SME’s need all the advertising they can get and this should preferably be free. This is possible in our age because social networks and the mighty internet allow even the smallest business of all to become “viral” with the right tools.
Nowadays, customers are the proud owners of a multitude of devices flooded with content. Traditional advertising is no longer vital for SME’s to spread the word about their products and services. Whenever a product or a service becomes „popular” on the internet, you can assume there’s a well-thought online marketing strategy behind it and video marketing.
In the last few years, video marketing has consolidated its position as the number one online marketing tool for SME’s. Why? It’s relatively easy to create and edit a video, and it’s absolutely free to post it online. Banners and their click-through rates are getting left behind in favor of pre-roll video ads that usually appear before a TV show or movie online. YouTube has more than 1 billion users and the number increases every year by 50%. There are a lot of potential customers for your SME in this huge number. You just need to know how to reach them.
Use video marketing to increase your exposure
Videos are easily consumed because viewers can get access to a lot of information fast and easy. A successful viral marketing campaign needs videos to increase exposure and capture the attention of the audience. Hubspot claims that 79% of consumers prefer to watch a video to learn about a product than to actually read details about it. And now smartphones and other mobile devices allow your business to reach these consumers every day.
Customers are online now and, if you’re using video marketing, you can be sure you will find them, wherever they are hiding in the world. You shouldn’t count only on YouTube for your video marketing campaigns. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, all these channels allow SME’s to promote themselves using appealing and interesting videos. As long as your video is shareable, you can be sure it will appear on numerous screens and increase your company’s exposure.
Take advantage of the affordability of video marketing
Yes, video marketing can be expensive but only if you want it to be. There are so many free apps now, like Vine and Viddyad, which allow you to put together video marketing campaigns for free. These apps are perfect for SME’s and you should definitely give them a try. When it comes to equipment, it’s enough to start with a smartphone and a free video editing software.
However, you still need to invest some time before launching your videos online. That’s because you have to make sure the videos have relevant, searchable and shareable content. First, start by taking a look at what your successful competitors are doing. Do the same but do it differently. In other words, see what type of videos they are promoting, analyze their approach and check out the quality of the videos used. If they don’t have any videos yet, even better for your company! You’re one step ahead. But if they are already using video marketing, make sure your videos are better, different and unique.
Keep in mind some “technical” details
Another important rule when trying video marketing is that your video has to capture the viewers’ attention in the first 10 seconds. That’s all they need to label a video as interesting and appealing or a total bore. The entire video shouldn’t be longer than 45 seconds – one minute, so it can be posted on various platforms. Don’t forget to embed the video on your website to receive inbound links.
Make sure the videos you’re making are suitable for the platform you’re using to promote them because each platform has its own type of videos and audience. Videos usually differ in terms of length and content, so do some research and tailor your videos accordingly.
Remember that many viewers watch the video in public and are playing them without sound. So, add subtitles just to make sure your message is sent into the world, even if the video is “muted”.
Video marketing works best with call-to-action
When you’re creating videos to promote your company, you basically have only one goal: to sell your products or services. Yes, your video doesn’t have to be too “promotional” and flood the viewers with superlatives, when it comes to your products and services because this will only make it annoying and pretty useless to them. It has to be useful and valuable, and it has to appeal to their emotions. However, you can add a call to action without appearing as pushy. You can edit it directly into the video, at the end, when you recommend the next step for your viewer, whether it’s to visit your website, use a promo code or buy a product.
To get the best results, use only search-optimized videos because Google has a word to say when it comes to the exposure and ranking of your website. Make sure you host the video on your own domain and embed it to increase the number of inbound links received to the page. Tag your video with relevant keywords and create a video sitemap.
