8 Video Marketing Tips for Small Businesses (Benefits & Examples)

Most of us like watching videos, but creating ones for your business is another story. A lot of small business owners think they don’t have the time or resources to invest in video marketing.

But, video marketing is a must-have for an effective marketing strategy, especially for small businesses trying to compete with bigger brands. It’s great for teaching people about what you do, and you can use it with several communication channels like YouTube and social media. And, creating strong videos for small businesses is cheaper (and easier) than you think.

Today, I’ll walk you through eight video marketing tips for small businesses. Then, we’ll review examples of videos that you can use to promote your business and look at the benefits that video marketing can provide to small business owners.

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1. Set a goal.

Before you start any marketing or advertising strategy, you need a goal for your business. Goals help you define why you’re using this strategy and help you create successful marketing campaigns. So, before you start, think about your video’s goal, like:

• Increase brand awareness.
• Improve sales.
• Attract new customers.
• Educate and entertain your customers.
• Boost credibility.
• Establish clear communication with customers.

2. Pick the type of video to create.

Once you know your goal, you must decide what type of video to create. We’ll dive into each of these below, but here’s a quick list of options:

• Company mission and values
• Product demo and explainer videos
• How-to videos
• Testimonials and case studies
• Behind-the-scenes snippets

Before we go to the next step, remember that these ideas are for short- or long-form videos, and different video types have different lengths.

Additionally, the length of your video will depend on the platform. For example, Instagram Story ads are up to 15 seconds long (although you can create three slides at a time for a total run time of 45 seconds), but organic videos might be a little longer – but not too long (ideally under 60 seconds).

On the other hand, long-form explainer videos usually go on YouTube or your website, and those typically run for two to four minutes.

Remember: There’s a difference between an ad and a marketing video, but both are important for your business.

3. Brainstorm ideas for the setting and script.

Once you know what type of video you want to create and its length, you can start brainstorming ideas for its content. To get started, think about what you want to discuss, like:

• What top bullet points do you want to cover in an explainer video?
• In a branding video, how do you want to tell your story?
• For a behind-the-scenes video, what area of your business do you want to showcase?

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Once you have your ideas, start creating a loose script. I like to use bullet points to outline what I’ll cover. Remember, you’ll just be writing an outline at this point.

Tip: You can use keyword research to develop ideas. The best way to get engagement on your videos is to answer common questions and create videos based on what your audience wants to see.

4. List the tools you’ll need.

With your ideas written out, it’s time to determine what tools are needed to complete the job. Luckily, creating videos is easier than ever before because many of us have smartphones that can record high-quality content. But here are some tools you might want to think about getting as well:

• Tripod
• Lighting (or you can just make sure you film in a room with natural light)
• Props
• People (who do you want in the video)
• Software: There are editing tools and tools that can help you make your videos with templates. Some include Animoto, Lumen5, Biteable, Clipchamp, and Filmora.

5. Write your script and create a loose visual summary.

At this point, it’s time to finalize your content. Think about what shots you want in the video and create a “shot list” of all the camera shots you’ll have in each scene.

Your shot list can even be visual, like this example for a healthcare ad:

Source

Then, write out your script. You don’t have to be a professional writer or film director to write a promotional script. You can even use AI tools like ChatGPT to help you outline your script and shot list.

When you’re creating a video ad, try to follow this structure:

• Create a hook. The first three seconds determine whether someone will keep scrolling or watch your video. Ask an interesting question, lead with an interesting statistic, or show something unique and eye-catching.
• Tell your story. This is the meat of your video. It will be your how-to info, behind-the-scenes footage, the product demo, etc.
• End with a call to action (CTA). Every video needs a call to action, or what you want the viewer to do after watching the video. Base on this on your original goal. Do you want subscribers, website traffic, or more sales?

6. Film your video.

Now it’s time to film your video. On the day of, you’ll want to create a checklist of items you’ll need — props and filming tools alike. Then, get to your location early to ensure there aren’t any issues. For example, you might need to set up your shots and check lighting (remember to charge your phone or camera).

Once everything is in place, film away! You have your script and know what shots you want to get, so this should go smoothly. If you’re the one on camera, try to act natural. Remember, people like authenticity, so your video will be effective if you’re genuine.

7. Edit.

Many people dread this step because they don’t have a lot of experience editing videos. Luckily, editing tools make video production simple and straightforward for beginners.

Here are some tools we recommend:

• Animoto
• Lumen5
• Veed
• Biteable
• Clipchamp
• Filmora

Every editing software is different, but most platforms start by uploading the video file. From there, you can cut videos into individual scenes, add graphics and transitions, and adjust the audio to make your voice sound clear and professional. You can also add special effects like music and animations to make your videos pop.

Tip: Tools are your friend here; don’t be afraid to explore them. There are also some really cool AI tools that can help you create visuals and audio.

After the video is edited, it’s time to create captions. Most software does this automatically. However, you’ll want to read those captions and ensure they’re accurate. Captions help with SEO and improve web accessibility.

8. Post and promote.

You’re now ready to post your video! Go to whichever platform you want to use (usually YouTube or a social media site) and create an ad or post. Be sure to include information like a title and a description, as that will make your video easier to find.

Tip: Use search engine optimization (SEO) here. Keywords and hashtags make your videos more accessible.

To increase the reach of your advertisement, you should cross-promote your video on different marketing platforms like social media sites and your website.

Now that we’ve reviewed some video marketing tips for small businesses, let’s dive into the different types of videos you can create with this strategy. We’ll review real examples and how you can produce something similar this year.

1. Company Mission & Values

People might be more likely to remember your brand when it’s shared in the context of a story. Why? Because storytelling creates an emotional connection with your audience, leading to greater brand loyalty and more repeat purchases.

That’s why your company mission and values are important for marketing your business. The best way to communicate that mission, purpose, and values is through a marketing video. Videos dedicated to answering “Who are you?” as a company will tell the story of your business and forge bonds with your customers.

For example, Petco Love created a video that explains its mission, goals, and accomplishments over the last 25 years. The video includes shots of the company following through on those goals, showcasing adoptions and the foundation’s impact throughout the years.

2. Product & Explainer Videos

Product demos and explainer videos are an excellent way to simplify complex ideas and showcase products in action. These videos are vital because 44% of consumers say they’d like to learn about a product or service by watching a short video. Explainer videos highlight the value of your business so consumers understand why they should work with you.

For example, when Dropbox first emerged, it shared an explainer video that remained on its site for years. This video explained the concept of cloud storage in a way that new users could easily understand.

Once people saw the value of Dropbox and cloud storage, they were more likely to purchase its services.

3. How-to Videos

One of my favorite marketing strategies is creating how-to videos that live on YouTube and other social media platforms. How-to videos build trust with your audience and help potential customers fix issues your company might usually fix.

Wait a minute. You might be wondering, “How does that benefit my business?”

Well, the answer is three-fold:

• How-to videos show your customers that you know what you’re doing and that you’re a professional. Showing your potential customers that you want to help creates trust, so they think of your company when they run into bigger issues that might require a professional.
• Educating your audience on whether they need a professional will save you and your team time from calls that might not require you. That’s a good thing – it will also reduce costly no-show appointments and last-minute cancellations that disrupt a workday.
• Finally, a lot of people might be searching for how to do this very thing online – which is how they discover brands.

A great example of this comes from United Plumbing and Water Heaters in Northern California. The company’s YouTube channel showcases a DIY video on how to fix a leaky pipe.

4. Testimonials & Case Studies

As a small business, you must quickly establish trust with potential customers. Testimonial videos do that by letting audiences know how your existing customers feel about your product or service.

For example, Meru Health, a wellness company dedicated to bettering mental health, posts testimonial videos of participants answering these questions:

• How has our company impacted your life?
• What was your experience like?
• What would you say to anyone thinking about using our services?

5. Behind-the-Scenes Snippets

Behind-the-scenes videos showcase your professional experience and demystify the process of creating your product or service. Content like this feels exclusive to your audience, bringing them into a community so they feel like they’re participating in your brand. Followers can engage with your video or chat with other followers who are also fans of your brand.

One of my favorite examples of this comes from FENTY, Rihanna’s makeup and fashion brand. FENTY, a relatively small company, showcases behind-the-scenes footage of a release in the YouTube video below.

Benefits of Video Marketing for Small Businesses

Before we wrap up, let’s review the benefits of using video marketing for small businesses. I promise it’s worth the effort, and you’ll see improvements in the following areas at your company:

• Brand Awareness: Videos are great for building brand awareness because they tell your brand story and allow you to advertise to a wide audience. They also work great with ad platforms like YouTube and social media sites, where you can attract more buyers to your business.
• SEO: Videos are a form of content for your business. Content marketing helps you get discovered by search engines like Google. For instance, if you create a How-to video, people may find your video when searching for keywords related to that topic.
• Customer Engagement: Video ads are great for customer engagement. You can include a call to action that motivates people to click on your post, buy a product, or navigate to your website.
• Social Media Followers: If you post your videos to YouTube, you can create a community of followers for your YouTube channel. The same goes for Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Posting videos to these channels can help you grow your audience.
• Customer Referrals: You can create customer testimonials for your business using videos. These testimonials will help you refer other customers to your company.

Video Marketing for Small Businesses

Videos for small businesses can be used for advertising, marketing, sales, and even customer service. You can tell your story, educate your audience, promote your products, and more with an ad. Now is the best time to get started with video ads because customers want video now more than ever. Use these video marketing tips to get the film rolling, and take advantage of editing tools to speed up the production process.