Business owners in many industries never consider video as part of their marketing mix. They think the topics they would cover may be too boring, video production is too costly, or nobody would watch them.

If this is the case with you, you’re missing out.

This guide explains what video marketing is, its benefits, and how to use it to promote your business effectively.

Video Marketing: The Basics

Video marketing is about leveraging videos to educate, entertain, and engage the business’s target audience.

Video marketing goes well beyond the TikTok content shared by fashion and entertainment influencers. They can be a core part of all aspects of marketing across a range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and media.

Why Video in Marketing?

Video can serve many marketing purposes and deliver significant benefits.

Meet People Where They Are

Many people are less likely to read these days, especially younger ones. Their primary source of entertainment and information is video. Video is also “stickier” than written text, and most people don’t have time to dive into articles. It’s critical for your business to meet prospective customers where they are, including videos on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms.

Demonstrate Expertise

Video can be a great way to educate current clients and prospects and establish you as an expert in your field. For instance, medical practices can use videos to explain complex procedures, helping build trust with patients.

Increase Engagement

It’s said that pictures are worth a thousand words. By that logic, videos are worth exponentially more.

When you explain something through video, it engages people’s visual and auditory senses and evokes emotions. It makes them more likely to trust and empathize with you. Plus, when a video is meaningful and resonates with viewers, people often share it, extending your marketing reach to additional prospects and future clients. Plus, people are more likely to view videos shared by people they know than those distributed by companies.

Boost SEO and Website Rankings

A video on a website page typically improves that page’s quality according to Google’s algorithm because it views the content as deeper, richer, and more accessible to a range of people. It can also increase visitors’ time on page, a positive sign of engagement to Google and other search engines. This results in higher ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) and a greater likelihood of being included in artificial-intelligence-generated summaries.

Using Video to Your Advantage

Here are some things to consider when incorporating videos into your marketing mix.

Understand the Pain Points Your Products and Services Solve

People seek out new businesses for many reasons, whether it’s dealing with a current crisis, seeking a novel alternative to something they already use, or looking to improve their current condition. You need to understand what these pain points are and be able to explain how your products and services solve them.

Only then can you start to consider producing videos.

Determine the Topics

Once you understand how your solutions serve the needs of the people you are targeting, you can determine the topics of your videos. People typically prefer short videos, less than 60 seconds, if possible. That means you should develop a series of topics that connect consumers to your solutions. For instance, if you manufacture products, you may need an explainer about what you make, an interview video to introduce your team, a video on what makes your business unique, and one that explains how to secure the products you manufacture.

Batch Your Video Production

Developing videos one-off can be costly and time consuming. It typically makes sense to bundle video production, especially if you outsource the work. When you select topics, see if you can find ways to develop several topical video at the same time.

Write Scripts

Don’t make the common mistake of winging it when recording a video. Be sure you have a written script that tells a compelling story. If you’re not sure, run your scripts past representative people you are targeting and see if they resonate with them. If not, keep trying until you get it right. Or seek help from experienced video developers and producers, like us. At GoEpps, we create a lot of video (including promotional material, explainers, and podcasts) for businesses throughout Middle Tennessee, and it helps our clients get their story up front in a good format.

Use Appealing Spokespeople

Not everyone does great in videos. Many come across as stiff, stilted, or not particularly engaging. If that is the case with you, select one or more spokespeople to represent your company in videos. They could be someone who is a part of your company, a respected industry expert, or a professional actor.

Just make sure whoever you use can deliver the information you need convincingly. This is especially true for complex industries like healthcare, where you need someone who can help build patient trust.

Add Visual Aids

People quickly get bored by talking heads. And some concepts are too complex to explain with words alone. That’s why it’s a good idea to add visuals to your videos. Animations, images, and diagrams are great for presenting complex ideas clearly. If you don’t have graphic design expertise in your organization, GoEpps can help.

Invest in Professional Equipment and Software

People are exposed to a lot of video today, making them less likely to watch poorly produced content. Purchase some basic lighting equipment and microphones to make your videos look and sound better (good audio is key and far more important than quality visuals). Download some professional editing software to make your storytelling smoother and more compelling. You don’t need to spend too much on making your videos look good. Equipment and software can be found online for reasonable prices. Some popular editing packages include Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple iMovie, DaVinci Resolve, and Wondershare.

Keep Things Short

The human attention span is notoriously short. You only have a few seconds to gain people’s attention, so an impressive hook at the top of your video is a must. Then you should end your videos quickly to maintain engagement. You’re better off having viewers want to watch more videos than having them lose interest in a single one. Or it can be smart to link to additional blog content that provides additional information after watching a video.

For instance, if you want to share information about a medical procedure, use a 45-second video to introduce the topic (reveal the pain point quickly), summarize it with a few key points, then include a URL viewers can click for more information on topics like recovery and follow-up care.

Distribute Through Multiple Channels

You don’t have to restrict your videos to your website (though having video on your website is great). Instead of hoping people find them there, you can push them out via:

Email
YouTube (and YouTube Shorts)
Instagram and Facebook Reels
TikTok
LinkedIn
Webinars

In short, videos can be useful for both push and pull marketing.

Do Your Due Diligence

If you decide to outsource video development, make sure you get prices from several sources, along with detailed proposals including all services provided. Review carefully to ensure you get the help you need at the fairest possible cost.

Video production costs can range from $3,000 to $10,000 for basic corporate or testimonial projects, and can scale up to $50,000 to $100,000+ for high-end commercials and brand films. Freelance videographers typically charge day rates of $600 to $1,200 plus $60 to $90 per hour for editing.