikTok or YouTube videos that consistently perform well have been well planned by their producers. Just because they look simple doesn’t mean they are spontaneous.

Tip 2:
Avoid the temptation to rush a video through without doing market research first. If you want to bring in new patients for teeth whitening, find out what keywords are driving traffic on YouTube and other video outlets. Inspect the examples that are getting a lot of traffic. Study them with care.

Tip 3:
Start by adopting a style that is already getting a lot of traffic. Don’t copy the video, just match the essentials; (the length, the style, animated, live action, funny or informational) to see if you can improve on the existing videos.

Bonus Tip: Sometimes creating a video that comments on a more popular video can bring in viewers. Be aware that you must still be interesting in order to attract viewers.

Tip 4:
Don’t create videos for a general audience. This will get you nowhere, especially on YouTube. YouTube rewards original content that’s made for a specific audience. As a small business owner, you should already have done the research to identify your core target audience. These are the people you’re trying to reach with your videos.

Tip 5:
Do create a variety of videos in different styles and lengths. When you’re beginning video marketing, you’re trying to gauge what works with your audience and what doesn’t. Therefore, you’re going to have to do a little experimenting. For example, information videos may work better at six minutes, while advertising style videos might be more effective at 45 seconds. Don’t be afraid to fail often in order to win big.

Tip 6:
Allow your audience to give feedback. Make video marketing efforts interactive. Connect with your audience prompt them to comment and reply; ask them questions even as you give them answers.

Tip 7:
Let other people’s videos help you succeed. Like and comment on other related videos. If you have a local pest control company, visit videos that relate to pest control or bugs. Like them and comment on them with information that makes you look like an expert.

Tip 8:
Create eye-catching thumbnails for your videos. The purpose of the thumbnail is like a book cover; it must quickly grab the attention of people who are browsing and give them a reason to click on your link.

NOTE: there are several video marketing tools that thumbnail creation services. If you are not artistically gifted, you can outsource this task.

Tip 9:
Take the time to fill in all the information for each video if you’re using a service like YouTube or Vimeo. Write your titles and descriptions ahead of time. Be sure to optimize them for search engines and YouTube.

Extra: Keep in mind that there are other video sharing sites than just YouTube. Once you’ve created a video for your company, posted on YouTube but reformatted for the other sharing sites as well. The current top 10 video sharing sites:

· YouTube.

· Vimeo.

· TikTok.

· Facebook Watch.

· Twitch.

· Dailymotion.

· IGTV by Instagram.

· byte.

· LBRY.

· Metacafe.

Tip 10:
Be sure to include a call to action at the end of every video. That may be to “like and subscribe” or “click the link below” to get to the offer.

Sometimes humor in your CTA can be used at the end of a video to disarm the viewer or make your content memorable.

In sum: getting traffic through video marketing is actually fairly simple when you apply the above 10 tips. So let me leave you with one last tip…

Once you’ve made your first video, pat yourself on the back and get to work making more. Video marketing success will come from many angles after creating several videos. Don’t be afraid to fail long enough to succeed.

So get to it — you’re going to be glad you did! For more small business ideas on video marketing, follow and subscribe today.