One of the hardest parts of getting started with business video is coming up with video marketing ideas. You want to add the power of video to your communications, but what should you create?
With affordable video options such as Entente’s Easy Business Video Service now available, getting into video marketing is no longer prohibitive. However, you still need creative inspiration.
Based on over a dozen years of helping small businesses with digital campaigns, here are 17 video marketing ideas to inspire you.
Video marketing ideas
- Social media posts. Most businesses just post words and pictures on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social platforms. Stand out from the crowd by posting a video instead. Keep these short — 15 to 45 seconds or so. This equates to written text of about 30 to 90 words. Turn that “script” into a video!
- Online advertising. This video marketing idea is similar to a social post, but uses paid ads instead of free posts. Use the same short video format (15-45 seconds), and expand your viewership beyond your immediate social connections. You can test an ad for as little as $5.00.
- Home page content. Add impact and visitor stickiness with a video on your home page. This can be a product or service explainer, a branding video or a social proof video such as a customer testimonial.
- Blog post enhancements. If you have a blog, add a video to your next article. This could be a short explanation of a key point, such as this Entente example. Or, it could be a video that captures the entire article, such as this example.
- An “About” video. Is your “About Us” page boring? Until recently, ours sure was – just a bunch of snooze-worthy paragraphs and a few images. Why not tell your story in a video instead? Here’s what that might look like.
- Product support tips. Short videos are great to explain how to use your product. Focus on one topic per video, and clearly label each video on your Support web page so users can find exactly the help they need. Think of these as mini-training lessons.
- What’s included in your offering. This is an easy – but powerful – video. Simply describe each major feature or component of your product or service. Use images of your offering in action to illustrate each point.
- Product or service explainers. Go beyond “what it includes” to explain “how it works.” This is one of the most popular and effective video marketing ideas, especially for products that are more complex or unique. A twist on this format is a video describing the customer experience, not just the product itself. Explainers can be a bit longer – perhaps one to two minutes in length.
- Special offers, promotions or sales. Short videos can do wonders here. Highlight a limited-time offer. Explain the details of a new promotion, such as “buy one get one.” Introduce an upcoming sale, special bundle or contest. You can be a bit more salesy with these!
- FAQs. Make a list of the top ten or so frequently asked questions (FAQs) about your offering. In fact, make two lists: one for presales and one for post-sale support questions. Then answer each question in a short video, and place these on your website. You can also post the presale FAQ videos on your company’s social pages.
- Product or service introduction. This video marketing idea is a shorter version of the explainer video. Keep it under a minute – strive for 30-45 seconds. Focus mostly on the customer’s “pain points” that your product or service addresses, rather than its features.
- Event promotions. Zoom webinars. Trade shows. Virtual conferences. Radio or TV interviews. Whatever your event is, video can gain more attention than static promotion alone. Use these videos as social media posts. Embed them in emails to your subscribers. Or place them on your event’s landing page. One of our clients who did this said, “I received many compliments and our engagement increased.”
- Customer testimonials. Record audio or video of your customer saying nice things about your company. If recording isn’t possible, ask them to send you a headshot, and combine this with a quote and video clips to illustrate their compliments.
- Prominent customer list. Instead of just listing your big-name customers, create a video that animates their logos. Place this on your home page, or scatter several shorter versions across your website.
- Holiday greetings or seasonal messages. Use major holidays and the change of seasons as an opportunity to communicate with your customers and prospects – in video form.
- Help wanted. Highlight job openings, company culture, an inviting work environment or other benefits to help you recruit top employees.
- Any share-worthy content. Lastly, be on the lookout for news, awards, trends, insights and other share-worthy messages. If you act quickly, you can capture these on video and share them via your site, social pages and emails.
What are your ideas?
There are so many reasons to add video to your digital content today. Video grabs attention, delivers information quickly, and is highly memorable. Don’t you want that advantage for your business?
What are your video marketing ideas? Share them in the comments below.
Great stuff Tom! Your post got me thinking – how about using video to pose questions related to the problem your business is solving, encouraging the audience to engage by answering the question and/or commenting. Starts a conversation with your prospects.
Brilliant idea, Bill! This could be especially effective if the questions are around the pain points or challenges your solution addresses. The first step in a buyer’s journey is to recognize and name his or her pain!
Great summary and inspiration for using video. I hope a lot of businesspeople see this.
Thanks so much, Mike!