5 Easy Ways to Use Video Content to Get Eyes on Your Business!

Everywhere you look on the internet, you find information flung at you from every direction and medium. We are awash in stimuli for most of our day on our mobile devices, laptops, and computer monitors. When you consider marketing your business amidst this deluge of content, it can seem pretty overwhelming! Thankfully, you can use a digital marketing tool that provides some evergreen content options and is super easy to digest: video!

While you can certainly invest your money into a commercial that streams on YouTube or TV, that isn’t always possible for a small business owner. In the beginning or ever, depending on your product or service. What I’m talking about is using video in conjunction with social media, email marketing funnels, and on your website to catch the eyes of the casual swiper and make them stick around to see what you’re about.

It’s sometimes too easy to lose an audience to a wall of text. But a video can sink its hooks into people and immensely boost click-through rate (CTR). So, let’s look at some ways you can harness video marketing to make affordable, valuable content that’s great for your ROI. And is generally pretty fun to create!

Take Podcasts to Ears AND Eyes!

As someone who hosts their own podcast, it feels right to start here. I love doing it and will tell anyone willing to listen how podcasting is an excellent, affordable marketing tool that takes so little to get started and creates valuable evergreen content for your brand. Now, if you’re just reading this blog, you may wonder, “What does this have to do with video content creation?” If you don’t know, I also record videos of my podcast, because why not? I’m sitting there recording anyway, and it generates more tangible content I can market with!

There are loads of video podcasts out there, giving viewers some insight into the minds of their favorite hosts and their guests, letting them see the action as it unfolds. And while I haven’t braved it yet, some hosts even record live. Interacting with viewers and listens in real-time, making a real spectacle of the whole production. Videos captivate an audience differently than if they were just listening. It allows them to build a more tangible connection to hosts. It helps build trust in you, your brand, and of course, your products and services! Furthermore, it can become a source of income. If you gain a sizeable following, advertisers will come to you, allowing you to earn passive income for your efforts!

Where To Begin

Getting your podcast off the ground takes a little work and planning. But it can be pretty affordable, even with video added! There are plenty of affordable microphone options available, and if you don’t want to buy a new webcam or digital camera, guess what? That phone or laptop you’re probably reading this on has a good enough camera built into it to get you started – since 720p is pretty well the baseline for most devices these days.

As for scripting and editing, that’s easy enough to write, but it can be time-consuming. Luckily, virtual assistants like myself have a team that can handle the pre- and post-production for you, so all you need to do is hit record! Also, to help you get started, I’ve taken my years of experience producing my show and distilled it into this free workbook and checklist on How to Start Podcasting as a guideline, so check it out!

Education is Invaluable

Other things I love watching and creating are webinars and online courses. Especially since the recent pandemic drove everyone home, the rise in online education offers many opportunities for savvy small-business owners. As I’ve mentioned before, you opened a business because you have the passion and know-how to step into a particular niche. But it doesn’t stop with simply offering a product or service since you can also educate captive audiences with your expertise! While you can create a flashy infographic or a PDF white-sheet full of facts and stats, videos stick. And can augment that content by providing a more engaging, actionable source of information. 

Putting together courses and webinars involves a lot of work, as there are many moving parts to plan. Webinars are simpler since they’re generally one-off videos or short series. But you need to work out topics and content to teach, build your slide decks, create a schedule, market them, and of course, prep your equipment, whether you go live or not. With an online course, you do all of the above tenfold.

Thankfully, once you’ve made them, these evergreen pieces of collateral will live on your website. They will bring people back and generate hits and a steady stream of income. If you don’t have the time but want to capitalize on this brilliant ROI, work with someone that can take care of all of that for you. As I said, I love creating these things and have made so many for myself and my clients. My team can even provide a voice-over for your video recordings and edit them into a neat package on a tailormade website.

Show Them What You Have to Offer!

No, that’s not a euphemism! What I mean is, market your product or service with a video that showcases it! People LOVE unboxing videos and will stick around for a good tutorial that teaches them what you do or how to work your program or gives them insider info on how you manufacture your goods. There are various ways to do this, and you don’t need to invest in thousands of dollars worth of video production equipment. You do need to plan it out, likely script what you’re going to say, then start recording.

A well-lit neutral space and your phone camera can create high-quality videos of your products. The influx of social media Influencers and YouTubers has driven companies to develop affordable home studio setups for any start-up creator. For recording a guide through your software or website’s member’s-only section, you can easily capture your screen with free options like Zoom or OBS. That may seem like a lot, and, honestly, I know not everyone likes messing with all this technology. But best of all, if you need help scripting, editing, or voicing your videos, I can help!

However you approach product videos, they’re such an entertaining means of engaging your customers and can really boost your ROI and CTR. These videos build viewer confidence in what you’re selling while sharing your story. They can get a better sense of specifications and scale or how user-friendly it can be, in the case of software platforms. Finally, once you have them, they’re evergreen content that you can share EVERYWHERE, and people will visit over and over again so long as your product or service is available!

Reach Your Clients Live!

Facebook and Instagram Live have captivated audiences when an Influencer, celebrity, or brand sends out the call that they’re heading online. From account takeovers to ask-me-anything’s (AMAs), it’s an excellent way to get in touch with your client base. It lets them connect with you in a mostly informal manner. You can also get a feel for what your customers do and don’t like, how receptive they are to your business. But just because you’re live on your phone doesn’t mean you can go in without a plan all the time. It’s often beneficial to set the stage. Make it an event like touring your office or have them join at an “impromptu” home cooking show or whatever. It’s a great space to get creative and market yourself alongside your brand, once again providing a way for you to build trust.

Now, the prospect of going live unscripted can seem daunting, hence why I suggested you maybe plan something. You can even go so far as giving yourself bullet points to follow, curating polls to engage viewers, even script the entire thing! Then, once it’s over, you share it to your Story feed for evergreen marketing. It’s as short or long, or fun or factual as you want to make it. You can even may a bigger impact by getting an experienced social media marketer on your side. They can help to plan and schedule sessions that will fit your business and build lasting relationships with your customers.

Highlight Your Team!

Got some stellar staff helping you make your business a success? Doing staff interviews (if they’re willing) or highlight reels is another fun video engagement tool that is also a morale boost. It reminds your team that you can’t do this without them since you can showcase their talents and contributions. Meanwhile, it builds trust in your company when viewers see good, hard-working people coming together.

All you need is your phone and a quiet space (background noise is murder on quality video content!). A microphone wouldn’t hurt, but it is by no means necessary when smart devices are just so powerful these days! Like any other video content, it’s also evergreen. You can share them on staff anniversaries, do fun “where are they now” follow-ups to see how they’ve grown with your business, even have them on your podcast (which you should totally be doing!)

So, What Did We Learn? 

Let’s review what we learned:

1.   Video marketing provides accessible, engaging ways to snag an audience for your business.

2.   Recording live video of a podcast you’re ALREADY RECORDING is a simple, easy way to generate marketing collateral.

3.   Teach others from the expertise learned building your business with video webinars and online course content that keeps generating income.

4.   Product videos give you a chance to showcase exactly what you have to offer in a fun, engaging way that builds trust in your business.

5.   Using Facebook and Instagram Live can be a fun departure from your usual marketing while boosting engagement with your customers.

6.   Getting your team involved with fun interviews or staff highlights continues to build brand trust and raise morale with your colleagues.

Free Resources

When so much of online marketing revolves around ads, blogs and posts full of text, people always stop to check out a video, as it lets their brain switch gears. You’re giving them a break while marketing yourself. However, business owners are often turned off by the prospect of creating video content. They worry over ballooning budgets used to craft commercials.

Thankfully, you don’t need to have your own studio and a film crew to make great, engaging videos that showcase your business. With some planning and tools as simple as your camera phone, you can quickly build a library of videos. Then post on social media, embed in your email marketing funnels and newsletters, or sell packages in online courses and webinars. I mean, when any pre-teen with a phone and social media can skyrocket to becoming a millionaire influencer, cost doesn’t seem to be a factor! You can also check out my insights on building the right toolkit for the job, complete with some suggestions for podcasting and video creation solutions!

What factors are time and creativity! When you’re busy managing your company, it can be hard to focus on creating intriguing videos to market it. But you can reach out to me! I’d be delighted to give you a free consultation! My talented virtual assistant team and I can help you build a video library that will launch your business onto screens everywhere!

Links For This Episode:

WORKBOOK: How to Start Your Own Podcast

TOOLS: Helpful Tools to Build Your Business

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