The At Cause podcast has officially launched!
For episode 1, hosts Kevin Kuchar, Full Sail Media’s Chief Creative Officer, and Nelson Anderson, Full Sail Media’s founder, share the must-know details of getting your business started with video marketing. Take a look above (and don’t forget to subscribe for more video marketing strategies!).
Now, let’s dive in with some hard truths about video:
It is everywhere. It’s at our gas stations. It’s on our televisions. It’s on our phones, where every time we watch a video, another video pops up.
With so much video everywhere, it can be overwhelming for a business looking for where to begin. Common questions about video marketing include asking:
- What’s the right first video to make?
- Where should we upload our videos? YouTube? Facebook? Instagram?
- And how do we make them? With our phones? With HD cameras?
Still, they are important questions to answer because as popular and as effective video marketing has been for businesses, its impact is just getting started:
- In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their online video consumption
- As of 2022, online video makes up 82% of all consumer internet video traffic
- … and 84% of consumers say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service thanks to video
Now, what does that mean for us as consumers?
For as much video as we may watch now, we want more of it in the future.
And what does that mean for us as the founders and employees of small-and-medium sized businesses?
If you don’t have a grip on your video marketing strategy, you’re missing out. And not just on an opportunity, which is what video has traditionally been, but on an increasingly fundamental part of any marketing plan.
Today we’re expanding on the points we discussed in the video to give you the who, what, when, where, why, and how of video marketing in 2022. Check it out below.
Where To Get Started With Video Marketing
In our experience, where a small business should get started with video marketing often boils down to an even simpler question:
Where should they get started with marketing?
One of the questions that Full Sail Media works to answer for our clients is understanding what problems our clients solve.
Say, for example, you have a plumbing business. You may think you only solve plumbing-related problems. But if you asked your clients why they keep coming back to you, you might be surprised.
- “She always answers my calls!”
- “Somehow my bathroom ends up working even better!”
- “I love those tips she shares on Instagram!”
You have a quality to your business that makes it unique. Once you nail that down, the rest of the marketing falls into place.
So, get that down on paper – both the problem you solve and the unique way in which you solve it – and then you can start to tell that story of your answer with video.
What Types Of Videos Are Involved With Video Marketing
Part of what makes the video marketing journey complicated is knowing which step to take first. Just consider the range of videos you could be making:
- YouTube Videos
- Testimonials
- Narrative Content
- Commercials for TV
- Social media posts
- Live chats
- … and more
While there’s something to be said for getting started and finding your voice along the way, at Full Sail Media we advocate for a more strategic first video.
We believe small businesses should make a video about themselves, their reason for being, or, as Hollywood likes to call it, the origin story (after all, the founder is a bit like a superhero, aren’t they).
In this video, you’re able to capture the spirit of the business. Often, the owner is still active and can give a direct line to the customer about why this business matters. We see their smile, their confident body language, and their place of work.
After all, if a picture is worth 1,000 words, what’s a video worth?
From the forming of that connection, the business is transformed from being just a mere name on a list of search results… to a trusted partner.
Who Manages Video Marketing In SMBs?
As with any sound strategy, knowing who’s responsible for it is fundamental to its success. So who in your small business is going to head up video marketing?
First, we’ll share the rule of thumb we use for defining small-and-medium sized business. To us, a small business is between 1-50 people, while a medium sized business is between 50 and 100 people.
For companies of up to 10 people, it’s likely that the founder is overseeing all marketing. When the teams grow to 50 or so is the range in which we see someone dedicated to those efforts.
Still, video can be different. Since it requires a unique background and costly equipment, even having a dedicated marketing officer or team may still mean you’re overseeing a production company or marketing agency.
As such, video is rarely done in-house (apart from those IG Lives your boss loves to surprise you with!).
Why Strong Businesses Dedicate A Portion Of Their Budget To Marketing
One fairly common objection to marketing in general, and to video marketing, can be its cost.
When we follow up with companies about their budgets and what they were expecting to pay, we’ve been surprised to find that many small (and even some medium-sized) businesses don’t have a complete budget.
Without a budget, deciding how much to spend on marketing (or how much is too much), isn’t realistic.
There’s a reason, then, that strong businesses – the ones that last, the ones that grow to become large businesses – dedicate a portion of their budget to marketing. In our founder’s experience, that can be 5-15%, depending on the industry. That’s on par with the Deloitte survey of CMOs, which puts the 2021 average marketing budget at just around 12% of the total company budget.
Once you establish what your company’s budget is and understand that this is an investment you make in your company’s longevity, it becomes simpler to see how video marketing fits.
How Your Company Can Get Started With Video Marketing Today
Tell us – did you make improving your business’s video marketing one of your team’s New Year’s Resolutions? Well, it’s already February. If you haven’t gotten officially started, or you’re looking for more guidance on next steps for your business’s video marketing, let’s have a conversation.
At Full Sail Media, we make this conversation manageable and actionable.
Together, we’ll discuss how Full Sail Media can implement video for your business to drive more engagement.
Book a time with us for your free consultation.
