It’s hard to avoid video these days. No longer is it a matter of turning on your TV. Video is an important part of our online experience, whether you’re reading a news article or scrolling through Instagram.
You see all the big players in your industry on video. But is your small business taking advantage of the popularity of video marketing?
Even short, informal video clips can endear a potential or current customer to your business. Beyond brand awareness, video marketing can help you promote your products, share insights or even answer frequently asked questions from your fans.
Our latest infographic, “Video Marketing for Small Businesses,” illustrates the impact of video marketing on today’s consumers.
Four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it, according to a survey by Animate. When consumers view a video about a product, eventually 71% of them make a purchase.
Video isn’t just a way to educate consumers about your products or services. It’s also a component to a well-rounded marketing strategy. Videos in emails increase click-through rates by 96 percent, and 87% of marketers reported a positive return on investment with digital video initiatives. Videos also boost SEO — websites with videos are 50 times more likely to get organic page ranks in Google than plain-text pages, Forrester Research notes.
Small businesses keep up with big companies too. Firms with less than $5 million in annual revenue produce an average of 16 videos each month.
Ready to be a part of the video revolution?
Consider the types of video that might work best for your business, from product demos, DIY how-to’s and testimonials. Think about the promotional videos you’ve seen online and on your favorite social media channels. What kind of content makes you want to keep watching? Whatever it is, it’s likely a good fit for your business to explore, too.
Don’t be intimidated by the pros: short, direct videos are key for engagement. Videos less than 90 seconds keep 53% of viewers; that rate drops dramatically as a video gets longer, the 2017 Video in Business Benchmark Report points out.
Want to learn more about making video that resonates with your customers? Check out our recorded webinar, “Video Marketing Made Easy.” You can also download a checklist of video styles you can try out to showcase your business.
If you’re ready to rev up your marketing strategy, talk to a SCORE mentor today.
By Bridget Weston Pollack
