An excellent product needs excellent marketing to put it on the map. And the most effective form of marketing nowadays is video content. Around 85 % of companies, today have a team whose job is to create business videos.
But it's not enough just to have a team and task it with creating video content and posting it on social media platforms.
Video marketing is all about fresh ideas, but there are also some tried and true video ideas that always work. There are endless possibilities, of course, but here are some video ideas that can help a small business gain brand awareness and potential customers.
Repurpose Snippets for Social Media Posts
Social media nowadays is all about video, but it needs to be the right kind of video. Not all types of videos thrive on all social platforms. For a platform such as TikTok or Instagram, you need to keep it short and punchy.
Instead of wracking your brain trying to create interesting short new videos, it makes sense to use an app like Subly to cut footage you already have into bite-sized pieces. With Subly it only takes a few seconds to create snippets that you can use to attract a wider audience's attention on socials.
This is a great example of how to save time and it won't stretch your small budget.
Attract a Wider Audience with an Explainer Video for Products
You have a baller product with amazing features. The competition can do nothing but sit and weep over your superiority. The only problem is... Your target audience hasn't even heard you've come up with the best thing since sliced bread.
That's why you need an explainer video. An explainer video is a video in which you explain something - in this case, you explain to your viewers how to use your product. It's a marketing win both with existing customers and a new audience.
These types of product videos are a great way to promote your product to a wider audience, but they also offer value to existing customers who might learn about some neat tips and tricks or product features they didn't know about.
Explainer videos can also be more general educational videos in which you educate your viewers on how to do something or solve a particular problem.
Our fave example: Kickstarter - Pocket-Sized Reusable Cutlery & Chopsticks For On-The-Go
Hone Your Voice with Brand Story Video Content
Everything is a story. That's how people live: by telling stories. Audiences want authenticity, they want a narrative, they want a distinctive voice. Brand story videos are a great example of how you can give them what they crave.
For small businesses, it's a chance to differentiate their brand from every other competitor company. For big businesses, it's a way to make your brand legendary.
Brand story videos can be literally anything you want them to be, and with fresh ideas you can make an impact even at a low cost.
Audiences respond well to having video content on your landing page, and a brand video is a good one to put on your website.
Our fave example: Apple
Introduce Yourself with Company Culture Videos
Company culture videos are important because they serve a double purpose. You will be showing off the values of your company both to potential and new employees, and to your existing and potential customers.
Great company culture makes employees feel valued and it can help to build trust and loyalty. But the wider public also appreciates companies who treat their employees as actual human beings, so making these videos publicly available can be good for business and get you some brownie points.
This can also be a great place to emphasize your mission statement or go behind the scenes and show what your business is really all about.
Our fave example: REI
Capture Spontaneity with Live Streams
Social channels move fast. People love watching lives because there is an illusion of immediacy and spontaneity. Whether that's actually true, well... We'll leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions.
If you combine the excitement of a live with the trust people put into influencers, you might just hit the jackpot. As a small business owner, you might want to consider a partnership with an influencer in your niche.
The world fashion giant Nordstrom took it a step further, and actually started their own live shopping channel.
Our fave example: Notion
Create Videos for Social Media Ads
What's the point of a marketing campaign if it's not on social media? Because let's be real - that's where everyone hangs out.
As a business, what you should be doing is figuring out which platform your potential customers gravitate towards. Unless you live under a rock, you know that the Facebook crowd is wildly different to the Twitter crowd, and neither of them has anything in common with the kids on TikTok.
So it's your job to figure out which platforms you want to target, and then to create amazing videos to showcase your brand.
An ad is probably the most common type of business video and a staple of video marketing. There's only one rule when it comes to video ads: they mustn't be boring. Your audience should want to sit through the entire video, and not feel like you are just trying to shill them your stuff.
Our fave example: Amazon Alexa
Tickle The Viewers' Fancy with Product Launch Videos
A product launch video is a tricky kind of business video. Why? Because it needs to get people excited about a product that isn't even out yet. How do you sell something that no one has even seen except on YouTube?
Small business videos can sometimes have a hard time standing out among bigger competitors, but with a product launch video all you need to do is capture the attention of the audience in your niche.
Our fave example: Pokemon Go
Customer Testimonial Videos
Getting people to notice your brand is one thing. They might watch your videos on YouTube and visit your website, and even follow you on your social media channels. But how do you get them to actually hand over their hard earned cash in exchange for your top notch products or services?
The secret element in this formula is trust. People want recommendations from a face they trust. That's why influencers are such a big deal. If you can afford a partnership with a big deal influencer in your niche - go for it. If not, honest reviews from ordinary users can go a long way too.
Our fave example: Hootsuite
Newbie Onboarding Videos
Onboarding new employees can be a pain, especially for small businesses that are starting to expand rapidly. It's time-consuming to have to explain the same things over and over again to each new person.
So instead of doing that, you can create a series of onboarding videos that can build excitement in new employees, while introducing them to the work culture, benefits, workflows and duties of working at your company. Take a look at the Nibbi Brothers safety video. Not the most interesting video for others, but an absolutely must-watch for all new employees.
Our fave example: Nibbi Brothers
Over time, you can create a ton of excellent video content for your business, and it doesn't have to cost you a fortune. Just remember to use handy shortcuts like Subly to make your life easier.
