How to Get Started with Video Marketing for Your Small Business

You may have noticed that video is HOT and every platform is rewarding users who share video. Whether it's on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or the new kid on the block, TikTok, consumers are viewing massive amounts of video. 

It really can be as simple as looking into your phone and talking to a live audience on Facebook, but most business leaders can be a little camera shy, and not everyone is a polished speaker. You want to portray your business in the best possible light, so it helps to have a plan before you hit record. 

For answers to a bunch of FAQs related to video marketing and content creation, visit our Get Started with Video page.

Know your goal. What is the purpose of your video? What do you hope to achieve? You might find it fun to "go live," -- or maybe someone challenged you to post frequent video content... but without a plan, you're spinning your wheels.

What topics do your customers and prospects want to hear more about? What topics do you need them to know more about? Video is a great way to inform and educate your customer across the various stages of the buying process.  Touch on topics they are curious about before they even know they have a problem to solve (HINT: What problem would they Google or type into YouTube?). Share information that is relevant as they get closer to choosing a vendor, partner, or product. (HINT: What features are they looking for? What makes you different?) And help them visualize what it looks like to work with you. (HINT: What will results look like? What does the transformation look like? How will their life change?)

Make a list: Keep a running list of topics in an Excel doc or in the notes section of your phone. Return to the list often so you can continue adding topics and expanding on each one. What are the smaller details that someone might want to know about each of your topics? 

Plan your video: When it's time to record, whether it's live or to share later, you'll want to start with an outline. Before you start, know your topic, know your opening line, have a story or analogy in mind, and identify what the call-to-action will be.

• It's best to stick with one topic for a shorter video.
• Don't waste time greeting people or telling them who you are. Jump right in with an opening line that grabs their attention and tells them why listening to you will be worth their time.
• Have a story or analogy in mind. Don't read! Tell the story in a way that is engaging and natural. People will only remember one main point, and a story is a fantastic way to make your video memorable.
• When thinking of the main topic for your video, identify one to three bullet points or sub-topics you'll talk about. 
• Know what you want the viewer to do as a result of watching. Go to a page on your site? Schedule a consultation? Like you on social? Connect on LinkedIn? Give them an action to take.

Plan to repurpose the video content. You've put a lot of work into creating your video. Use it more than once!

• You can add the video to a landing page on your website, or use it as part of the thank you page after someone subscribes to your newsletter.
• Maybe there's a place for it in the FAQ section of your website, or on your site's resource center. 
• Break it up into smaller sound bites and use it in an audiogram on social media. (That's those social media graphics you see with and image that has a sound wave over it to indicate to the viewer that there's something to listen to.)
• Use a transcription service and generate a transcript. Pull quotes for use in social media, or use the text as a starting point for a blog.