Why video isn’t just for large companies: A guide to video for small businesses

Video is #trending! While many small businesses feel that they can’t delve into video marketing because they don’t have the budget or equipment to pull it off, the numbers argue differently.

Did you know that 55% of consumers watch videos before they make purchasing decisions? Additionally, 84% of consumers purchase products after watching social media videos specifically.

With the average social media user watching over 100 minutes of video content each day, your small business needs to be creating video content if you want to make sales.

Why small businesses CAN do video

Video marketing has evolved over the past few years. A market that once demanded extremely high-quality visuals shot by professionals is no longer particularly interested in this type of content.

All you need to do is show authenticity

Audiences prefer – and are drawn to – videos that display the human side of your brand and that are authentic. Showing off authenticity is as simple as shooting a quick behind-the-scenes video that shows your audience the humans behind your product or service.

To be effective in video marketing, you no longer need a fancy camera and a professional studio. A smartphone is really all that’s required to shoot the kind of video content that social media users love to consume.

Keep it short and simple

It’s also worth noting that you no longer need to shoot long, in-depth, and highly polished videos to be successful with video marketing. TikTok and Instagram reels are proof that consumers no longer have the attention span or desire to watch longer content.

This makes your job as a small business much easier, as shooting shorter videos doesn’t need much finesse or expertise.

Ditch the idea that you need a professional videographer 

Your videos don’t need to be high-quality, they don’t need to be long, and you don’t need expensive editing software to create content that makes an impact.

So, whip out that phone of yours and start shooting!

Video content ideas for small businesses

Here are our top ideas for shooting short-form video content as a small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME):

• If you’re an eCommerce business, film a few clips of your team packing and processing orders. Users love this kind of content.
• If you’re a life coach, record a snippet of a Zoom call with one of your clients with their review of your services.
• Film a swatch of a new colour of your beauty product.
• Create a quick how-to video that explains how to use your product, service, or app.
• Shoot a quick Q&A or FAQ video where you provide your audience with information about your business that makes their lives easier. You can base this content on the kinds of questions you get asked on social media.
• You can feature products. Raw footage of your product arriving or unboxing a package for the first time is great for social media.
• Share the story behind your business in a video where you simply chat with the camera.

Provide value and then extract it 

Our main bit of advice for small businesses wanting to tackle video content is to always provide value first. Simply trying to sell your product or service can be a bit much for users.

Once you’ve provided value, you can then extract value by including a strong call to action (CTA) towards the end of the clip.

You can provide value by answering some FAQs or questions that your customers often ask and then directing them to your website (your CTA) to find more information.

4 ways you can use video as an asset in digital marketing

Video marketing isn’t exclusively for TikTok and Instagram. Once you have footage on hand, you can leverage it in so many ways to boost your brand awareness and drive conversions. You can:

• Add your videos to your website. This can improve your search rankings and increase conversions. Be sure to include strong calls to action (CTAs) at the end of your website videos.
• Use video content in your email marketing activities. Having the word ‘video’ in the subject line of your email can significantly increase open rates. Also, video can often be a lot more effective than text on its own.
• Include videos in your paid advertising campaigns as video generally performs better than static adverts.
• Start a YouTube channel so that you have an additional social media profile to gain more exposure. YouTube also has a short-form video content option called YouTube Shorts.

Did you know that, at PrimePixels, we have a team of video specialists available to help SMEs like yours? We can create Reels and TikTok videos for your brand with ease, starting from just £17.50 per hour. Better yet, if you have raw footage you can share with us, we can create videos that ooze authenticity and show off the human side of your business.

Get in touch with us via our website to start working with our expert video team.