4 Ways to Make Video Part of Your Small Business Marketing Mix
It really can’t be over exaggerated: video is THE most shared form of content on the internet. By 2018, it will account for nearly 80% of all worldwide consumer internet traffic. But it still baffles many small business owners. How do you use video? Can you really reach customers that way? And does it make a difference in sales? Incorporating video into your marketing is actually a lot easier than it sounds. And statistics show it works. Here are 4 ways to make video work for you. Post it on Your Website Websites are like digital storefronts. You spend a lot of time and effort creating curb appeal, getting customers to find you, come in and spend some time browsing. Ultimately, you want them to make a purchase. To create this digital sales cycle, you want to boost your search engine optimization, or SEO. A lot of elements go into how a website ranks in search engine results, from the average time spent on the site to the number of pages viewed. And nothing steps up to the plate to help like video. Adding a video to a landing page makes it 53% more likely to appear on the first page of Google search results. Probably because Google ranks websites with video content five times higher than websites without. That’s a big boost. Then when you have videos on your website, visitors will spend more than twice as long browsing the site, which is also good for SEO. And putting a video on a landing page not only helps SEO, it increases conversions by 80%. Create a YouTube Account Love it or hate it, YouTube is an essential part of our digital world now. It’s the second most used online search engine (after Google, of course). One third of all Internet users have a YouTube account, though you don’t need an account to watch videos, and over 50% of people watch at least one online video each day. That is a huge audience, both locally and globally. And those are customers, clients, patients and partners you could be reaching. Once you consider that YouTube is owned by Google, the connection between video and SEO becomes a little more clear. You can also use keywords, links and other SEO best practices in your YouTube video description that will drive more traffic to your website. Share it on Social Media If social media plays any role in your smal business marketing plan, your plan should also include video. Social video generates 1,200% more shares than simple text or image posts combined. People love to watch and share videos, making it a great, organic way for current customers and followers to help introduce you to new followers. There are also more traditional marketing strategies you can employ through social media, like Facebook boosted posts and ads. And as you might suspect, video ads do better than ads with only text, images and links. Send it in an Email Once you have a video embedded on your website or posted on your YouTube account, you have to tell people it’s there. Social media is a good way to spread the word, but not everyone is on social media. Everyone has an email address. Even if you don’t send out digital newsletters (by the way, you should, but that’s a different blog post), you can send the video link in an email. Just including the word “video” in your email subject line will get 19% more of your audience to open the email. Then putting a video in the email can boost your click-through rate by up to 300%. Software programs like MailChimp and Constant Contact track these open and click-through rates, so it’s simple to compare the results of a non-video email to the results of a video email. With online tracking methods, it’s pretty easy to see the results and ROI of video. You know what you spent to produce and distribute the video(s), and you can track your increase in traffic, followers and sales after adding video to your marketing mix. There’s no denying the audience is there and waiting for it, so get your business out there and be seen!
Video Marketing for Small Business
Sources: AdWeek, Cisco, Forrester, HubSpot, Insivia, Invodo and YouTube
Alpha Dog Running & Drinking Club – September Fun Run
RUN LIKE YOU STOLE IT! Or like there’s booze at the end… because there is. The Alpha Dog Running & Drinking Club is a fun run that brings together the community, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Our inaugural run on September 23 features d’Vine Gourmet and Arizona Helping Hands. ROUTE The 3-mile loop will start and end at d’Vine Gourmet (Alma School Road and Chandler Heights Road). If you’re feeling good, make it two loops. If you want to walk or quality check the wine, turn around at the 1-mile mark. Miles and turns will be clearly marked. We expect runners and walkers of ALL speeds. Strollers and dogs are welcome, too (if it’s not too hot). Of course dogs will be asked to stay outside the shop. After the run, d’Vine will host a private wine and beer tasting for us. So yes, there is booze at the end! And juice boxes for youngsters. Everyone who participates will be entered into a raffle for prizes from d’Vine and Alpha Chiropractic. Those who bring a donation will be entered into an additional raffle for more d’Vine prizes. We’ll also have discount codes for the Gilbert Marathon and will give away a race entry. And the best part – it’s all FREE! SCHEDULE 5:30-6pm Check in, drop off Arizona Helping Hands donation 6pm Run! 6:45pm Raffle 6:45-7:30pm Wine and Beer Tasting *We ask that everyone returns to the store by 6:45pm. If you want to get in a longer run, please let us know and plan to leave a little earlier than the 6pm start. ARIZONA HELPING HANDS Our nonprofit partner is Arizona Helping Hands, an organization that assists foster families and children. In addition to toy and school supply drives, this amazing organization supplies cribs, beds and basic needs to thousands of boys and girls – the ONLY organization in Arizona to do so. Alpha Chiropractic and Videre Creative Services are hosting a baby supply donation drive for Arizona Helping Hands that will officially kick off at this fun run. We encourage you to bring an item from the supply list below, or make a monetary donation if you can. Did you know that Arizona offers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit – up to $1,000 – for monetary donations to Certified Foster Care Charities? Arizona Helping Hands is on that approved list! Bring your donations to the run or drop them off at the Alpha Chiropractic office any time through October 31. Monetary donations should be in the form of a check made out to Arizona Helping Hands or through our online donation site – more info to come. Receipts are available for all donations. NEEDED BABY SUPPLIES: Diapers and wipes (any size) Tearless shampoo/body wash Baby powder Diaper rash treatment Baby lotion Brush and comb Baby washcloths Hand sanitizer Toys for newborns – 4 years old This event is hosted by Alpha Chiropractic & Physical Therapy and Videre Creative Services.
