4 Video Marketing Ideas for Small Business

When you’re a small business, so many pockets of your organization are, by definition, small. With limited resources compared to big-budget competitors, how in the world can you come up with creative marketing video ideas that will stand out and ultimately bring in more business?

There’s good news, even if you have a minuscule budget for small business video production. Yes, more money generally yields higher production value when it comes to corporate video production. However, the two biggest assets you have are probably already in place, and those are a compelling story and a receptive audience.

You might need a video production partner to help connect those dots, but the fact you’re a successful business means that people are continuing to buy from you. Tapping into the reason behind that in video form is a great way to amplify your message and generate even more business.

Where do you start? Here are some things to consider when starting to think about video marketing ideas.

What Makes You Different?

It might be tempting to create a company overview video that just gives a narrated list of services and your website at the end. In my humble opinion, that’s not a video. That’s a PowerPoint and pictures put to music. A compelling video for small businesses is to engage your audience with emotion and tell only the story you can tell. As a small business, you might be up against some giants, but think about why your customers go to you.

For example, we produced a video for a boutique travel agency in Chicago. The company’s clear differentiator was customer service, and the owner beamed about loving weather issues since those are when it’s the opportunity for her company to shine for her customers. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve booked travel with one of the big companies, customer service during adverse conditions is not exactly their brightest moment. We hit that point hard in the company overview video, and the resulting video enabled her to share that point of differentiation with potential customers.

Experience the Vibe of the Business

One of the toughest things to convey in a website or social media text is the vibe of your business. This challenge is especially critical in a restaurant/bar environment when you’re trying to capture what it’s like in your establishment. In many industries, I’d suggest an experience-describing piece when you’re putting together video marketing ideas for small businesses. Help people see and feel the atmosphere only your business can create.

One of the first pieces in our company’s history was for a bar/restaurant with locations in De Pere and Green Bay. Wisconsin traditionally has been known for beer and brats, but this establishment’s craft cocktails went against the grain - and it worked. Its company overview video helped the audience see the elaborate steps the team takes to assemble a cocktail. More importantly, we really focused on the customer experience, and as the owner said, “There’s something different about ordering a craft cocktail.” The video generated almost 100,000 views on Facebook. You can watch the video here.

Increase Efficiency in Your Sales Process

If you’re a small business serving a vast geographic area, time and distance can be challenging with sales. Of course, you can travel to your customers or they can come to you, but you can often create a powerful connection with a video that can accompany your from-a-distance sales conversation. Do you have a world-class production facility? Show them. Do you have a unique product that you just have to see? Show them. Do you have a fantastic, dedicated team? Show them. For example, we worked with a manufacturing client on a plant tour video, which enables its customers to get a look at its facility, without necessarily having to travel around the country to do so.

What’s Your Budget?

Like just about anything in business, how you approach your social media video content ideas is going to come down to budget. I’ll be candid with you and tell you that video production is not inexpensive. The sales pitch I’d make is to consider the return on investment and the cost of doing nothing. Yes, it’s not easy to plunk down a decent sum of money on a video, but how much will it cost you to directly reach the same number of people? Furthermore, will you be able to do so with the same energy, vibe, and visual elements? There are plenty of ways to take a DIY approach to video, and I’m certainly no snob if it’s done right. My only caution would be to consider whether the production quality, which the customer often associates with the quality of your product/service, is actually deterring someone from buying from you.

Whenever you need a professional video for your small business, Gillespie Productions is happy to provide you with a high-quality product that will help you attract people. Contact us today!