Despite catering to a very specific and niche audience, small business owners can do a lot by using the power of digital marketing and online media. These mediums serve as the virtual storefront in today’s digital world, showcasing your products or services to a relevant audience.
And it is no secret that video marketing has proven to be one of the most effective marketing channels in a world that is increasingly dependent on virtual and digital technologies.
According to industry observations on video marketing:
- First, 96% of people watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service
- Second, 94% of marketers say video has helped them increase their understanding of products or services
- Third, 93% of marketers say video has helped them increase brand awareness
- Finally, 87% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic
Despite the popularity of video marketing and its proven benefits, many small businesses tend to avoid this channel due to uncertainty and misconceptions that it requires high budgetary spending.
However, a good camera or smartphone, a proper storyline, and simple editing software for small business videos are all you’ll need to craft the perfect professional video.
Are you still not sure about using video marketing for your business? Here are the key reasons why you should care about video and examples of how it can help you expand and grow your business:
Helps You Tell Your Story
Customers love stories, and videos are an excellent channel to bring out the humane side of your business. Be it your inspiring business journey or your customer testimonials and how you add value to their lives. People connect better when they see a story unfolding in front of them.
So if you have stories that you feel your customers will enjoy, pull out your camera and record customer testimonials, your team explaining the product or service, or just a story that reflects your brand!
Although it is recommended to provide a list of questions or key points to be spoken, do not shy away from impromptu or unscripted discussions as they make the video seem more real.
Rank Higher in Search
When it comes to ranking higher on Google search and other search engines, keywords are no longer the only factor determining how well your website will perform. In addition to your website’s content and relevance, videos are being preferred by a large number of people, making them an essential factor in helping you rank your page.
By simply adding a video to your website or page, you can increase the ranking of your website on Google. The reason videos help you rank better is not just the algorithm but also the factors that essentially play a part in the algorithm.
For example, Users spend 88% more time browsing websites with videos than those with only static content. Thus, the average time spent on your website increases, leading to higher conversion and lower bounce rates. This, in turn, influences your website’s SEO and helps your rank higher.
Leverage the Power of the Second-largest Search Engine
While it is well known that Google is the top search engine being used globally, you’ll be surprised to learn that Youtube is the second most-used search engine in the world.
Youtube is primarily a platform for videos, and creating and sharing videos on YouTube will help your brand be noticed on this platform. It is the most popular platform [88%] among marketers for sharing videos, followed by Facebook [76%], LinkedIn [66%], and Instagram [65%]. Additionally, it is watched by over a billion users, and 40% of shoppers said that they purchased products that they had discovered on YouTube.
So if your small business video is not on this platform, there is a big chance that you are missing out on some excellent leads.
Boost Email Click-through Rate
Are you struggling with your email marketing? Then add video and see the magic unfold for itself.
Emails with the word ‘video’ in the subject are opened 6% more than emails without and significantly improve your click-through rates. This ensures that your videos are less likely to get into the spam filters, and your customers are more likely to click to view the video and go to your landing page.
That’s a win-win situation that is a must for a successful email marketing campaign.
Explain Your Product and Services Better
Technology and new-age companies often find it challenging to explain their products or services to traditional customers, as it can be complex for the end customer to understand.
However, videos can make this a lot simpler and have proven to be an effective way to communicate your brand’s message, story, and concepts to your audience.
Not only do videos ensure that your customers understand your products, but your website visitors are 64%-85% more likely to purchase your products after watching a video.
Increases Conversion Rate
Are you struggling with conversions on your website or other marketing channels? Try using videos.
Video is an excellent way to grab attention, but it has also proven to help businesses improve their conversion rate.
About 90% of businesses reported that videos helped them improve their lead to prospect ratio and enabled them to get a higher recall value, engage with prospects, and influence deals.
Get Higher ROI
Video marketing is not just a standalone channel but enables other channels to perform optimally. In 2020, 93% of businesses mentioned that they landed a new customer because of a video on social media.
What’s more, despite requiring detailed attention and a sizeable budget, video provides exceptional Return On Investment (ROI) to businesses. Plus, a well-made video can be added and reused on multiple channels, making it the best marketing investment you’ll make.
The Bottom Line
While your brand can consider numerous online marketing strategies, the benefits of video marketing make it a key channel to meet today’s growing demands. While each marketing approach like social media, website, SEO, video marketing, email marketing, and advertising has its own unique place, remember that they are all interconnected.
For example, even if you create exceptional videos, but your website pages are still status and not user-friendly, you will not get the value you are looking for.
Only when all the marketing approaches are optimized can you create an exception digital marketing approach. So with video marketing at your core, make sure you also update and optimize all your marketing channels to ensure that you don’t just get your customer’s attention but also create a robust lead-to-customer marketing approach.
