When you think of using video to market your local business, what comes to mind? TV commercials with catchy jingles? TikTok videos of colleagues doing the latest challenge? Welcome videos on company websites featuring the CEO? These are just a few of the many ways companies can use video to market themselves. Are there benefits of video marketing for local businesses specifically? In our experience serving local businesses at OMG, we say, “Absolutely!”
Before the advent of social media, Youtube, and DIY video tools, video was quite an expense for companies. Only those with large budgets could afford to incorporate video into their marketing strategy. But today, using video is accessible to companies of all sizes. That accessibility has been compounded by the 215% pandemic-related increase in digital media consumption in the U.S. It’s clear that video is in demand by consumers and accessible to businesses.
Aside from professional commercials, TikTok videos and welcome messages, there are other types of videos local businesses can use include. For example:
- Day-in-the-life or behind-the-scenes videos of your company culture and work environment
- Explainer, demo, and how-to videos featuring your company’s products
- Testimonial videos with satisfied customers discussing how they use and benefit from your products
- Interview videos with staff discussing why they like working for your company
- Video of your company’s podcast recording to accompany the audio version
- Short videos to generate hype about an upcoming event, product launch, or company announcement
Key Takeaway
In short, there are endless ways to use video to market your local business. If you’re getting overwhelmed by all of the possibilities available to you, don’t worry. This blog will help you identify simple, yet strategic ways to achieve the benefits of video marketing for your local business. The benefits of video marketing depend on your business goals and your accompanying video strategy. Examples of benefits might include more engagement on your social media platforms, increased website traffic, more job candidates, better-qualified leads inquiring about your services, and more. To put it simply, you must determine your business goals and match that goal with the right video strategy.
OMG partnered with Downtown Saint Albans for a promotional video.
Blog Summary
Stats On Benefits Of Video Marketing For Small Businesses
When used strategically, video marketing can be the most effective way you market your local business. If you’re hesitant to incorporate video into your local business marketing strategy, here are three reasons to help you feel more confident:
First of all, video is in demand by customers and has been for years.
- 6 out of 10 people consistently prefer watching videos online than on TV (Google).
- Youtube users watch more than 1 billion hours of Youtube videos a day (Youtube via Small Screen Producer Digital Media Marketing).
- People are 2x more likely to share video content with friends than blogs, social media content, etc. (Wyzowl).
- Pinterest users watch almost 1 billion videos per day (Pinterest).
Second, video is effective for B2B and B2C companies.
- Websites with videos are 53 times more likely to achieve rankings on Google’s first page of results (Search Engine Watch).
- 86% of marketers reported that their videos have helped them generate leads for their company (Wyzowl).
- Almost half of marketers surveyed said that video has reduced the number of support calls they get (Wyzowl).
Finally, video is becoming a top marketing investment for companies.
- Video is the top format marketing teams used in their company’s content marketing strategy (Hubspot).
- Nearly 100% of marketers call video an “important part” of their brand’s marketing strategy (Wyzowl).
- 63% of marketers believe that video will only become more important in the coming years (Sprout Social).
Key Takeaway
To sum up, incorporating video into your local business marketing strategy is a no-brainer. Your customers respond well to video content, which translates into concrete results for businesses. Now that you know the data supporting video marketing, you may wonder how you can use video in your company. Or you may think that while video works for some companies, it can’t work for your company for some reason. Maybe you’d like to experience the benefits of video marketing for local businesses, but have no idea where to start. At OMG, we’re familiar with all video marketing-concerns.
What Do You Want Your Video To Accomplish?
It’s easy to assume that you can’t reap the benefits of video marketing for local businesses because of your budget. But there are so many cost-effective ways to create videos for your business. The best way to save money on video marketing is to clarify your goals for using video in the first place. In other words, identifying what you want to achieve will guide you in choosing the right video content, platform, and promotional tactics.
When you have only a vague idea of your ideal outcome, your video strategy will be unfocused and therefore unsuccessful. Even if you have some success, you likely won’t see the amazing results that the statistics above indicate are possible. If you need help brainstorming, below are possible goals you can choose for your local business video marketing strategy.
- Increase your social media following
- Attract top talent to your open jobs
- Get signups to an upcoming event
- Bring traffic to your website
- Re-engage existing customers
- Sell one of your products or services
- Create buzz for an upcoming product launch
Each of these goals requires different video content, platforms, equipment, posting frequencies, and more. For example, let’s say you’re trying to attract top candidates to a few open positions at your company. First of all, a successful strategy might include professional video testimonials from current employees. Employees can speak about the company’s culture, work life balance, and growth opportunities, three crucial factors that jobseekers consider. You could post one video on LinkedIn every week and encourage people to explore your job listings. Additionally, you might use your smartphone to shoot an informal “behind the scenes” video of what your office environment is like. Finally, post this to your company Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook with a link to the job opportunities page on your website.
Key Takeaway
In addition, let’s say you want people to register for an upcoming event your company is hosting. An effective video strategy would be to create a highlight video of the previous years’ events. Is the event brand new? You could create a montage of your team in prep mode, interviews with speakers, and a tour of the venue. Then you could post the videos on a landing page with engaging copy and the event information. Videos make landing pages much more effective than those with just copy alone. In fact, landing pages with video content can see an 86% increase in conversions. You might also consider posting the videos separately on your social media platforms with a link to the landing page.
Benefits Of Video Marketing For Local Businesses On A Budget
This is something we hear a lot from potential clients. We get it. Video marketing seems daunting and expensive. But there are many types of equipment, software, and tools to get you started with do-it-yourself video marketing. For example:
- Smartphones. First, you’re probably very familiar with using your iPhone or Android to capture video. That same device can be used to shoot high-quality videos for your company’s social media platforms, landing pages, and more. Produce even better smartphone videos by purchasing an affordable tripod, using a self-stick to vary your angle options, and turning on the exposure lock to maintain one level of brightness.
- Video editing software. Next, once you have your raw video footage, you need to edit it. In the editing stage, you’ll ensure the video flows well, contains zero errors, and includes music, special effects, etc. There are many affordable and even free options for video editing software. Popular choices include: iMovie, Canva, Corel VideoStudio, and Adobe Premiere Elements.
- Royalty-free images. Third, a great way to enhance your video is to break up your live footage with images. You don’t need to spend much money, if any, on high-quality photography. Explore free libraries such as Unsplash and Pixabay, as well as inexpensive subscriptions to Shutterstock and Adobe Stock.
- User- and partner-generated content. Finally, video creation doesn’t have to be solely up to you. Incentivize your customers and partners to create videos of themselves interacting with your company in some way. For example, maybe attendees get special benefits if they post a video of their experience at your event or webinar. You can edit all of the videos together into a reel that you can use for future event promotion. Maybe your partners can include your product or company swag in their own videos.
Key Takeaway
You have to identify what you want to accomplish with video. Clarifying your goals will save you time and money. In other words, you won’t be spinning your wheels with an unfocused, ineffective plan. Only when you have clear goals and strategy can you explore cost-effective resources for video creation.
Tell us about what you’d like to accomplish with a video for your local business.
What To Look For In A Video Specialist
Want the benefits of video marketing for local businesses, but don’t want to go the DIY route? If you’re considering hiring a video specialist, here’s how to choose the right one:
- Deep understanding of your geographic area and neighborhood. First, for local businesses, it’s important to hire video specialists who know your area well. Their local knowledge can help ensure that the video content and promotional tactics are hyper-targeted to your audience. That might look like recommending shooting locations or hashtags to use when promoting the video on social media. In short, your video specialist should have local knowledge to help you capitalize on the benefits of video marketing for local businesses.
- “Video-first” mindset. Secondly, remember that the data doesn’t lie. Brands that don’t use video miss out on lucrative opportunities. Good video specialists think “video first.” They look for all ways to incorporate video strategically into your website, product launches, and live events. That’s exactly what OMG does. We create videos for your business, optimize them for maximum results, and recommend other strategic ways to use your videos in your business.
- Adaptable to any type of video desired. Next, good video specialists adapt their methods to the video type. For example, OMG creates video social media campaigns for clients. We go to the client’s location and shoot free 15-30-second videos with our smartphones and a simple microphone. We also run large-scale, customized video shoots with our drones, production team, and professional editing processes.
- High-quality work. Finally, but certainly no less important, your video specialist needs to do great videography and editing work. You should be thrilled to show off and promote your final product. More than that, your video should get you results: social media engagement and followers, event signups, leads, etc.
Key Takeaway
While typically affordable, DIY video creation still requires time and energy. In addition, you have to allow time to order, install, and learn how to use any new equipment or software. Sometimes it’s just easier to have a professional handle the technical details for you. As a result, you’ll have more time to focus on your video goals and content, and overall business growth.
To sum up, there are several characteristics you need to ensure your video specialist has in order to reap the benefits of video marketing for local businesses. To demonstrate, take peek into OMG’s video marketing work below. Check out this video we created to help the city of St. Albans, Vermont promote their downtown area.
Done-For-You Video Creation, Optimization, Promotion
As shown above, OMG’s video team for local businesses can manage the entire video process for you. We provide affordable, start-to-finish packages for all of your video needs. Whether you’re not sure where to start with video or just need some technical assistance, we can help you achieve the end result you want. Want to learn more about our video marketing services for local businesses? Complete the form below, tell us a little about the video help you need, and we’ll respond with a plan of action.
About O’Rourke Media Group
O’Rourke Media Group operates in six states with a full-service digital agency and 24 publications and hyperlocal websites. Our team of marketing experts specialize in providing customized digital marketing strategies and solutions for any size business and budget. We’re also a hyper-local community news publisher with an engaged audience of print subscribers, digital subscribers, website page views, social media followers, and email newsletters.