8 Tips for Video Marketing Success on a Small Business Budget
Creating video content for your business doesn’t have to be cost-prohibitive or time-consuming, so don’t let the size of your company stop you from using this marketing strategy to attract new customers and generate buzz around your brand. In fact, with these eight tips for Video Marketing Success, you can make affordable video marketing part of your strategy from day one, even if you have a small business budget and an even smaller video production crew. Let’s get started!
1) Test, Test, Test
It’s hard to know which video marketing strategy will work best without first testing them out. The only way to do that is to create videos. Even if you’re going to try one of these video marketing platforms, it might be helpful to first make your own videos in order to get a sense of what you like and don’t like about each platform before creating more. This can also help you determine whether or not video marketing is right for your business. You should also test different lengths of videos—for example, short vs long-form—to see which works better with your audience. In addition, experiment with other video types (e.g., testimonials) and even consider hosting videos elsewhere (e.g., YouTube). But whatever you do, just keep testing! Video marketing isn’t something you can master overnight. There are always new strategies to try.
2) Take the Time to Get Good Lighting
The single most important thing you can do to make your videos look good is to take time to get good lighting. It’s not enough to just point your camera at what you want, then shoot away—you have to give it a lot of thought. You should light every shot as if it were going on air on national television, with lights in all directions. Make sure there are no shadows, and that everything is evenly lit. If you don’t know how to set up professional video lighting, consider hiring someone who does. But even if you hire someone else to do it, make sure they understand that your business needs great-looking videos. Your customers will be judging your brand based on how well you present yourself visually. This doesn’t mean spending lots of money; a few LED panels from Amazon or Alibaba would be fine for smaller companies, and video production houses often offer affordable services (although their prices may rise depending on whether they produce videos only or also write scripts). Remember: Video marketing is an investment.
3) Shoot in HQ
To make sure you can use your video marketing tool and techniques however you want, it’s best to shoot in HQ. While HD is fine if you’re just sharing your videos with friends or family, HQ allows you to export higher-quality files in case you ever want to share your video with clients or colleagues, or upload it to sites like YouTube. HQ stands for high definition and comes at about 10x file size—so it’s not easy storage-wise! If you plan to edit videos, shooting in HQ will allow you to create more polished videos that are less likely to be choppy when edited. (If you don’t plan on editing your video, then feel free to go ahead and shoot in HD.)
4) Use a Script
Written scripts help you convey your message effectively and organize your thoughts. Scripts can be as simple as a few bullet points of what you want to include in your video, or they can be full scripts that detail each shot and character change. Whichever type of script is right for you depends largely on what kind of videos you’re making. Keep reading to learn more about different types of video marketing, and how to make them work best for your business. If you’re still not sure where to start, check out these easy video marketing ideas. For example: Make a Video Tutorial: If you have expertise in an area—or if there are some particular challenges associated with your industry—make a video tutorial that demonstrates solutions or answers questions. These videos don’t have to be long; even just three minutes long will do if it gets people interested enough to follow up with questions. This is also a great way to engage customers who aren’t ready to buy yet, but who could become valuable leads down the road. Promote Your Videos: Once you have videos, promote them!
5) Don’t Skip Editing
For many small businesses, video is becoming an integral part of their marketing strategy. After all, video offers a great deal of value to its viewers—you can tell your story in ways that aren’t possible with static images or text alone. However, it’s important to remember that creating these videos doesn’t make you done with your work. Video editing is one of those tasks that often gets overlooked by entrepreneurs who are eager to get their video online and start attracting customers. But if you want your video marketing efforts to be successful, don’t skip editing! Video editing software like iMovie makes it easy to quickly turn raw footage into polished videos ready for sharing on social media and beyond. When it comes to video marketing, quality matters. Take time to edit your videos before sharing them with potential customers. It will pay off!
6) Embrace Short Videos
It’s no secret that short videos are becoming more and more popular across social media platforms. And it’s not just because users are constantly scrolling through their newsfeed—short videos also happen to be some of the most effective ways to engage your audience and tell your brand story. Instead of writing long, complicated posts or creating in-depth infographics, why not embrace video marketing? Short business videos have plenty of benefits: they boost engagement, drive traffic, encourage shares and create click-through opportunities. Not to mention, videos are highly shareable and can help you reach a wider audience than traditional text-based content. So if you’re looking for new ways to grow your small business online, consider creating short business videos as part of your content strategy!
7) Tell Stories
People love stories, and video marketing is no different. One of my favorite types of videos to watch is an explainer video where I’m given insight into how something was created or how it works. Video marketing experts agree: one of your most effective ways to grow your audience is by telling stories and revealing insights about your business or product. Video also allows you to connect with customers in a more personal way than other forms of content, making them feel like they know you better. This connection helps build trust between you and your customers—and that trust can be invaluable when it comes time to make purchasing decisions. Video has made storytelling easier than ever before; all you need is a smartphone and some creativity!
8) Focus on Quality
Creating short video clips is quick and simple, but it’s quality that counts. Many small businesses rely solely on video marketing to introduce their brand and make a good first impression. That doesn’t mean you should cut corners, though. The best business video makers won’t focus solely on high-volume production; they also produce quality content that speaks to their target audience—and delivers results. Before creating your next video, ask yourself these questions: Who am I trying to reach? What do I want them to know about my brand? How can I create an engaging video that conveys my message in an original way? These are just some of the key questions you should be asking yourself when crafting your video strategy.
Conclusion
These are the best 8 Tips for Video Marketing Success on a Small Business Budget. Let’s face it; Video is no longer just for Hollywood movie producers and famous musicians. This newspaper of tomorrow offers brands an opportunity to gain significant traction in their target markets at relatively low cost and with high return potential. If you have not jumped on board yet, it is time to catch up—or get left behind. There are many free and inexpensive video marketing ideas for small business owners: Do some research, explore new opportunities, and make your next marketing campaign one that turns heads…literally! Video is more than just fun; it’s also strategic and can be highly effective if done correctly. So, what are you waiting for?
