Let’s face it: attention spans are short these days. People are bombarded with content every second of every day and don’t have the time or patience to read a long article. Add to that the difficulty text posts have standing out in a crowded feed of funny and interesting videos - it can be hard to connect with people.
That’s why videos are so important for your business; not only are they easy to consume, but they’re fun to watch and people love them. Videos are becoming the most effective way to engage users and drive traffic to your website. In fact, according to statistics, by 2019, 80 percent of all internet traffic will come from video.
As a small business owner, you might be under the impression that only million-dollar companies can create high-quality, entertaining marketing videos; but that’s no longer true. You too can create amazing videos that users will eat up on social media and the web. You don’t need a videographer or any fancy, expensive equipment; all you need is your smartphone or a computer.
Ready to grow traffic, increase engagement and boost conversions for your business with video? Check out these five creative video marketing tips for small businesses.
1. Repurpose blog posts into videos
Don't worry about coming up with fresh, new video marketing ideas. You don’t have to start from scratch. Repurposing your most popular blog posts into videos is a great way to reach new audiences and recycle content that you already know performs well. By repurposing your written content into videos, users who have previously passed on your blog posts can be pulled in with a format they prefer more - video.
You can use a tool like Lumen5 to easily transform your articles into videos. Lumen5 uses artificial intelligence to automate video creation; all you have to do is enter a blog post or RSS feed, and the software will help you summarize the content and match scenes with relevant videos, photos and music. You can even customize all your videos with your branding, making it an effective way to attract new audience members and introduce them to your business.
2. Put a video on your landing page
Videos can increase your traffic and engagement, but did you know videos can actually increase your bottom line too? In fact, including a video on your landing page can increase conversions by 80 percent. When you incorporate videos on your landing page, users who visit your site can experience and absorb the message you’re trying to get across with very little effort. It can also increase the number of time visitors spend on your page.
Landing page videos should be high-quality with a great thumbnail, above the fold, and embedded in a stand-alone player such as YouTube or Vimeo. Whether your landing page video is about your company and who you are, customer reviews, or how your products or services work, users can easily understand the value of your company while being entertained, which leaves them much more likely to buy.
3. Use live video to interact with your audience
There’s no better way to connect with your audience than to speak to them directly. Luckily, with the rise of live streaming, you can interact with your audience and customers any time you want. You can go live on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube and receive a ton of engagement that will grow your business.
One great way to use live video is to schedule a Q&A session. Let your audience know when you’re going live so that they can join in and ask questions in real time. Live Q&A sessions are a great way to make your audience feel like they’re a part of something special and to present yourself as an expert in your industry.
4. Shoot teaser videos to spark interest
Many companies go through lulls where they feel like their audience is getting bored or forgetting about them. But by creating a bit of mystery and excitement around your company, you can spark interest in your audience and get people tuning in to see what’s next for you. Shooting short teaser videos about a new product you’re releasing or a big event that’s coming up will keep users engaged and on the edge of their seats.
A teaser video can be as short as three seconds and still be effective. For instance, if you own a restaurant and are coming out with a new menu item, film a short video showing a glimpse of the delicious new dish. You could even create a mini contest around your teaser video by getting your audience to take a guess at what the item is to boost engagement.
5. Record your screen for tutorials
If teaching your customers is an important part of your business, provide them with an awesome new way to learn by recording your computer screen for tutorials. For instance, if your company posts a lot of written tutorials on how to use your software, you can boost your engagement and your users can retain more information by providing them with video tutorials as well.
You can record a demo of your software, show users how to use certain features or film your screen for an online course in order to entice your visitors into learning more about your product. There are a number of free and paid screen capture software options available online, including Open Broadcaster and Snagit, that make it easy to record in high-definition as well as edit and add text or audio.
Now that you have some creative video marketing ideas for your business, it’s time to get out there and start filming content that will make your audience want to click the ‘play’ button. Don’t forget to share your videos on multiple platforms so that you can widen your reach and convert new users into loyal customers.