Video marketing on a small business budget

In a few of my recent columns, I have suggested that small businesses should consider using video in their marketing strategies because more and more data in the marketing world are showing that this enhances sales and customer response.

But, I got a good question from a reader this week who said “get real, Dean, how can a small business afford to do this?” That is a good question, so let me expand a little.

In fact, I sought the help of Tyler Lessard, CMO of Vidyard. What a neat guy! He is the Chief Marketing Officer at a company that is a pioneer and leading global provider of Video Marketing and Video Analytics solutions for marketers, sales teams, and corporate learning. I was excited to hear him relate that he “also has the incredible opportunity to be a Space Camp Counsellor at their annual video marketing summit." I picked his brains on this topic through his article for “Target Marketing.”

Small business owners may not think they have the time, money or manpower to invest in video marketing, but it really is easier than many people think. While there are certainly multi-million-dollar video marketing campaigns out there, small business owners can and do see a big impact from much more modest investments in video marketing. In fact, most people already have everything they need to create and share video content without spending extra dollars.

Just like in Hollywood, your video marketing efforts should start on the page, rather than on camera. Before you start filming, you should have a clear idea of the end-goal for your video. Do you want to attract new customers, or encourage existing customers to come back more often? There are plenty of different types of videos you can make, but without a specific business goal as a benchmark, you run the risk of wasting time and effort, and of viewers asking: “What’s happening here?”

Dean Swanson is a volunteer SCORE Mentor and regional vice president for the northwest region.