Video Marketing for Small & Local Businesses in 2020

Nobody doubts the amazing potential of small business video marketing, and how it can increase your customer base with an easy to implement small business video marketing plan:

Glossary (Click to scroll down):

  1. What Exactly is Video Marketing?
  2. 4 Benefits of Video Marketing for Small Local Businesses
  3. How Can I Improve My Small Business with Local Video Marketing?
  4. What is Small Business Video Content Marketing & Why Do I Need It?
  5. 4 Types of Video Marketing & Video Marketing Ideas for Small & Medium Sized Businesses
  6. How to Use Video to Benefit Your Small Business
  7. 3 Examples of Awesome Small Business Marketing Videos

After all, video drives a 157% increase in organic search engine results when embedded in your website, and 64% of consumers have said that video directly influenced their decision to purchase a product or service.

local small business video marketing tip

If you haven’t yet found yourself involved in the video content world and you’re a small business owner, now is the time. By 2021, video will represent 82% of internet traffic – which means that whoever doesn’t jump on board will be at a great disadvantage.

For those that haven’t yet delved into the world of video marketing, you may find yourself wondering – what exactly is video marketing? Do I need a video maker? And more importantly, how do I get started?

What Exactly is Small Businesses Video Marketing?

Video marketing is the buzzword that’s going around the business world like the whispered rumors in high school hallways.

But video marketing is much more than a buzzword. Today, it’s become the content strategy leader in the marketing world.

This is because video is versatile, relatable, and memorable – and is the best way to reach a varied audience with a short attention span (which is an increasing problem with younger generations).

There is no way around it – video is the content of the future. The earlier you get started on your video content strategy, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

So what exactly does video marketing mean? Video marketing is the use of video with a specific content strategy to help a small business get more customers, by having a specific goal in mind. Just as important as having corporate videos for marketing purposes, is the knowledge of what kind of content to create, in targeting local and sometimes national consumers, – and where to put this content.

You may find that the best video strategy for you involves an explainer video, which shows what your company does.

This great (and famous!) example by the Dollar Shave Club is a classic use of video marketing, to explain what the company is all about.

Notice the use of comic relief in a serious advertisement – don’t be afraid to make your audience laugh!

Alternatively, you may find that a tutorial video explaining how to use your product is your best use of video marketing.

Or, you may decide that your audience needs to better understand the industry you work in.

What’s most important to understand is that as a small business owner, there are countless benefits to video marketing, and you won’t know which types of videos best fit your business until you try.

And I’ll even let you in on a secret – there’s probably more than one!

small business owner video filming for marketing

4 Benefits of Video Marketing for Small Local Businesses

When you use video marketing for your small business, especially for small local businesses, you are doing yourself a huge favor – and the numbers prove it.

    1. When given a choice, over 72% of customers prefer to learn about a product or service by video instead of text. – In other words, out of all of the potential customers that your videos might reach, almost 3 out of 4 of them would already prefer to watch a short video about your brand, rather than having to read about it. 
    2. A viewer is 64% more likely to buy a product after watching a video. Because of the fact that most consumers already don’t mind watching a short video, showing them videos of your products or services in action is a great way to entice them to make a transaction with your company. 
    3. While only 20% of viewers will read the text on a page, 80% will watch a video. The truth is that today’s modern man is relatively lazy, especially when it comes to consuming information. So while reading a large wall of text will usually turn the average consumer away from learning more about a company’s products or services, showing them a short, punchy video about is almost guaranteed to grab their attention.
    4. The average person watches more than an hour and a half of video per day. In other words, for every single consumer that your brand comes into contact with on a daily basis, you have a huge opportunity to turn that interaction into a sale. That is, of course, only if you’re using video marketing as a tool to get your brand in front of the right people, at the right time. 
    5. Did you know, that aside from Google, YouTube is the second most popular website in the world?  This means that if your small business isn’t currently using YouTube as a marketing channel for your brand, you’re literally missing out on millions of opportunities, every single day, to interact with new, potential customers.
    6. According to Rialto Marketing, 81% of today’s modern businesses are using video marketing as part of their overall strategy. When more than three-quarts of all online businesses are using video, you can be guaranteed that it’s a strategy that works.

In the end, not only are videos more likely to capture your audience’s attention but as you can see in the statistics above, that audience is significantly more likely to buy products from you, if you provide them with videos about what you’re offering.  

How Can I Improve My Small Business with Local Video Marketing?

While video isn’t a miracle solution to all your business problems, video will absolutely allow you to empower and improve the position of your small business.

Video can be used for almost anything. Start by presenting yourself on your website – just the simple addition of an explainer video, telling the world about what you do can increase your chances of appearing on the first page of a search by over 50 times!

An explainer video (and really, any video content) is also a great opportunity to entertain.

Take for example this video by PadMapper. By taking the comic route,  they make sure the audience is captivated from beginning to end of the video:

Explainer videos, however, are just the beginning. There are dozens of uses of video to improve your small or local business, and this is where video content marketing comes in.

Thinking of a strategy, and knowing which types of content apply to your audience, is key to successfully using small business video marketing to your advantage.

What is Small Business Video Content Marketing & Why Do I Need It?

So what is video content marketing? Well, the answer to that question is that video marketing is what YOU make of it!

With the video marketing resources available today, there’s really no limit to what video marketing can be. You can create video ads for your product or services, you can introduce your company through video, and you can show the world testimonials of the loyal customer base that you already have.

You’ll find that easy tools are also within reach – and in the palm of your hand!

In recent years, video making has become more accessible even to the inexperienced, and can all be done on-the-go.

content video marketing film for small businesses

Gone are the days of relying on knowledge of complicated video editors – today in 2020, anyone can download a simple video maker app and get started with video content marketing on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

For those completely new to the video content world, there’s Boosted, which has a bunch of great video ad templates that are easy to use.

Using these tools, or a number of others (there are a lot of choices) you’ll be able to start off and develop your video content strategy. Also consider creating a vlog to bolster your video marketing efforts in 2020.

Read on to find out more about the types of videos you should be making, and how they’ll help you grow your small business!

8 Types of Video Marketing Ideas for Small & Medium Sized Businesses

The world of video marketing is endless – and there are many inexpensive ways to bolster your small business in 2020.

You can teach your audience about your product or service, you can teach them how to use your product, or how your service is necessary to them, you can use videos for testimonials to give your prospective customer a real-life perspective, and you can teach your audience all about you, and why your small, local business is important.

  1. Educational
    • Educational videos teach about something. Usually, when used in video marketing, these will either educate the audience about the company itself, or about something related to the company.
    • A good example is this video, about a day in the life of a Grainger employee. Under this category are explainer videos, along with other types of videos that aim to teach about something.
    • If you’re providing a unique product or service that is not well understood, an educational video is your first step to securing an audience and captivating potential customers.
  2. Product
    • Product videos highlight a product, often in creative ways. This allows viewers who have already seen something similar to still take interest – and will allow you to capture a spot in their mind.
    • Take this video in Blendtec’s Will it Blend? series, which instead of talking about yet another blender, occupies the mind of the audience with an eccentric idea – what non-traditional items can this super-strong blender blend?
    • Product videos, specifically those that are out-of-the-box, are a great way for small local businesses to differentiate themselves from the competition if they are providing a product or service that isn’t novel or unique. For example, a coffee shop with a great product video will have much better luck bringing in customers than its competitors (which it is sure to have).
  3. Testimonials
    • Testimonials are extremely important to any business – people are much more likely to trust a company if a peer, or someone having similar needs, recommends the business.
    • While written testimonials have been around for a while, video testimonials are the new trend. These more relatable stories that put a voice and face to the name, and create a story, have great convincing power.
    • For example, check out this video, Why I Love Working at Wayfair, which is a fantastic testimonial video for hiring.
  4. Instructional
    • Instructional videos will teach your audience how to use your product.
    • These are more relevant to products rather than services, but can be applied to the latter as well (for example, a video on how to book an appointment!).
  5. Team Bios
    • For effective SMB local marketing, it’s all about putting a face to a name. Bio videos show your audience that your company is staffed by real people who care about your brand and customers.
    • Bio videos are a mix of professional, displaying your team’s titles and expertise; and personal, highlighting their fun, quirky characteristics to demonstrate your human side.
    • You can also use videos to introduce your sales team or account managers, making it easier for them to build relationships with prospective customers.
  6. Tips and Tricks
    • These types of video are an excellent way to subtly establish your expertise in your field and show customers why they can trust your word.
    • For local business video marketing, this also makes you a trusted face, potentially helping increase your foot traffic from prospective customers who are simply looking for someone who can assist.
    • You can use these videos to complement existing blog posts to make them more engaging.
  7. Announcements
    • Announcement videos can help create anticipation and generate buzz around a new product you’re launching to encourage an audience beforehand.
    • You can create several of these as small, quick teasers to build hype and keep your brand relevant even during long quiet periods between product launches.
    • These videos can also help you demonstrate how a new product will improve upon previous versions or make your customers’ lives better.
    • They’re also excellent videos to include in your social media to acquire more followers and post viewers.
  8. FAQs
    • Regardless of your industry, customers will always encounter questions, and FAQ videos are a great strategy for creating an interactive experience and engaging with customers directly.
    • These videos can be short (even as short as 60 seconds) and help fill up your posting calendar during slower periods.
    • They also highlight how you’re willing to support customers, even if they haven’t bought anything from you.

Often, business owners assume their product is straightforward, or that the written instructions are enough.

filming video for small business video marketing

Take a minute to think back – when is the last time you sat down and read a user manual? Now think about how much more likely you’d be to sit down and watch a short video to learn about your new purchase, instead of trying to figure it out on your own.

How to Use Video to Market Your Small Business

  • Video allows you to approach a story from all angles, and will give you a variety of ways to tell different parts of your story.
  • Once you’ve made your goals clear in the customer’s mind, you’ll be well on your way to improving the position of your small business.
  • Using the different types of videos above which are relevant to your business, you’ll be able to more clearly communicate with your potential clients, and you’ll be able to tell them a clear story – which will then be easy to pass on to their friends, and allow you to grow your customer base!

Here are 4 ways to use video marketing to help boost your small or medium sized business:

  1. Integrate a Video on Your Landing Page
    • The great thing about video is that it gives you a flexible tool to spruce up any part of your broader marketing strategy.
    • Including a video in your landing page, for instance, helps keep visitors engaged for longer and can also lead to higher conversion rates.
    • In fact, having a video on your landing page can increase conversions by up to 80%, so make sure to create videos that can work across any of your online pages.
  2. Show Consumers How Your Product Works
    • Demo videos are one of the more popular forms of small business video marketing because they highlight how your product works instead of describing its functionality via text.
    • An Animoto study found that nearly 75% of consumers are more likely to buy a product if they’ve seen a video explaining it before making a purchase.
    • Take the time to craft a video that tells a story and shows how your product works in an engaging manner, and you’ll be rewarded with more views and better conversions.
  3. Post Videos on Social Media to Get More Views and Clicks
    • No matter what other channels you’re using, social media is still one of the most important.
    • When engaging in local video marketing, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram remain the first point of contact for consumers interacting with your business, and a cost-effective marketing outreach tool.
    • More importantly, adding video to your social media strategy pays off. 64% of consumers noted that Facebook has influenced a purchasing decision, and videos net you a higher engagement rate than most other types of content.
  4. Use Video to Generate Hype for Your Products
    • You’re not going to be putting out new products every day, and it can be tough to keep advertising the same items repeatedly. However, this doesn’t necessarily have to grind your marketing strategy to a halt.
    • You can use tools like Boosted to create short, engaging “hype” videos to generate buzz about upcoming events, product launches, or promotions to fill gaps in your marketing campaigns.
    • This keeps you at the front of peoples’ minds while helping your brand stay relevant.

3 Examples of Awesome Small Business Marketing Videos

If the examples above weren’t enough, check out some of these great video marketing campaigns that went viral, and how they helped various companies in different ways.

1. This funny Burger King commercial, that allowed users to interact and get a good laugh at the same time.

2. A Golden Grahams appeal to college students – a great demonstration of knowing your target audience.

3. This Australian Tourism campaign, which takes a clever and appealing idea to promote the tourism industry.


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