Lights, Camera, Action: Top Video Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
As the proverbial saying goes, “Variety is the spice of life.” Variety is also the spice of a great marketing strategy. To build your brand and spread your message in an effective, authentic way that generates long-lasting results, you need to combine a variety of both digital and non-digital techniques.
Our marketing experts specialize in building a well-rounded and customized strategy for each of our clients, but one piece that we frequently recommend is video marketing. Videos are engaging and eye-catching, and they build a personal connection with your viewers. Of course, quality and strategy will determine whether your videos get great results, so tracking your metrics for this is essential. Use these video marketing tips to make the most of your budget.
Keep SEO in Consideration
There are plenty of places to post your videos: on YouTube or social media apps for example. You should also be posting them on your business’s website to more thoroughly flesh out your content.
If the video is on your site, it’s an opportunity to improve your search engine optimization, so don’t let that opportunity pass you by. Research the current top search terms for your industry and use them to choose the best topics for your videos. From there, be sure to use the right SEO strategies when publishing and tagging your videos. This involves many details and intricacies, so it helps to hire an experienced professional.
Be Careful with Monetization
We’ve all felt the frustration of watching a video, getting through all the buildup and exposition and being interrupted by an ad right before the part that we actually wanted to see. If this happens to your audience when they come across your videos, they’re likely to either stop watching or worse: develop a negative perception of your brand.
It may be tempting to incorporate external ads into your videos to bring in more revenue, but it can be a turn-off for viewers so it could take away from the more profitable revenue stream: new customers. Your videos are likely to get better results long-term if you avoid those ads because you’ll be building a connection with your viewers, not losing their trust with ads that feel like cheap cash grabs.
Sometimes, Less is More
The best strategy for video marketing has always been to keep your videos focused, brief, and concise, but this preference is growing even further with the popularity of Tik Tok and Instagram Reels. The general rule of thumb is to keep your videos under one minute long in most situations, but especially on social media. Viewers want quick and clear answers to their questions, and if you take too long to get there, they’ll move on to another video.
There are exceptions, though. For example, if your video is providing an in-depth tutorial or demonstration with several steps, or if you’re covering a rather technical or complex topic, viewers are happy to watch for longer.
Collaborate for User-Generated Content
Another growing preference in online video is user-generated content: videos that are created and published by individuals rather than brands. These types of videos have a more authentic feel for viewers and they can be an effective addition to your video marketing strategy.
Of course, this relies on individuals, so it takes more collaboration and strategizing. Try encouraging your customers, clients, or patients to video or photograph their experiences with you. For example, if your business is a medical spa, your patients might enjoy filming and posting their laser treatments.
Overall, video marketing has tremendous potential for any small business. It helps you build a genuine connection with potential customers and patients, enhances your SEO, and lets you take advantage of top trends. To start planning and launching your own video marketing strategy, contact our McCauley Marketing Services team today to schedule a meeting and discuss your goals.