Why Video Marketing Is Essential for Your Small Business

Online video is a powerful marketing tool. But why? While there are many reasons why online video marketing is so great, the main two reasons are because consumers love it, and it's effective for businesses.

In 2018, The State of Video Marketing polled marketers and consumers to figure out what they thought of video marketing. More than 80% of the businesses surveyed use online video for marketing purposes. That's up from 63% in 2017. What's even better - 99% of businesses that use video marketing plan to continue doing so, and over 67% of businesses that were not marketing said they planned to start in 2019.

There are several reasons why online video marketing is so powerful. Here are just a few:

• Online video helps consumers understand a business's products or services better.
• It gets visitors to remain on the business's website longer.
• It helps increase traffic flow.
• It reduces the number of customer support questions.
• It helps increase sales.

Did you know that 8 out of 10 consumers make a purchase because of a video? Video can be a starting point for consumers researching their purchase options. It can also work as a tipping point that helps them to decide to commit to the purchase.

Types of Video Marketing

Video marketing can be used in a variety of different ways to inform and educate customers and prospects. Here are just a few of the common types of videos that small businesses are using:

FAQ Videos

These videos are used to address commonly asked questions people may have. This can be an excellent way to answer objections ahead of time in a positive and engaging way.

Educational Videos

These videos provide information about a particular topic so that the viewer can learn more about the subject.

Instructional Videos

These videos can be used to show consumers how to use your product or put it together. While written instructions are helpful, videos can be even better.

Testimonial Videos

While written customer testimonials are great, video testimonials are even better. These videos allow prospects to watch someone on video discussing the benefits of your products and what it's like working with your business.

Brand Videos

These videos are used to create and increase brand awareness. They usually provide people with information about what your brand is and why they should care about it.

Company Culture Videos

These videos are similar to brand videos; however, they focus on the company's culture. They can be used to help attract potential employees by providing them with information about the business and what it's like working there.

Product Videos

These videos typically introduce a potential customer to a specific product. For this kind of video, consider what the product looks like, what its benefits are, and how the product works.

360-Degree Experience

Some local businesses may use these videos for their Google My Business (GMB) listings so that potential customers can get a 360-degree view of their location. Realtors also use these videos for virtual tours so that prospective homebuyers can get a complete view of a house.

Why Should Your Small Business Use Video Marketing?

Increase Your Online Presence

It's difficult for most businesses to grow without an online presence. This is where video marketing comes in. It can increase your online presence by making your content easier to consume and more engaging. Videos encourage viewers to visit your website or subscribe to your channel or social media account. When your audience likes what they see, they'll spread the word to their friends by clicking the share button. Your small business can gain a prominent online presence with effective video marketing content.

Increase Your Brand Awareness

Did you know, on average, Facebook generates around 8 billion video views per day? This means people are genuinely responding to video content! Videos are more engaging, therefore, tend to attract more people compared to other forms of content. They are an excellent way to connect with your audience and help them get to know your brand. With the right marketing strategy and video content, your brand can really take off.

Build Trust

Customers are more likely to buy a product from you after watching a video. But why? Videos connect you to your audience in a more personal way, creating a sense of trust. Videos allow people to get to know you and like your brand. People will buy from businesses they like, know, and trust.

Increase Social Media Engagement

How do you compare to your competition on social media? If you want to increase your sales and stay ahead, you need to create engaging content. Online video is excellent for promoting social media engagement. This is crucial in the digital marketing world. If your content isn't driving engagement, your traffic and conversions will suffer for it. Create relevant and educational videos that speak to your ideal customers to increase social media engagement.

Reveal Your Personality

Humans hate interacting with robots. When a brand remains anonymous to the public's eyes, they see little human representation. A video can remove this barrier. It puts a face to the name, which is what customers prefer. Video allows people to hear you and see you, which creates a connection on a deeper level compared to other forms of content.

Videos can be Easy and Cheap to Create

Creating a video doesn't have to be hard. There are many businesses out there creating professional videos with their smartphone, a mic, and some basic editing. Yes, there are some types of videos you may need professional assistance with (such as a branding video). But there are still plenty of videos you can create yourself with minimal or no assistance.

Drive Your Sales

Videos can do a lot for your small business - boost your online presence, increase brand awareness, build trust, increase engagement, and show off your personality. Each of these things helps bring traffic to your website, convert visitors into customers, and drive up your sales! Let's face it - this is the ultimate benefit of online video marketing!

Where to Post Your Videos

It's not surprising that YouTube takes the number one spot for video marketing. If you're not sharing videos on YouTube yet, your small business is missing out! Check out these articles for tips on optimizing your YouTube channel and videos:

• Optimizing Your YouTube Videos for Local SEO
• How to Optimize Your YouTube Channel

There are other areas that offer online video marketing opportunities as well, such as Facebook Live, LinkedIn, and Webinars.

Need some tips on going live on Facebook with Zoom? Check out this article.

Did you know that the average consumer spends over an hour and a half each day watching online videos? Clearly, there is a market here that's just waiting to be tapped into by your small business! Need help creating engaging content for your business? Reach out to us at AnoLogix - we're digital marketing experts with over 20 years of experience, and we love to help small businesses grow.