Small business owners have the world on their shoulders – such is the life of an SME proprietor. All the statistics say you’re doomed to fail, insolvency numbers are unbearable to read about, and every other competitor seems to be struggling under the weight of the latest economic catastrophe.
With all that in mind it is probably unthinkable to consider adding video marketing to your list of things to do. Why would anybody add another thing to the endless list of surviving as an SME in today’s business climate?
The answer is that it is a little extra work for you, but the benefits are vast. You may be hesitant to use video marketing because you are worried about the cost, the time involved, the complexity of it – and you might not really understand the point of it.
What you should know is that video marketing can be affordable, it can be done quite simply, and it often doesn’t need much time investment once the content has been put out. Additionally, and most importantly, video content marketing for SMEs is HUGELY beneficial. If you’re not convinced, consider the following benefits of video marketing content for SMEs:
A Way to Say Hey
As a small brand you do not have the brand awareness of much bigger brands, or the money to have that kind of global branding. Video content is a way to tell your story with much less of a budget. Videos are perfect for storytelling, in fact. You can add images, a voice over recording, subtitles, background footage – whatever you want. You can show your customers who you really are, what you stand for and what your brand is about. Additionally, as videos are very shareable, the customers who see your video content are more likely to share your message if it is in video form, compared to written or photo content.
A really good example of a great SME brand boosting video is one that talks about what inspired a product. Maybe you sell a vegan shampoo for scalp issues. Maybe it was because you suffered from scalp issues yourself and wanted a gentle, eco-friendly, animal friendly product to help, rather than choosing chemicals that could make it worse, and that are bad for the planet.
This background story of how your shampoo came to be, with human voices and imagery (and not just text on a screen) is emotive and brings customers into your world.
If you need to see evidence of this kind of effect happening, just watch pretty much any episode of Shark Tank or Dragons Den and there is always someone with a strong background story talking about their product. Watch the emotional journey the sharks/ dragons go on and you’ll see how as an SME you can have the same impact on your customers with a good marketing video.
Social Proofing
Social proofing is a way to use other people’s opinions and perspectives on our products or company in order to get other people to trust what we have on offer. A great example is with product reviews. 88% of consumers trust user reviews as much as personal recommendations, and over 80% of consumers ask friends and family for recommendations before they make a purchase. Videos of social proofing might include influencer marketing, spoken reviews, brands you are working with recommending your services or product – it is basically a way to say ‘hey, these guys have good things to say about us, listen up so you know you can trust us too’.
SME Product Videos
Your products are not as well-known as others, and if you have a new product that has never been seen before, video content marketing can help you explain it to customers. Using a voice over recording, some nice images and a display of the product, you can explain the product or service in your video and help people connect more with it (and hopefully want to buy it).
Want to expand into new countries? You can hire an Italian voice over expert to do a voiceover on the product videos so that it can be introduced overseas without you needing to make a new video. Your Italian voice over (or relevant language voice over) is the perfect way to utilise expensive high-quality content in multiple ways, adding more reach to your video content marketing budget, hopefully helping your products become a smash hit in new countries.
Industry Leader Content
SMEs are not in a position to gain customers or clients through a position of authority in their industry. That comes with growth, and it is something you can do with educational videos and informative videos that appeal to those who are within your industry. This is also a great way to gain audience loyalty because you are putting out content that is not a ‘sales pitch’ and that actively helps your audience without you asking for anything back.
It’s nothing to be sniffed at when as an SME customer loyalty is incredibly important. You don’t just want new customers – you want loyal customers who come back and choose you first next time they make a purchase.
Social Media Content
Social media presence is important for SMEs and is a vital source of affordable marketing. Social media users want video content, and so, giving small behind the scenes videos, or, cute product display videos, is a great way to engage your social media audience and gain new followers who will hopefully embrace your brand and make a purchase, too.
Why Not Make a Video Plan Today?
The above points of information really are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of marketing content videos for SMEs.
Why not make a video plan today and give it a try? You can tap into a bigger audience, better brand loyalty, brand awareness and hopefully boost those all-important sales.
For the best finish, talk to a leading voice over company to complete your video and give it the emotion, professional touch and quality you want customers to associate with your brand.
Helen has had a varied career in PR and Marketing with responsibility for the marketing department of several SMEs and experience in international organisations. She has developed new marketing strategies with a particular focus on understanding and exploiting multi-lingual campaigns. She speaks Italian, French and her native English and is a contributor to the Matinée Multilingual Blog.
