Video Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

Video marketing content is undeniably powerful. It's visual, engaging and interactive. Once the province of large companies with million-dollar ad budgets, video campaigns are now accessible to small business owners. The rise of streaming video and smartphone technology means that it's never been easier or more cost effective to create video content.

Retail companies can use video marketing materials to promote their products to remote customers — and to bring traffic into their brick-and-mortar locations. Here are some ideas for small business video advertising.

Post Videos on Your Landing Pages

Landing pages are a central component of lead-conversion marketing: a digital storefront designed to usher prospective customers through to your homepage or mailing list. Why not incorporate video content into your landing page designs? Placing a video on your landing page creates an implicit call to action as cosnuemrs click "Play" to view your pitch. It also keeps their attention fixed on your content long enough for them to become invested in your message. Best of all, a video is a highly efficient way to package high-impact visuals and detailed information.

Mobile-Friendly Video Content

Mobile devices have quickly outstripped desktop computers as the leading online interface — more than half of all consumers access the internet solely on mobile screens! This means that traditional types of content, including dense blocks of text, are rapidly becoming obsolete. Video is extremely mobile-friendly — it's efficient, and it's also a great way to engage consumers who might be killing time sitting on public transit or waiting in line. The key to mobile-friendly video content is diversification and organic engagement. Use the same strategies you would to create engaging social media or blog content — i.e., a wide range of topics that are more entertaining and informative than "salesy." Viewers will click away if they think they're being subjected to a lengthy commercial.

Showcase Your Products in Action

Retailers devote a lot of attention to developing and marketing new and creative product lines. How do you give consumers insight into the unique appeal of your products? Create a series of demonstration videos! These video segments — unboxing, tutorials, customer testimonials, reviews — help shoppers understand why they should buy from you. If you can package these videos as an informative series, consumers will be motivated to watch the whole set. These videos can also be incorporated into FAQs and other parts of your website, giving consumers more opportunities to watch. See if you can solicit product review videos from consumer-interest bloggers and vloggers — these reviews will give you credibility and boost traffic to your site.

Create an Interactive Connection

The rise of streaming and smartphone technology has already made embedded video ubiquitous. Nowadays, the new digital frontier is video as a medium for communication. Video chats and video texting are more efficient than text, as well as more personal. Facebook Live is integrated into the social network platform, allowing customers to post comments that business owners can respond to. Build interest by incorporating these Q&A sessions into follow-up videos, turning a single live video event into a profitable franchise. You can also create choice-based videos, a high-tech version of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" stories you may have read when you were a kid. The key is to find ways to incorporate viewer contributions into your content — they'll feel heard and appreciated, and they'll be more invested in following and sharing your content.

Shoot Teasers to Spur Interest

Let's say you're planning a product launch or an in-store event, or maybe you're looking at a significant delay between product releases. To keep your company "top of mind" during these lull periods, film some teaser segments and post them on your website and social media platforms. These will help generate interest. You can combine this technique with the Q&A format to anticipate and respond to consumer questions. This will allow you to get a sense of customer concerns and preferences — you may even get some inspiration for future marketing materials.

Once you start creating videos, you'll be hooked on this exciting new medium. However, don't lose track of your other content streams. The best way to use video content is to integrate it into a multimedia marketing strategy, using a diverse collection of text, graphic and social media materials to connect with consumers and promote your retail business.

Emmanuel Lao is the founder and creative director for Square 1 Group, a boutique web firm specializing in real estate web design. 

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