Marketing can be overwhelming, especially when growing a small business.
Keeping up with ever-changing trends and the never-ending dos and don’ts can lead to marketing fatigue. Then, there’s also the pressure to catch people’s attention and make sure that you stay afloat amidst the hustle and bustle of the digital world.
If you’re a little overwhelmed by emerging tactics, you’re not alone. But here’s a pro tip you can rely on: trust the power of small business video marketing.
Why do small businesses need video marketing?
Video marketing involves integrating videos into your marketing strategy to advertise your products, establish brand authority, and build customer trust.
Digital marketers themselves can testify to what small business video marketing can contribute. 89% of video marketers report a positive return on investment from video marketing.
If you want to sustain your business in the long run and rise against the competition, you need an established Unique Selling Proposition (USP). And videos are one of the best ways to showcase your USP to your target audience while enhancing your business’ community engagement, sales pipeline, and competitive edge.
But before we get into how to create a banging small business video marketing strategy, let’s figure out what types of content you should be making.
How do small businesses use video marketing?
Creating video content requires consideration of various types of content. Listed below are several types of video marketing content ideas that will help you take your business to the next level.
(1) Video ideas for raising brand awareness:
Product Videos –
84% of people say that watching a brand’s video prompted them to buy the company’s product or service. For new prospects, demos build trust because they get to see your products in action.
Here’s an example of a product demo in action from Paragon.
A demonstration of a coffee table that can convert into a dining table by pressing a button appears on the website’s homepage. This leaves a great impression on visiting prospects, especially considering how well the video was executed.
Brand story videos –
Sharing brand-related content with your consumers builds connections. One essential function of marketing videos for small businesses is to sell experiences, not products. And if you allow your customers to be part of their journey, you can expect them to get involved.
Brand story videos don’t need a storyline to be effective. This video from BussyPuzzle is a simple video of children playing with the product (personalized name puzzles) with smiles on their faces does the trick. No script needed. It’s raw, real, and realistic.
(2) Video ideas for improving SEO rankings:
How to videos –
If you haven’t noticed, Google shows a video thumbnail next to a search result when searching for how-to videos. So when people search for a topic or question related to your products or services, you can create an informative video that doubles as instant marketing. Assign tags, keywords, and other technical details to your videos to ensure they are searchable.
Suppose an individual is curious about how a beauty tool called Gua Sha works. They hop onto Google to discover the answer. The first result is from a beauty and make-up subscription website. Should this person decide to purchase one, their first stop will likely be the same website to check if the brand offers it.
Explainer videos –
People watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. But the real benefit is that video transcripts function like a blog post, so they work wonders for your SEO ranking. Explainer videos also boost customer retention —there’s a double win for you.
Continuing the theme of ancient Chinese beauty tools, people who want to learn the difference between jade and rose quartz roller might be inclined to look for the answer with Google’s help.
This Beauty Bio video tops the video results, while also providing a full article on the subject. But if you’re in a rush, the video readily outlines the key differences between the two.
(3) Videos for lead generation:
Pre-roll ads –
Pre-roll ads automatically play before featured videos on various platforms. Think, those short clips lasting 15 to 60 seconds that you skip on YouTube. Some of them are skippable, but some aren’t. If you go for the latter, make sure your video is engaging enough to produce and nurture leads and increase sales–not for customers to label it an inconvenience.
Video landing & product pages –
Putting a video on any landing page retains visitors and boosts the conversion rate by 86%. If your landing page is only loaded with text, your customer might get overwhelmed and hit the back button straight away. Adding a video that sums the content up for your visitor can prevent that from happening.
This is how Military Surplus ended the long description of their hiking poncho: a quick video summary.
Video ideas for conversions:
Customer testimonial videos –
Consumers want to make sure that the item they are buying is worth every penny they spend. Authentic testimonials alleviate this issue, with 66% of consumers believing that online reviews are helpful in building trust in a brand.
Fortunately, several platforms exist to help you collect video testimonials and display them on your website in all their glory. Here are a few of the most popular ones:
Product review videos –
Product reviews are similar to customer testimonials, but influencers mostly do them. Small businesses can get in on the game by sending their favorite influencers some products in exchange for a review. Be sure to select the influencers within your niche so that the right people will see your products.
Here’s a product review of a planner by YouTube micro-influencer Shannon Andersen which currently has more than 18,000 views.
Video ideas for customer engagement:
Webinars –
Live engagement tools are a good investment. When you conduct webinars, the promise of free educational content prompts prospects to engage and be a part of your community. They are also a perfect lead magnet to help you get more email addresses for your marketing campaigns.
While it’s not common to see product-based small businesses conducting webinars, most service-based small business owners have seen success through webinars.
This eyelash extension brand (which offers both products and services) cements its expertise and engages people with the same passion for beautiful long lashes through their informative webinars:
Live streams, interviews and Q&As –
Live streams, interviews, and Q&As are more interactive approaches compared to webinars. And you’ll often encounter them on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
If you want to start your small business video marketing, this is probably the easiest method since you only need your mobile phone to get started.
Here’s a soap company talking about their controversial product, breastmilk soap, and clearing up any doubts with a Q&A video on TikTok:
Now that you understand how different types of videos benefit your business, let’s explore how you can jumpstart your small business video marketing strategy.
How to create a small business video marketing strategy
Small business videos are very similar to a TV ad, except they’re more cost-effective and audience-targeted. With the right strategy, it’s even possible to create small business videos by taking out your mobile and hitting the record button.
Here are 4 small business video marketing tips to help you maximize your digital presence in this multiple-device era:
1 Know what type of video content suits your marketing needs
Despite the ease of recording marketing videos on your smartphone, refrain from posting for the sake of posting (even for something as quick and efficient as Instagram stories).
Instead, be intentional. Plan ahead and find the right approach for each specific video marketing campaign.
Campaigns should have a clear goal. Some goal examples launching a new product, boosting sales, or increasing brand awareness.
In the early stages of your business, focus on building your brand name through brand story videos and product demos. Producing how-to and explainer videos can also help you rank your content and reach people in the awareness stage of their buyer’s journey.
Create a detailed strategy based on your goal. But be realistic by considering your resources and identifying the timeframe to complete the campaign.
2 Choose the best platforms for your marketing videos
When you have great content but no visitors, you’re throwing away your time and potential. The next step is to find out where you can best place your videos where you can attract your ideal audience.
Here are a few platform ideas to help you get started with small business video marketing.
- Website (Product page, homepage)
- Social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook)
- Marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy)
- Video sharing platforms (YouTube, Vimeo)
How do you pick which video placement will bring in the results?
It depends on your goal.
As an example, you can add product testimonial videos to your website homepage and product pages.
On these pages, you will find prospects who already have an interest in your product, and adding videos might just be the nudge they need to go all in.
If you want people to find out more about your products, sharing explainer videos on YouTube and social media platforms will get the ball rolling.
Again, it all depends on your goal. Check
3 Prepare the technical tools for filming and producing videos
You don’t have to be a fancy film producer or a professional video editor to pull this off. You can either outsource them or opt to do it yourself.
Should you decide to outsource, you don’t have to worry about the tools, but if you want to do it yourself, you’ll have to invest in:
- A good camera. It’s better to use a high-quality camera, but even a smartphone camera will do.
- External microphones and audio equipment. You need the audio quality to be clear. Otherwise, the video won’t be effective.
- Lighting kits and reflectors. Poor lighting causes distraction, and it’s unappealing.
- Editing software. If you’re not hiring a professional video editor to do the job for you, you’ll need one to polish your content.
To make the most out of small business video marketing, your video has to be attractive and engaging. Aesthetics and visuals typically help.
4 Optimize your content with these strategies
Once you’re all set, write your script. Keep an eye on your brand tone and personality. Since you are virtually interacting with real people, use human emotions to stimulate the response.
Share your story and your company’s advocacy. Emotional marketing is one of the major driving forces of a consumer’s attention span and purchasing decision.
When distributing marketing videos for small businesses on different platforms, pair them up with marketing automation. Not only does it help with automating repetitive activities such as emails, social media posting, ad campaigns—it also helps to turn lead prospects into long-term customers. You can do this by embedding external links on your videos that will redirect them to your website.
Get it done in one take
In a digital world where binge-watch culture reigns supreme, your business deserves a share of the spotlight. Let your small business video marketing campaign flourish with the steps outlined in this post and notice how your bottom-line benefits as well.
author

Jul Domingo is a freelance B2B SaaS and marketing writer. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, she has a passion for writing for retail, e-commerce, and marketing platforms that support small businesses.