The technology available to the average entrepreneur is staggering. When you consider the fact nearly everyone in modern society, including students, is carrying a portable, battery operated television station around in their pocket, it stands to reason there may be some opportunities available to ambitious people today that simply didn’t exist before.
Loading Ad...
For small business people, the power of video marketing cannot be overstated. One need only visit YouTube, Facebook and sites like them to see the power of television is alive and well and is being used not only for entertainment, but commercial promotion as well.
If you are promoting a product or service online and you are considering using video as a medium for your commercial message, here are some things to consider.
Building an Audience
All the video in the world isn’t going to help you if you don’t have an audience. Any experienced marketer or creative professional will tell you the only way to build interest on the web is to establish trust with your audience. Consider network television. Your favorite show is on at the same time every week. You come to rely on it.
If your video channel offers the same reliable access to new material, it won’t be long before your viewers begin to trust you for a new episode every day, week or month. As your series grows, you will not only have more material available for new viewers, but you will find that repeat visits by established viewers will begin to grow your audience.
Loading Ad...
Audio content
The fastest way to doom any commercial video marketing effort is to take shortcuts with your audio. Good sound quality is an absolute must. If you combine a great message with great sound quality, your video series will stand out from the rest of the offerings on major social media sites and help you attract an audience that much faster.
Video duration
The Internet has an average attention span of about eight seconds. You have that long to hook your viewers. Even if you manage to get the attention of enough people, you will lose them within a minute to a minute and a half at most. This isn’t a disaster, since you can always make another video the next day and reset all the clocks.
However, if your video doesn’t have that hook, or goes on too long, you’re going to lose your audience either right away or before you’ve had a chance to convey your full message. Neither option is good for you or your business.
You want to keep those videos short, punchy and numerous. That is the best way to engage a 21st century audience.
Loading Ad...
Tell a story
Stories make people drop their defenses. It may sound simplistic, but it is the truth. When you tell a story, you’re not selling, you’re entertaining. You’re conveying information in a non-threatening non-anxious way.
In your videos, you should tell stories as often as you can. Explain how you made your product, how you got started, and all the thinking that went in to developing your business. Over time, you will likely find those fireside chats become one of your most popular features.
Video marketing is not a panacea, by any means, but it is growing in both power and popularity. Every business should evaluate whether video can be used to build and grow an audience. At the moment, visibility is king online. Video gets you exactly that.
