As children, we all enjoyed a good scary story every once in a while. I know some of my favorite tall tales were told to me in the odd smelling basement of my grandparent’s old house. When the story would end, it was a race to see who could make it up the stairs and back into the light first. The last grandkid was usually left banging on a locked door while the rest of us ate cookies and drank milk with Grandma. It’s clear…. No One wants to be left in the dark.
Small businesses no longer have to be left in the dark in today’s media saturated culture. Any company with a little bit of creativity and desire to get the word out about their business can do so. Small businesses can easily generate a video that can then be posted on a free video hosting site or on their company website as a greeter to incoming customers and/or a sort of “infomercial.”
But why? Why would adding a short video to your website make any difference in the long run? When your business takes advantage of video, you are taking advantage of so much more.
1. Interact with your audience
- Consumers are no longer making the first point of contact with your company when they enter your office and are greeted by a lovely secretary who has all the answers, a smile and a jar full of peppermint candy. Instead, consumers are logging onto the Internet, searching phrases relevant to their need at hand and then making their decision based on the catchiest and most well presented option. If your business doesn’t present itself well online, consumers will simply click the back button and continue the hunt.
2. Communicate value quickly
- When a consumer lands on a page that is over-saturated with text, they have a tendency of quickly glancing at the words, catching little to no information, and then marching on to something new. In turn, if a consumer lands on a page that greets them with a quick video, they are far more likely to gain the information they need to know about your business in the few short moments they allow you to engage with them.
3. Get cheap publicity
- When I speak of cheap here I am not talking about cheap in quality, but rather, cheap in price. Without a doubt, publicity means better business. However, getting publicity for any business, large or small, usually comes at great expense. Producing, hosting and promoting online video is affordable, and it has the potential to go viral, exposing your brand to thousands or even millions. Video is also “under the radar” when it comes to marketing for most companies, which means you have a much better chance of ranking well for a keyword in Google with a video, than you do using pure SEO tactics.
4. Give your company a face
- In the informal age of the Internet, video gives your company a personality. A short video introducing your company gives you an opportunity to inform potential consumers of who you are, what you do, and why you are a good choice for them. Video gives you a chance to inform your viewers of the most important aspects that make your company what it is.
All this to say, don’t let your business be the one in the dark. Utilize the options at hand, and get in on the cookies and milk.
Also See: 7 Ways Online Video is an Affordable, Effective Marketing Tool for Small Businesses