Marketing is a game of priorities for small business owners. You only have a finite amount of money, time and resource available for getting your products or services out there, so it’s no surprise that some elements get missed out. Video is one of these, with just 9% of small businesses in the USA currently having a YouTube channel.
However, with more than 2 billion people using YouTube every month and 73% of people saying that they’re more likely to buy an item after watching a video explaining it, it’s clear that this isn’t an area of marketing that can be ignored by small businesses for much longer. If you want to get ahead of the other 91% of small businesses, it’s time to get started.
Headway Capital has created a guide to the 10 essential YouTube videos that every small business should have if they want to make the most of the opportunities that are out there for great video content created by brands, from influencer videos to clips that take customers behind the scenes to see your team hard at work and having fun together.
Here are the 10 video types that you should be making right now:
Creating YouTube videos might sound daunting, but the technology is there to make it easier than ever before and if you follow this guide and these tips, you will be creating videos that are engaging, informative, entertaining and successful. Which one will you be trying first?
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However, with more than 2 billion people using YouTube every month and 73% of people saying that they’re more likely to buy an item after watching a video explaining it, it’s clear that this isn’t an area of marketing that can be ignored by small businesses for much longer. If you want to get ahead of the other 91% of small businesses, it’s time to get started.
Headway Capital has created a guide to the 10 essential YouTube videos that every small business should have if they want to make the most of the opportunities that are out there for great video content created by brands, from influencer videos to clips that take customers behind the scenes to see your team hard at work and having fun together.
Here are the 10 video types that you should be making right now:
1. Product Spotlights
Product videos increase the chance of a purchase by 144%, so surely no small business can be too busy to create some product spotlights? These show what your product does and why people need to buy it, so they need to tell a good story, show the impact of the product visually (rather than just talking about it) and have a clear call to action at the end to tell customers how they can get their hands on the product.2. How To’s
Your business will have plenty of expertise and knowledge that can be shared in videos that tell people how to use your products or services to make their lives easier. This is also great customer service that will save customers the need to call you up to ask a question about how the product works. If you are struggling to come up with subjects, you can always use answerthepublic.com to find out what questions people are asking related to your products.3. Product-in-Action Videos
Similar to the product spotlights, these are about great storytelling and putting your customers at the forefront. If you make them engaging visually and in terms of the stories, and then let the product and the customers do the rest, you will have very impactful videos that will leave an impression. To get your stories right the first time, try storyboarding them before you start shooting, aligning the visuals with what you want to say about them.4. FAQs
Like the How to videos, these work as both marketing and customer service videos. FAQ pages on websites are hugely important but creating them as videos makes this essential content much more engaging, but remember the medium and break them down into chunks without any long-winded answers. Remember also that you need to keep the tone simple and conversational.5. Testimonials
Again, testimonials have long been a useful tool for websites and brochures, but reading what your customers have said will never be as powerful as actually watching and listening to them saying it. Make sure they come across as authentic, so don’t script too much of the video and be sure to highlight the customers’ emotions, which you can also do with the right use of music in the background.6. Reviews
Customers often review products and services in videos themselves, but you can create your own as well. Authenticity is crucial here so that they don’t come across as corporate or fake, and be sure to focus more on the product than the customers. It’s also worth highlighting the benefits rather than the features so the emphasis is on impact rather than description, so be sure to tailor your questions to have the right focus.7. Shopping Hauls
These are a very popular form of video on YouTube, with influencers shopping at a store and then talking through their ‘haul’ afterwards and discussing each product in turn. If you can find the right influencers for your brand (with high levels of engagement, the right tone and definitely aligned to your brand values), these can be an ideal way of showcasing new products and lines. Be sure when working with influencers to have clear KPIs set out to measure the success of their videos, like audience retention, watch time and click-through rate.8. Unboxing Videos
Another popular type of influencer-led content, these see people opening up products and sharing their enthusiasm for them in an engaging manner. Getting the right feel of authenticity is key here, so don’t make the video seem too professional or slick and let the influencer have creative control as long as you have the final sign-off. You will also need to make sure your chosen product has visually appealing packaging to give the wow factor on-camera.9. Behind the Scenes Videos
Video content isn’t just a great way to showcase your products or services, it can also be used to highlight your brand and your staff. Creating behind the scenes videos lets customers get a glimpse into who your small business really is. This can build trust and engagement with your brand if you get the right tone and showcase your passion, dedication to quality and customer focus.10. Meet the Team Videos
Another kind of behind the scenes video sees the camera turn to your staff, giving them the chance to be YouTube superstars and help customers relate to them. These videos need to feel natural rather than forced, so let your staff have fun rather than creating artificial situations or demanding that they mention all the right slogans and catchphrases. To get your staff engaged, why not let them plan the content themselves?Creating YouTube videos might sound daunting, but the technology is there to make it easier than ever before and if you follow this guide and these tips, you will be creating videos that are engaging, informative, entertaining and successful. Which one will you be trying first?
