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Marketing With Videos Provides A Leading Edge

  • By Ironstone
  • |
  • October 17, 2013
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Placing your firm’s video marketing on the back burner could be costing you more than you think. Video marketing is nothing new and has become a preferred marketing technique for many firms. Video allows your target market the opportunity to get acquainted with you, become familiar with your character and style, hear your unique value proposition and make an educated and informed decision on how your services will meet their unique needs.

Over 70% of people go online first to find local business information according to a 2010 local search usage study performed by Small Business Trends.

A simple website doesn’t make the cut in today’s world. Businesses who want the leading edge need to incorporate eye appealing and functional websites with video that will rank high in search engines to have a successful and profitable online presence.

Incorporating video into your marketing plan will provide your firm with numerous advantages:

  • Social Presence – which is vital as today’s consumer will search for your online presence prior to calling you
  • Increased Sales Opportunity
  • Increased Referral Opportunity
  • A Communicable Value Proposition
  • Increased SEO

Getting Started With Video

You have several options to choose from when adding video to your online presence. You can choose from a range of professional video shoots to using your own video equipment; the key is to make it professional yet personal. The best videos are less than three minutes and are more effective by showing the real you.  (Research obtained from Business Management Daily)

Other options for short videos include:

  • Vine – allows 6 seconds of video to be integrated with your twitter account
  • Tout – gives you 15 seconds to deliver your message
  • Tout.com allows you to record a video from your computer or smartphone and upload directly to your Facebook profile and Twitter accounts.

Another great method to reach your audience is through the use of tutorial videos. Tutorials are videos that will be searched for and shared. People easily relate to visual, step-by-step learning tools through video tutorials. You have many options in creating a tutorial video ranging from free to expensive. A couple of the best free versions include:

  • Camstudio – Records screen activity from the Windows desktop into standard AVI movie files. It is an ideal tool for creating software demonstrations and active presentations.
  • Jing – Jing captures anything you see on your computer screen, as an image or short video, and lets you share it instantly.

Be sure to upload your tutorials to YouTube and embed them into your blog post. This will increase your search engine optimization (SEO) as it can be found through both search engines – Your Blog and YouTube.

When To Use Video

Video marketing can be used in a number of ways and is only limited by your imagination. Use innovation and creativity to deepen relationships with prospective and existing clients. Some ideas to get you started on when to use video include:

  • Announcements
  • Business Updates
  • New Products
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Upcoming Events and Educational Sessions
  • Testimonials
  • Behind the Scenes – Let people see what “really” happens

Have Fun With Video

Tell your story with video. Video gives you the opportunity to share the story of your business, your vision, mission and unique value proposition. Incorporate action shots so others can see you doing what you do and use variations through an interview with an existing client or another team member.

More Tips:

  • Publish Videos On A Regular Basis – Brand awareness will increase when you incorporate video into your marketing strategy. Educate your community with starter videos to get your message out.
  • Be Authentic – Communicate with passion and authenticity. Your market wants to see and get to know the real you.
  • Interviews – Interviewing an expert in your industry or utilizing them as a guest speaker for your video will increase traffic to your site and likewise may generate an opportunity for you to be a guest speaker on their site. It’s a win-win for both parties. Give a shout out to someone – we all love a little attention and pat on the back for a job well done. Guests will share your video, thus generating more traffic to your site.
  • Use Collaboration – Team up with another professional to create influential content. Sharing thoughts and ideas as a team in conversation provides an interesting video to watch and listen. Another benefit, all those participating will share the video, increasing your name and brand recognition.
  • Create A Series Of Videos – A series of videos is very effective in encouraging your audience to watch your entire series and come back for more.
  • Create A Capture Funnel – As the community engages in your videos, you want to build your prospecting database. Create a capture funnel with your videos by offering downloads such as e-books, white papers, case studies, a complimentary consultation or best practice tips. Determine what your market needs and offer the solution. Embed your video with an opt-in form. Services such as AWeber, Constant Contact and Mail Chimp will give you exactly what you need to capture information on prospective clients.
  • Create A Call To Action – Just as you create a call to action in other marketing pieces, the same holds true in video.

My challenge to you is to incorporate video into your marketing plan if you haven’t already done so. Measure the results, just as you measure other marketing strategies and let me know how video fared for you!

Question:  Does Your Business Use Video Marketing? Share Your Success Stories And Your Videos With Us!

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Author Bio

Ironstone is a learning and development consultancy with business acumen that translates across many industries. Our focus is on practice management strategies in order to enhance and improve both business and personal life. We support professionals who want major and comprehensive improvements that look at all aspects not just an isolated area for change. Ironstone has identified 4 key performance areas known as the Fundamental 4™, which are required to design, develop, and sustain a successful business.

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