by Jivox
In a world where your potential customers are bombarded with marketing messages, an entertaining or useful video that communicates about your brand in a subtle way is one of the best ways to “get through” to your audience. According to MarketingSherpa, 95% of the marketers that have used online video marketing are happy with the results and expect to use it again in the future.
Here are five different ideas for marketing videos that won’t cost an arm and leg to produce. You can make these videos with a small handheld camera and, when needed, some simple online editing software.
1. Customer testimonials – As a small business, your satisfied customers are your biggest asset. Put them to work! Ask your best customers to film a short clip of them talking about why they like your products or services, and then post these videos on your site and on YouTube. You can also distribute a link to these videos as part of an email newsletter or promotional email campaign. Another take on this is to allow customers to film their own testimonials or video product reviews, and allow them to upload them to a consumer review area of your site – but make sure to review the videos first for quality and overall message.
2. Product demonstrations – You have a great product or service, so show people how it works! Film an employee demonstrating your product, or if you offer a service, show a practitioner in action. For destinations like restaurants and hotels, film the environment, giving a mini-tour of the space. These demonstrations should be short, to-the-point, and not overtly salesy. Think of them as a useful service for your customers.
3. Video promotions – In addition to promoting special offers using email or on your web site, why not create a few video promotions? Film a short “commercial” of your product, service, or destination to show its great attributes, and add a voiceover telling people about a current special offer, such as a discount, deal, or promotion. To get maximum exposure for your offer, put the video on your site and on YouTube, include a link to the video offer in an email campaign, and place the video on a targeted video ad network.
4. Branded entertainment – Chances are, you’ve got an amateur video producer on staff or have a friend with a creative flair – get them to shoot some fun videos for your brand. For example, if you run a hotel, create a travelogue video of your city, filming local scenery, interviews with café owners, shots of museums; one of your employees can play the irreverent guide. Place subtle cues about your brand in the video, or just make it entertaining and, at the end, note that it was “sponsored by XX brand” and post your website URL. To drive maximum sharing, make sure to seed it on YouTube and other video-sharing sites, social networks, Twitter etc.
5. Troubleshooting/Self Service – If you sell a product, chances are your customers come to your site if the product malfunctions. Film one of your employees fixing common problems, demonstrating that most issues are simple to fix. You can also show customers how to service their own products, eliminating calls to the help desk.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. The best thing about marketing with video is you can be creative – so have fun!
Tags: affordable, Best Practices, easy video, internet videos, marketing videos, online advertising, Online Marketing, online video advertising, online video marketing, Tips, video creation tool, video marketing
