Every single business that uses communication tools to speak to and interact with their customers needs to figure out fresh ideas to keep people interested. You might have seen the well-worn ground of social media marketing and TikTok now appearing throughout your newsfeeds – but we don’t want to talk about that.
In fact, we want to get creative here. We want to help you learn how you can use video for your business that doesn’t involve social media. All businesses can benefit from using the basics of video in their marketing strategies, but it’s often difficult to know where to begin.
Going Back to Basics With Video
Videos must be integrated properly into your brand marketing strategy if you want to impact your audience. It’s not just a section of your strategy to consider, either. Video can be interlocked with every single piece of your business’ strategy. Video is the closest thing that you’ve got to being in person, and there’s no way you can provide face-to-face time with every single customer as much as you’d like to!
Instead of focusing on video as a viral tool (thanks, social media!), you need to look at video as a long-term strategy to make your brand unique. You get to broadcast your message with the tone you want – which is something you cannot always get with written blog posts and emails.
It’s not a section to add; it’s part of your process from day one. So many people – creators and businesses – consider video to be the thing that will go viral first. What if, instead of focusing on views equalling success or failure, you focused on the message?
For example, if your new video only had five views on it, you’d probably consider that to be a flop of a video. But what if it wasn’t? Start with building groundwork with your videos. Once they’re out there on your website, they’re going to be seen and one day those views might climb, but five views could also equal five converted customers – it all depends on how great the video is in the first place!
So, now that we’ve talked about the fact that videos can be a big part of your marketing strategy, let’s take a closer look at how you can use video to your advantage in your business.
Sales
One of the hardest things to do as a business owner is to sell – and it’s not because you’re doing it wrong. People need to be convinced that what you have to offer is worth it, and with the right video integration, you’re going to do that.
Did you know that video gives your business a human side? Videos show that you’re more than just a website. You’re offering something that people can relate to. Videos can be weaved through your entire sales strategy, from pitching your products to simply discussing your plans for your exciting next steps.
Create New Video Proposals
When you use video to create proposals, you can do it with the right tools and help to explain the tougher topics in your business. You can talk to your customers and clients about why you have gone a certain way with your products and services, and you can talk about your current sales strategies and your feelings about ‘what comes next’. When you have these proposal videos, you can better explain yourself and you come across as someone worth listening to.
Video Voicemails
If you are a keen user of WhatsApp or Messenger, you’ll know the value of voice notes. Being able to speak your responses to friends and family has been a time saver, and it’s something that you do to make sure that your tone of voice and meaning behind the messages are felt.
Well, when you include video voicemails as part of your video integration plan, you will show people you’re not just a voice – you’re a person! The human side of your business really shines here, as you can put a face to the name to ensure that people will want to get in touch with you. Putting personality to your company is vital if you want it to be a success and you can get that success with video voicemails.
Customer Service
Customers have questions from time to time and those questions need answers that go beyond a two-line email, right? If you know your customers deserve more, then it’s time to look at how video can help.
Customers will always find it helpful to hear a voice, but seeing a face elevates the experience. When customers need help, your response videos can make the difference between a happy customer or one who tells everyone your business isn’t worth it. There’s no need to ask someone to digest large blocks of text when you use video integration.
Requesting Reviews
Another way to use video in your customer service practice is to use it to request customer reviews. There is something impersonal about asking for reviews in a brief email, and not everyone reads all the way to the bottom of the emails you send to notice a review request in the email signature.
However, you can send a friendly video and ask your customers to fill out a survey, or a video asking how they’re getting on with your service and products. Reviews give you the chance to hear what your customers love about your business. Make the request personal, when asking for something personal in return!
A Chance to Be Honest
You can also use video to be honest about mistakes you may have made with your customers. It’s a chance for you to show up personally, honor any issues your business is having, and talk about how you plan to fix it.
This is a huge deal. It shows that you take it personally when you take someone’s money, yet fail to deliver on that product or service offered. Video integration offers you the chance to talk aloud and put your face to your successes, as well as your mistakes.
Marketing
We talked earlier about the ways that you can use video integration in your marketing strategy and video integration is so important here. Making video content for your business’ website can be so much more than that. Being able to show your team at work is a good way to give your customers a taste of what you can offer. With video, you can put out ‘day in the life’ information about your business and give your entire company a personality.
Video Newsletters
A great way to integrate video to your website is within the newsletters that you promote on your site and send out via email. Instead of a long-winded, text-rich newsletter, you can create video newsletters that will talk about what you are doing with your business.
If you usually put together newsletters that incorporate the whole team and all of the departments, then continue this with video bites of information instead. Have fun with it – not everything has to be serious!
Video Blogs
Written blogs are still huge right now, but vlogs are popular as well. Not everyone has time to sit and read blogs and some people don’t retain much information this way, either.
Vlogs are different. Vlogs are your way to appeal to a broader customer range, and you can put real passion into them. When you’re enthusiastic about a topic, it will come across on screen and be more memorable.
Video Email Signatures
If you want a new way to make your emails stand out, think about video integration. You can change the way that your customers and your clients see you because every time they scroll through an email sent by your company, your face is on it!
They’ll be able to click on the video embedded into your signature for a personal hello and introduction. It’s not quite the moving pictures that you’d seen in a Harry Potter movie, but it’s almost there!
Consider Investing in Video
Video is so much more than you think. It’s impactful even when it doesn’t go viral, it shows your customers what your business is truly all about, and it gives you the chance to stand out from the crowd.
When you choose video for your company, you are choosing regular face time with your customers and clients without needing to travel and get to every single one of them. Choose video integration today and see how it’ll work for your business!