Video marketing is at its most effective with high context cultures, like Asia. Of course other organisations are putting in substantial resources into this format, so the content needs to be useful.

The script is the most important aspect, guerrilla style production quality can add a charm to a great script. Sound quality is the next box to tick on your list. A lavalier microphone is a good option. I use a Rode microphone on a Sony A7 which does the trick for most applications. A voice over could be another way to tackle sound issues.

Of course this needs to fit within the paradigm and expectations of the target audience. Not forgetting your marketing strategy.

Wendy,

I used to use video marketing, however, the amount and effort required to produce, edit and publish a video made me stay away from video marketing for a while.

Hi,
I think there are a couple of issues here with video.
The first is once you have a video and upload to youtube I think you score 'brownee' point with Google SEO.
The second is the quality.That is, what do you need to achieve by the video. There is the Corporate branding, or showing customers you are a 'expert' in the field..I watch a number of business videos on youtube and I like the expert type that are normally shot with little equipment.
For Branding intro video's I have found www.fiverr.com very, very cheap and high quality.
For my own videos I just use my own video camera and the editing software that came with the camera. For product shots I use a 'Lazy Susan' and just spin the product around. Once you get the light right it is quite simple.

One last thing, if you create a video, watermark it as your competitors may use it. There are a number of free product out there that can watermark videos.
Regards
Peter

Hi Wendy,

After several unsuccessful attempts with a video camera (my calling was clearly not to be a cameraman!), I now use video in a different way to what was originally planned as a way to enhance our image as an important part of our overall marketing strategy.

I have two live on our website right now, like this one, though we don't use traditional video as I had originally intended. We now create our videos through Slide Rocket  as they are interactive and allow the viewer to for instance click hyperlinks that may be embedded throughout the video. You can add still images, slides, video, music and sounds to your video presentation to make it fit the theme of your business.

Once the presentation is complete, you can use it to send via email marketing, on a USB / CD for mail marketing, hyperlinks, embed within your website, or, as I have done in the past, download an offline version for use at presentations and seminars you host or present at.

This type of video in marketing is well worth the few hours spent per presentation.

Hi Wendy YouTube is the second biggest search engine after Google!  That's right, YouTube gets more searches performed than Bing and/or Yahoo Search.  From an SEO viewpoint, video is a good tool, but carefully crafted copy and a reasonably well produced video, it is great for conversion too. I have used video in all of my businesses, it converts well, is great for SEO and doesn't cost much when compared to some marketing methods. Just remember not to use intellectual property belonging to other people :).  There are plenty of free-to-use songs, videos and pictures out there. Also, people can always write some fantastic sales copy and get a trained voice actor to professionally record it on Fiverr.com for $5.  Then, get some free pictures, and edit it all on the free video editor on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/editor - There you go!  A professional sounding sales video for a few dollars and some of your time.  It may not be as glossy as a pro-made video, but great for budget conscious small business. Wayne

Hi Wendy

I got this video made for $20!  $10 for the voice-over based on a trademark registration article I wrote, and $10 for the whiteboard animation.

I cobbled it together using the YouTube video editor and it's done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWTND8t3238

​If anyone wants any more information on how to get cheap videos made that actually look good, just message me, I'll happily help.

Wayne

Video marketing has come so far in the last couple years. What used to be reserved for TV and Youtube is now ubiquitous across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Video marketing is somewhat the most human form of digital dialogue where we can all but touch one another (probably a good thing). It's only going to become more pervasive. Now, like all advertising and social media, it's simply matter of where your customers are, where to post your videos and whether you pay for ads. 

Having said that, video marketing doesn't work in isolation. To maximise reach and ultimately sales for your business, it must work cohesively with your overall marketing strategy. 

In response to your question, we don't as yet. We're considering how video plays a role on SavvySME. We've been approached over the years with suggestions for webinars on the site. Factors of video quality and expectations played into it but with everything that's transpired since COVID-19 and work from home arrangements, perhaps this is no longer a barrier.