Small Business Video Marketing: 10 Creative Tips for Success

You have a business you’ve poured your heart and soul into, something you’re really proud to have built. But now you have to get the word out and make sure that your brainchild finds its audience.

While that task may feel overwhelming, don’t despair. There are proven techniques to help you find your footing, including small business video marketing.

Why is Small Businesses Video Marketing Important?

The benefits of video marketing are maybe even more important for small businesses than larger firms because as the main way audiences connect with brands, it gives you a real leg up. The beauty of video production for marketing is that, even with a lower budget, you can make a splash by creating content that’s eye-catching and smart. Online, great video marketing ideas and execution can go a long way, and you don’t need a super-sized budget to pull off something that gets results. 

Consider what your audience is doing. Chances are that they’re:

• Scrolling through social media
• Reading news or watching videos online
• Watching/streaming content via an over-the-top device such as a PlayStation or Roku

You have to reach your target audience where their attention already is. Consider these further facts: videos constitute  82% of web traffic. And viewers say they’re likely to really watch video content and engage with it, whereas they will skim through text (TL;DR is no joke).

If you’re looking to make an impact for your brand, one of the best ways to reach viewers and potential consumers is through video marketing for small businesses.

1. Tell Your Story With a Brand Video

Brand videos put the focus on your brand and its story, a critical aspect of creating a bond between you and your potential customers. If you think of a classic brand like Levi’s or Peet’s Coffee, you probably have at least some vague association with how they came to be.

A narrative helps customers personalize your brand and generate warm feelings toward it. Maybe you want to talk about how your brand came to be: that, for example, you couldn’t find a pair of jeans that fit or a hair care product that worked for you, so you decided to create your own. 

Whatever aspect of your brand’s story you focus on, you can probably already see that it helps to engage your customer in a very real and personal way.

2. Give People an Authentic Behind the Scenes Experience

Similarly, lifting the veil and showing off your raw materials and process can help make your brand feel real to people (as opposed to just a mysterious image on screen). 

If you have a food or beverage brand and are proud of your ingredients, take your customers on a journey to see how your farmers grow them, or your unique approach to sourcing, as well as any efforts you’re taking toward Fair Trade or sustainability. 

If you work with female craftspeople or support a particular minority group through your process, making a behind the scenes documentary could help create that sense of trust every brand wants. You could take a verité approach to this, or have sympathetic on screen talent do interviews and guide viewers through your process.

3. Use Real Customer Testimonial Videos

Another great way to build trust is through User-Generated Content (UGC). The biggest hurdle any new brand faces online is that no one knows who you are. Having real people testify to the utility of your product is a great way to overcome this barrier. 

The net outcome is a greater sense of authority, particularly if your product has obvious competitors in its field. There are a number of subtypes of UGC, but they generally involve real people talking through their problems and how your product solved them, as well as sometimes providing a demonstration of your product in its natural habitat.

4. Use Video to Answer Customer’s FAQs

Small business videos can be economical and fun to watch. That means, instead of a wall of text, you can provide snappy answers to FAQs and make them entertaining, while also finding ways to build your brand’s authority and sense of reliability. 

By casting relatable and appealing talent — or making enjoyable, stylish stop-motion or animated videos — you can use the real estate of FAQ videos to keep customers intrigued by your brand.

5. Make Employee Spotlight Videos

If you’re proud of your company’s culture, employee spotlight videos shine a light on your team. Getting to know a little about their personalities and the diverse makeup of your company is yet another way to create a positive aura for your company. 

It’s a good way to show you really are invested in the local community and ideas like diversity and equity, and far better than just touting those things in text. 

6. Create Videos for Local Events You’re Participating In

Video marketing for small businesses is also an entertaining way to convey information. If you’re sponsoring a fun run or otherwise taking part in an activity in your community, use video to get the word out. It helps to show your brand really cares about the local community and creates a strong association between your brand and the good works or local organizations you care about.

7. Use How-to Videos to Demo Your Products

If your product’s usage involves some steps or is more technical in nature, a how-to video can help consumers bridge the gap and actually picture themselves using it. As a bonus, if you craft your how-to videos in an entertaining and relatable way, you’ll be doing double duty to build a sense of want and need in your consumers, while also educating them. 

How-to videos can also help surmount any anxiety viewers may have about your product, showing that it’s easy and helpful to incorporate into their lives.

8. Let People Know About Upcoming Deals and Discounts

Small business video production is a good way to create a sense of urgency and immediacy. If you have a sale or upcoming deals you want to highlight, consider making an enjoyable video to let the public know. 

These types of videos can feel more conversational and personal than just putting up a bullet list on social media and give you a chance to hone your brand’s voice. They can do double-duty as you walk potential customers through your offerings.

9. Create a Contest to Increase Foot Traffic

Remember that the overall goal is to create engagement with your customers, and interactive content is a great way to do so. Videos don’t exist only in the vacuum of the virtual world. Contests are a fun way to bring more customers into your store, and other interactive uses of videos include quizzes and competitions.

10. Convert Existing Written Content Into Video

You can make your site a lot more dynamic — as well as increase the amount of time people spend on it — by putting the bulk of your content into video form, linked by small amounts of text and caption. 

This can also help with your SEO rankings by increasing engagement on your page, potentially leading to more inbound links. Pages that are cluttered with text are more apt to just be skimmed over. If you want your audience to really absorb your information while also generating an emotional connection with your brand, you really have to consider video. Here, you can learn more about video marketing for SEO. 

Bright colors, graphics, and music are all more likely to catch your audience’s eye and make them stop browsing or scrolling long enough to think about what you’re offering. Bear in mind that many people are watching your video on the small screen of their phones, another reason why it’s easier for them to consume video than written text. If you need even more inspiration, check out these video ad examples!

Bonus Tip: Create Seasonal Videos Around the Holidays

Everyone loves the holidays. And it’s true that it’s not enough to just make content once a year and call it quits. You can shoot it all in one go, but you still have to plan ahead and release it accordingly. 

Cement the nostalgia and good feelings people have for the holidays with your brand, and with some luck you’ll become part of your customers’ holiday traditions as well.

Related: Social Media Video Ad Specs & Placements Guide

Creating Videos for Small Business at Scale

This can all seem like a lot for a small business. As well as dealing with inventory, supply, and other day-to-day demands, you have to plan a whole video marketing strategy, too? In fact, it’s essential, and a well-run video campaign will make your life a lot easier. 

But you don’t have to go it alone. QuickFrame is here to help, with a data-driven approach that marries creativity and technology to make sure your small business makes the biggest splash you possibly can. 

Get in touch today to work out a plan that’s unique to your video needs. They know how to make video for small businesses that is impactful, efficient, and fun.

Small Business Marketing Videos: Final Thoughts

The internet and streaming TV have done a lot to the world and our attention spans, but no one can argue they haven’t become essential. Small business video marketing is the future.

If you want to grow your small business, marketing video production is key. And QuickFrame can help you make the best video impression possible. Learn more about our intelligent video production platform.