It's true, to create a marketing video to promote your small business, you don’t need the directing chops of Martin Scorcese or Steven Speilberg. Nor do you need IMAX-level video cameras and editing tools. You don’t even need a big budget to create a video that can gain your business visibility, followers, and likes and shares.
If you’ve considered creating video content in the past but hit pause for whatever reason - it takes too much time, not enough money, or lack of experience - you’re in the correct place. And, we should point out, you’re not alone. Among businesses who don’t use video as a marketing tool, the two leading reasons for why not were lacking the time and know-how, at 30% and 18% respectively.
Sound familiar? No problem — in this post, we’re going to break down the benefits of creating video content for small businesses, the types of videos you can create, and where to post them. Before we focus on video, let’s recap why social media is such a powerful tool in your small business marketing toolkit.
Why your small business should be on social media
Social media is an indispensable tool for small businesses. You can reach a massive yet targeted audience located both near and far. It’s cost effective and allows you to connect with your customers and create community where one might not yet exist. And consider this: For marketers who have used social media marketing for two years or more, 50% have seen increased sales.
Here are four of the top reasons why your small business should be on social media.
Reason 1: Increase brand awareness
Posting quality content often on social media platforms can help grow your small businesses visibility and reach a wider audience. When you create and share engaging content, consistently, you’ll attract the followers you want to have (those that have an interest in your product or service.) In turn, those followers might share your content with their friends and followers — causing your awareness to grow exponentially. This positive ‘word-of-mouth’ referral is an invaluable and incredibly cost-effective way to attract new customers.
Reason 2: Advertise, but cost effectively
While all advertising and marketing budgets are not created equally, social media gives small businesses a cost-effective opportunity to compete alongside larger businesses for your customer’s attention. And, unlike more traditional forms of advertising (for example, a local, direct-mail campaign) social media lets you target your content to the specific audiences and interests that are relevant to your offerings.
Reason 3: You can have a conversation with customers
What better way to get to know your ideal customers than by communicating with them? Social media checks this box, too.
Take advantage of the many ways social media allows you to engage with your customers: ask questions in your post (for ex., you could ask what viewers think about a new feature or offering you’re considering) and respond to questions and comments.
Time and attention are valuable — if you can gain either from social media users (even if it does not result in an immediate sale), that’s a win. People will remember that you took their feedback seriously. Don’t overlook the built-in opportunity to have a two-way, loyalty-inducing conversation with those who take the time to comment and engage with your content.
Reason 4: Keep your competitors closer
Don’t overlook your competition. Take a look at their social media presence and try to discern what appears to be working (or not) for them. Look at their engagement. Are their posts resonating with their customers? If so, why?
We’re not suggesting you mimic their approach but it is prudent to take note. This information can be helpful as you create and refine your own social media strategy. Use these insights and observations to create video content that differentiates you while also demonstrating why your brand is the better option.
The best social media platforms for your small business
In April 2023, 400 million users turned to one or more of 14 social media platforms. We’re not suggesting you start posting branded content on all 14, but it is worth pointing out the most popular and worthwhile platforms your small business should be present on — with one caveat: there is no one-size-fits-all platform for small businesses. The correct social network for you will depend upon where your target audience visits. That said, here are the overall most popular social media platforms for small businesses.
1. Instagram
At last check in April 2023, Instagram had at least 1.628 billion users around the world. With an audience in the billions, Instagram’s not a platform to ignore.
Why we like it: Instagram’s format is best suited for businesses with a visually compelling story to tell. That doesn’t mean that if your offering is a service and not a product, you shouldn’t post on the platform. When you do post, make sure it’s visually interesting, consistent in frequency and look and feel. Take advantage of trending formats like reels and stories to incorporate video into your posts.
In-app shopping is another plus for Instagram for small businesses. Viewers can buy from you directly from your account, without ever having to leave the platform. This is a great example of a frictionless user experience. (Be sure to also include your site’s url at the top of your account!)
Who should use it: Instagram skews to a younger, 40 year-old and under demographic, so keep that in mind.
How often you should post: When it comes to frequency, opinion varies with figures ranging from 1-3 posts per day to 3-7 posts per week. That said, if your business can’t post often, Instagram probably isn’t your ideal platform.
2. YouTube
When it comes to video, YouTube is the granddaddy of them all. It’s also the most popular video sharing app in the world with more than 2 billion active monthly users. This gives your small business an opportunity to reach a massive audience and engage with potential customers globally.
Why we like it: YouTube videos can be shared across any other social media platforms you have a presence on, as well as embedded on websites or blogs. All these options can expand your reach and make the most out of your video content, efforts and investment.
YouTube can also give your search engine visibility a major boost. By taking the time to optimize your video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords, you'll greatly improve the chances of your videos showing up in search results. This means more exposure and potential traffic for your channel and website.
Who should use it: The platform has a wide appeal across generations with 82% of YouTube users falling between the ages of 18 to 65+. The largest group (20%) of the platform’s consumers are those aged 25-34 years, followed closely by the 35-44 age group (16.7%). So if you have a visual story to tell or product to demonstrate that would resonate with those age groups, YouTube is a good platform for your small business.
How often you should post: As with all platforms, consistent posting will be key to your success. Unlike Instagram, however; on YouTube, the expectation for frequent posts is not as high. To achieve the best results on the video-only platform, though, it’s a good idea and business expense to invest in quality video production tools.
3. Facebook
According to Facebook data from March, the platform had 2.989 billion monthly active users making it the world’s most active social platform. But does that mean it’s right for your small business? It all depends. Keep reading to find out more.
Why we like it: The sheer size of Facebook and the ability to create and engage with a community that aligns with your products or services makes the platform a worthwhile endeavor for small businesses trying to grow awareness and reach.
Facebook's advertising offers targeting options, making it easy for you to reach users based on specific demographics, location and interests. You can also sell products directly on Facebook and use the ‘Groups’ feature to create conversations with like-minded individuals (and potential customers) organically.
Who should use it: Based on Facebook’s advertising audience data, nearly 60% of global users are male; 43% of global users are female, while the most active users range from 18-34 years of age. If your business is geared towards creating a community of customers in this age range, it’s probably a thumbs up for you.
How often you should post: Quality over quantity is the most important metric. You don't want to confuse or alienate your new community of fans by posting content that doesn’t offer some value just to satisfy an arbitrary posting schedule.
Consider your goals: do you want to reach the max amount of people or a smaller group more frequently? If the former, 1-2 posts a week might be sufficient; if the latter, more frequent posts are in order.
4. Twitter
A couple years ago, Twitter would have been a contender as a social media platform suitable for building brand awareness and engaging with potential customers the world over. Today, Twitter has 330 million active monthly users and it is no longer among the top 10 platforms in size of reach. (It’s in the 15th slot.)
Why we like it: The platform makes it simple to try to catch the attention of users interested in your topic or offering with hashtags.
Who should use it: Known primarily for short posts about of-the-moment breaking news, for small businesses, Twitter is best for short videos or compelling images. If you can take advantage of a trending topic with a clever video tweet, you could gain a lot of quick attention.
How often you should post: Given its brevity, the ideal posting frequency on Twitter is generally higher than on other social media platforms and can range from 1-5 posts a day. If you don’t have content to sustain that frequency, consider focusing your video attention elsewhere.
5. TikTok
With an expected reach of 1.8 billion users by the end of 2023, TikTok is a beast. If your ideal customer is within 18-24 years of age, then your small business should absolutely be on TikTok.
Why we like it: TikTok is known for its ability to entertain if not educate users with videos that aren’t necessarily polished. For a small business, that makes the platform that much more accessible. Creating relevant and engaging content around popular trends can help you attract attention, gain followers and expand reach. If you can be creative, you just must go viral — and that applies no matter how large or well known your business may be.
Who should use it: Before you jump head-first into posting on TikTok, it’s wise to get to know the platform. It's important to follow TikTok trends to gain an understanding of the content that your customers are interested in. Once you do, you can create content that is fun and focuses on what you want to communicate. When you use the platform effectively, your small business really can increase brand awareness, audience engagement, and potentially drive business growth.
How often you should post: An ideal posting frequency on TikTok ranges from 1-4 times per day. If your small business can maintain that schedule, creating quick and unique video stories that showcase your brand’s personality, TikTok should definitely become part of your social media strategy.
7 Tips for Quick and Easy Video Creation for Social Media
While it hasn’t always been the case, these days, it’s difficult to find a social media platform that doesn’t feature or at least allow video content. Not only do social media algorithms and search (such as Google) favor video content, users have come to expect it.
As our collective attention spans continue to shrink, video makes sense: it’s shareable, can grab attention and evoke emotions. But as a small business without a video production crew at the ready, you may be wondering how you can take advantage of the media.
Here are seven tips to help your small business produce video content quickly and easily:
- Plan your video content: Determine the purpose, message and format before you start shooting.
- Utilize smartphone cameras: Capture high-quality footage using your smartphone and take advantage of video editing apps.
- Create concise videos: Keep your videos between 15-60 seconds to maintain viewer interest.
- Use eye-catching visuals and captions: Engage viewers with colorful graphics and add captions for accessibility and sound-off viewing.
- Add background music or sound effects: Pump up the viewing experience with audio elements.
- Optimize video formats for social media platforms: Familiarize yourself with platform-specific requirements for dimensions and file sizes.
- Regularly repurpose existing content: Save time by transforming blog posts, testimonials or user-generated content into videos.
Six Cautionary Guidelines When Posting to Social Media
It likely goes without saying, but a reminder to think twice before posting videos (or any content) on social media. When you’ve worked so hard to get your business where it is today, it pays to be thoughtful. Here are a few guidelines as you prepare to blow up on social media:
- Keep it classy: There’s nothing wrong with a playful tone (especially with platforms like TikTok), but it is important to maintain a professional image in your social media posts. Avoid engaging in controversial topics or sharing content that may be offensive, discriminatory or inappropriate. Remember that your posts reflect your brand's values and reputation.
- Think before posting: Take the time to review and double-check your posts for accuracy, grammar and spelling errors. Think about the potential impact of your post and how it may be perceived by your audience. Does the content align with your brand messaging and objectives? If so, hit that publish or post button.
- Respect privacy and confidentiality: Avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information about your customers and employees.
- Be mindful of legal considerations: False claims, misleading statements or infringing on copyrights, trademarks, or intellectual property rights are non starters.
- Monitor, respond to comments: Keep an eye on comments, messages and mentions on your social media platforms. While not every comment requires a reply, use good judgment and respond to inquiries, feedback and complaints. Address negative comments or reviews in a constructive and respectful manner, and when possible, try to resolve issues privately.
- Establish a social media policy: It’s worth the time and effort to develop a policy for your business that outlines guidelines and expectations for social media use by employees. Educate and train your team on these guidelines to ensure consistent and responsible posting.
By being thoughtful and creative with your videos, your small business can successfully navigate social media platforms, maintain a positive online presence and safeguard your reputation.
A final word about incorporating social media into your marketing plan. Take your time to get to know a platform, the more often you post, the more comfortable you’ll become and the better your posts will be.
As a small business, you may not have a lot of commas in your advertising budget or a dedicated marketing team — and that’s ok. Social media promotion is not reserved only for big brands with giant budgets. Your small business absolutely can — and should — make your presence known on social media. Happy posting!
Is your small business interested in learning more about social media? Or are you already a whiz at it?
We’d really like to hear about your experiences online, especially as they pertain to marketing your small business.
Drop us a line in the comments below. We want to know what’s working for you and what you want to learn more about.