Video Marketing for Small Business – Your Ultimate Guide
Video marketing for small business has never been easier, and in this ultimate guide you'll learn how you can broadcast to the world using only your mobile phone.
Think of video marketing as a multi-tool for your promoting your brand:
My one piece of advice? Don't get bogged down in which app is best for your needs. Just pick one, record your video, and share it with the world. You can perfect your process and app later, but for now the most important thing is for you to get started with video.
If you don't, your brand will be in the dark ages when it comes to marketing. I rarely make blanket statements, but today I am: if you don't start using video marketing, you'll be losing out on getting new business. Because your competition is already using video, and your audience is watching it.
Here are seven ways to record business video in this landmark post. Read the post in full or click on a link below to jump to it . . .
1. Livestream broadcasting using Facebook & YouTube Live
This is the year of mobile live streaming: if you've got a mobile phone, you can broadcast live from it using your choice of mobile apps:
- Facebook Live allows you to broadcast live using your mobile phone or webcam from your personal profile, business page or group
- YouTube Live allows you to broadcast live or record using your webcam (mobile phone broadcasting requires a channel of 10K subscribers). You can also share your screen easily.
Here's a Weekly Top 5 video I did using Facebook live on the Socialmediaonlineclasses.com business page:
Here's a tutorial I live streamed from my mobile phone using Periscope (a Twitter app), but I could have also done this on YouTube Live: it's incredibly low-tech!
I put my phone on a mobile tripod, pointed it at my laptop screen, and narrated as I created an infographic, live on Periscope:
Due to the live nature of Periscope, it saves broadcasts only for 24 hours. However, I recorded this broadcast on my mobile phone at the same time, so I was able to upload it to Youtube for others to enjoy long after the Periscope livestream expired.
2. How to Sell Using Facebook Live
Many small businesses are streaming live to their fans, and all it takes is a smartphone to broadcast.
In this webinar excerpt I show you how you can broadcast live videos your fans can't wait to watch, share with their friends, and most importantly, generate revenue
3. Smartphone Video Techniques
Your smartphone (or tablet) has evolved into a sophisticated camera & video recorder/editor. No special photography or videographer skills are required. Mobile apps have made it super simple to take great photos & record simple videos, straight from your phone.
Here's an excerpt from our Visual Social Media: Smartphone Techniques for Mobile Images & Video webinar. This is from 2013, but the apps I share in this 53-minute webinar are still the ones I use today:
4. Make Video Recording/Broadcasting Effortless
How can you make video recording & broadcasting so easy you're willing to do it consistently?
That's what you'll learn in this brief interview excerpt I did with Beverly Lewis, a business coaching & author. Beverly uses her smartphone a LOT for her videos, and you can learn her process here:
5. Visual Storytelling for Your Brand
All video ultimately tells a story, and in my interview with Ekaterina Walter, author of Visual Storytelling, she reveals the importance of visuals and how simple they are to create for your marketing.
What story should you tell about your brand in a way that resonates with your audience? I offered three case studies in this blog post of small brands doing an outstanding job of sharing their story in a visual way. Here's a quick glimpse of video from each brand:
▶︎ Small-town quilt shop revives their community's dying economy using YouTube video
▶︎ Auto-body shop earns trust by sharing behind-the-scenes images of restorations in progress
▶︎ Business-to-business marketing research firm becomes a YouTube phenomenon
6. Former News Anchor Shares 10 Ways to Be Comfortable on Camera
Mary Ellen Miller, of MarketingMel PR firm, is a former Tenneessee news anchor who created this video exclusively for Socialmediaonlineclasses.com. It's been so popular it was picked up by PR Daily and other news outlets.
Mary Ellen shares her secrets for feeling comfortable once you press that Record button:
7. YouTube Video Marketing for Small Business
Too many small businesses still don't have a YouTube channel.
Everyone watches YouTube videos, so you need to be recording video and uploading it there.
I've been recommending video marketing since 2011, when I recorded these short Social Media Minute videos:
It's become even easier to broadcast video for YouTube — We offer a full YouTube 101 class developed by a profitable YouTube channel creator Vanessa Vargas Wilson, who supports her family of four solely from her YouTube income.
When you become a member, you also get access to exclusive infographics making it dead-simple to market your business using video content.
8. Record Your First-Ever Business Video
Getting the courage to record your first business video is tough. I'm not a natural on camera, but I get beyond my hesitation because I know I have something valuable to share that others want to learn.
So do you.
Here's a tip I learned over 20 years ago when I became a technical trainer who stood in front of large audiences everyday: it's not about you. It's about what you have to share with your audience.
Viewers forget about what you look like, what you sound like, and what you're wearing, because you are sharing valuable tips with them.
They'll be fascinated by your content and forget all about you, because they're already thinking about how they can start being successful using your brand.
Here's an excerpt from my webinar titled Your First Business Video, where I share how truly simple it can be to record your first video using YouTube and your webcam:
Summary
Want even more examples of small business video? Vidyard has a fun blog post on videos with examples from small business owners here.
I hope you're now inspired by the small businesses videos I've shared here and how truly simply it is to create your own. You don't need special equipment, just the computer or smartphone you've already got.
Use these six video techniques as a checklist and do one per month. After six months, you'll have set up a YouTube channel, done livestream video, and your brand will be doing video marketing for the 21st century.
