Marketing is usually the FIRST thing business owners put a hold on or ditch altogether when the budget is getting tight for their company. THIS IS THE #1 MISTAKE businesses make when they are looking to scale.
Most business owners and high-level decision-makers within company’s don’t understand or even believe in marketing, so it’s no mystery as to why it’s always first to go. Conversations can be tough, and you often hear things like “we don’t have a marketing plan, our customers already know us” or things like “we have all of our information on our website”. I hear many more excuses daily, but these are some of the most common reasons given.
In my experience, this happens because there is no “silver bullet” to successful marketing. Each business is different and will require a certain level of marketing expertise to successfully execute a marketing plan or strategy. This leads business owners to cut corners and take what many would call the easy way out and ditch their marketing plans altogether.
Working in video production has taught me that just about every business can benefit from professional video production services coupled with a solid marketing plan.
Here are the top 3 reasons why you need video as a part of your marketing strategy:
- VISIBILITY
According to Cisco, 82% of ALL internet traffic will be video by the year 2022. That’s now just 3 years away and that number is sure to rise as technology continues to improve and connect us.
Word of mouth may be how a few of your customers found you, but I don’t know ANY successful business owners who rely solely on word of mouth, referrals, or their website to sustain their business and grow.
Increased visibility is how more customers will find you, how your business stays relevant, and how your future clients will hear about and possibly need your services. Video is certainly not the ONLY way for your business to be visible, however. Attending trade shows and other business-related events, posting on social media, and even traditional guerrilla marketing can get the job done, but the BEST way to be more visible is through video marketing.
Visibility helps with exposure, which is a great thing to have in the business world. The more exposure your business has to everyday people, the more likely your business is going to be successful. 
There are countless business owners small and large with amazing new products and services to offer, yet their customers may not know about them unless they ask or do some digging on the company site to stumble upon the information. This is not because the product or service is not in need or wanted, but rather that no one knows that they exist!
- Efficiency
Businesses become more efficient when their marketing strategy includes video. Why? When a consumer can watch a quick video on your services, products, and business model they are able to retain and remember the information better than if they were to read it on a website. Consumers are also more likely to learn about your business through a third-party social media site such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other forms of social media. If you don’t yet have a company video to post on these platforms, GET ONE.
This is the reason that so many more videos go viral versus pictures, quotes, facts, websites, etc. People love videos and most people are consumers by nature. People are also more likely to share a video they connect with. This makes your job as a business owner much easier if your customers are sharing your digital content for you or engaging in the comments. Business videos are the most efficient form of marketing because they do the work for you REPEATEDLY!
If you can create a HIGH QUALITY 1-2-minute interesting video on your products and services that is compelling to your audience, is consistent with your overall company branding and messaging across all platforms, and has a CLEAR call to action and purpose, your marketing plan can truly be as simple as that!
Videos also generate more engagement and conversation. This should be a marketing goal of each business to be successful. With many businesses looking for ways to cut cost and improve profitability, slashing the marketing budget should be the LAST thing to happen.
Many businesses activate what I call the “turtle effect” when times get tough and go into their corporate shell to weather the storm. The problem with this is that in the process, they end up missing tons of consumers who are still on their phones scrolling every day, watching videos and TV, etc.
Video is not the silver bullet that will solve your marketing problem, but when added properly and used effectively, it can truly make the difference when it’s time to take your business to the next level.
- Trust
Building trust within your client base is no easy task for any business owner. This is true across all industries. No matter what your business has to offer, building trust with your clients is an essential part of the overall success of the company.
Video builds trust and more so recognition. Think of the Geico gecko for example. Most Geico commercials barely give any details on the type of insurance they cover, and rarely go into much more than a few distracting themes followed by the all too famous “15 minutes can save you…” quote to end the commercial.
These videos are how Geico has built superior brand recognition and trust among consumers within the insurance industry, not to discredit the services they provide.
It’s not so much that you instantly trust Geico after watching their videos, but it’s more that you connect with what you are seeing in the commercials/posts that make the company seem a lot more interesting and friendlier than a dull insurance company normally would. Whether you find the commercials funny, interesting, entertaining, etc. you connect with that feeling and that connection may lead to a call for Geico one day. If nothing else, they just want you to remember some of what you saw and think of them when you or someone you know thinks about insurance. Mission accomplished to say the least!
This is something that can only be achieved with video as a marketing tool. When you are able to build trust, you gain a long-term client and what is called a “promoter”. For businesses that people trust, promoters are the key to helping that business grow, because they become the “word of mouth” for the company.
Providing great customer service is the one thing I’d say about 99.9% of all businesses promote and they should! If you can provide excellent service, you’re probably going to get a referral or two from that person, but what about the person who is not in the market for your services or products? How do you build trust with someone and turn them into a promoter that you’ve never even met or provided your business services for?
Video is the best way for you to reach people who may not be in the market for your services, but if the video they watch establishes a basic level of trust of your services or products, they may be inclined to refer business your way. This is simply not achievable through telling folks to visit your website or relying on your customers to rave about your services and products.
Video must be a part of your marketing strategy and should always be considered when your business is looking to grow, or you have new products or services to offer. Video is the easiest, most efficient way to get a message across to your audience as website surfing is a thing of the past.
With the rise in social media, video is becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives. Your clients are likely to be scrolling though social media and watching TV, and if you want more of them, marketing through these channels can do wonders for helping to grow your business.
A vast majority of the major and most successful companies in the USA are using video as a marketing tool and you should too!
#BEMOREVISIBLE Contact Phil Jackson at (856) 669-8369 or Phil@PerlowProductions.com to explore the possibilities!