10 Reasons All Small Businesses Need Video Marketing

[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=””][vc_column width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]In his recent CES keynote address, Robert Kyncl, YouTube?s Vice President of Global Content, projected that video would soon drive 90% of all Internet traffic.

It sounds crazy, but for small businesses, video opens the doors to opportunities to both educate and entertain your customers.

Yet, despite its growing prevalence, many small company operators still seem to shy away from this powerful marketing tool. In my experience, those who pass on video do so for one of the following three reasons:

• They don?t believe they have the budget to create ongoing videos.
• They don?t have any ideas on what to produce.
• They don?t have the necessary equipment and/or time.

Fortunately, we live in a brave new world. These excuses don?t hold as much weight as they once did.

High-quality video is no longer reserved for large corporate businesses. Everyone – everywhere – has the ability to create or access powerful video footage that engages their customers.

Here are ten reasons your small business must take advantage of these new opportunities by harnessing the energy and excitement of video marketing:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” css=”.vc_custom_1431974292150{margin-bottom: -30px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1431974681115{margin-bottom: -75px !important;}”](source)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=””][vc_column width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]

1. Help Customers Understand your Offering

When you?re in a store, it?s easy to sell a prospect on the value of your product or service. You?ve been doing that for years, and it?s worked pretty well so far.

But things are different online, where losing that potent face-to-face interaction can make selling much more difficult.

That?s where video comes into play, as it gives you the opportunity to explain things the same way you would in the store. So, go ahead and show off that winning smile and personality. Video gives you the time to shine.

2. Create Something That People Will Remember

Did you know that 80% of people remember the video ads that they see online? Can you say the same thing about every blog post and social media update you read? Chances are, the answer is no.

We?re working in a very crowded and noisy online world. Finding ways to stand out and showcase your creativity can seem like a daunting task. But statistics like this show us that there?s still a way to make a difference.

Get your message heard by investing in video marketing.

3. Entice People to Purchase from You

The power of the internet may give us access to more prospective customers than ever before, but it?s still hard to make sales online. Just because you?re working with a larger pool of prospects doesn?t mean it?s as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.

You?ll need a strong marketing plan – and you?ll want to include video in that strategy.

According to data gathered by Video Brewery, about 50% of all people that viewed an online video went on to make a purchase. If that statistic doesn?t capture your attention, I don?t know what will.

What better reason than that is there to use video marketing than to increase your sales?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” css=”.vc_custom_1431974640322{margin-bottom: -100px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1431974691441{margin-bottom: -75px !important;}”](source)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=””][vc_column width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]

4. Reach Every Demographic

When it comes to most online marketing methods, you have to cater your strategy based on the age demographic you?re trying to reach. Younger users, for example, spend more of their time on Instagram and Snapchat, while middle-aged women have claimed dominance on Pinterest.

That simply isn?t the case with video marketing.

Everyone loves video – from the youngest to oldest Internet user. With this tactic, your small business can reach its audience, whatever its demographics.

Even if you pivot your business and your target market shifts, you don?t have to worry about building your presence on an entirely new platform. Chances are, your new demographic will respond to video, just like your old one.

5. Engage With Mobile Users

I never thought I?d see the day when mobile users had a longer average attention span than desktop users. But it seems that day has come.

Desktop users tend to only stick with a video for about two minutes or less. Mobile users, on the other hand, have an attention span of 2.4 to 5 minutes, depending on the device.

As a result, local small business owners should always have a mobile-first mentality. After all, the best time to woo a new prospect is when they?re actively looking for a nearby business in your industry. And a heightened video attention span is just another advantage you can use to accomplish that goal.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” css=”.vc_custom_1431974649390{margin-bottom: -100px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1431974699812{margin-bottom: -75px !important;}”]
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6. Get a Higher Click-Through Rate in Emails

Reel SEO data shows that 60% of marketers claim video marketing has drastically increased their conversion rates – sometimes even as high as 2-3x. How would you like to see the same click-through rate improvements in your email marketing efforts?

I don?t think it?s a stretch to say that most small business owners reading this article would love to see that kind of increased engagement.

You can do that through the simple power of video.

The videos you introduce to your email marketing messages don?t have to be complicated. They don?t need to feature some elaborate plot or expensive special effects. A simple video of you saying thank you to your audience could do far more than you think.

7. Create a More Personalized Experience

Emotions are contagious. Think about it – when you?re feeling full of energy and happiness, it naturally radiates to the people around you. That?s why it?s usually the small business owners that feel passionate about their work that become so well-known in their communities.

You don?t want that infectious passion to get lost in translation, do you? That?s what happens when your online marketing campaigns don?t accurately reflect your brand and personality.

In the online world, video makes that happen.

8. Rank Higher in Search Engines

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. And even better? It?s owned by the largest search engine in the world, Google.

Your videos can help your website get ranked highly for keywords that you?d never be able to achieve through traditional SEO. Although marketers have known about this powerful perk for years, it?s an avenue that many aren?t yet fully exploring. If you start now, you?ll be ahead of the game.

All you need to do is incorporate a bit of video SEO into each video you create and publish.

9. Educate Customers on Various Topics

The best marketing campaigns don?t sell products and services 100% of the time. Nobody wants to feel like they?re being sold to, which is why great small business website feature articles on topics that actually interest the audience.

It works the same way with video.

You can become well known in your industry by simply educating your audience on a range of topics. Let?s say, for example, that you sell surfboards. It would be easy to get stuck in a rut of making product review videos, but you could also branch out and create how-to videos that reach into the broader topics of surfing.

Doing so will give your audience the content they crave in a low-pressure environment.

10. Build a Relatable Brand That People Love

When people see your face, it activates the fusiform facial area of the brain. This section of the mind controls facial recognition using the faces it sees as a centralized point of information and believability.

If you show your face to your audience, they become accustomed to it. Scientifically, that builds trust with your audience. And when you can get your customers to trust you, it?s much easier to sell them on your products.

When it comes down to it, video marketing is all about branding. You can certainly build a strong brand using other methods online, but once you make the decision to harness the power of video marketing, you?ll find that you?re facing a much easier journey to small business success.

Has your small business invested in online video? Why or why not? I?d love to hear your feedback – leave me a comment below with your thoughts:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]