These are challenging times for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Many businesses have had to lay people off, close entirely, or begin to work remotely. Like you, we are facing challenges too.
When times get tough, business owners look at their budget and think their marketing expenses are expendable. Marketing is often the first to go. I say this from first-hand experience. Last week was a challenging week here at The Friedman Group.
Business Leaders Must Lead
We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Much of the world is under shelter-in-place orders. There is uncertainty on so many levels that people are just frozen in place, not knowing what to do first. But, business owners must take action. Business owners are leaders and must lead.
The current situation we find ourselves in will end one day. I don't know if that will be one day soon or one day way down the road. But, I do know it will end. And, I know that we want our businesses to come out on the other side of this as strong as ever. So, don't throw marketing to the side during these difficult times.
Take stock in what you are doing. Change things that aren't working for you. Change your messaging to meet the current circumstances. Seel less. Engage more. Be empathetic. Be helpful. Be a good listener. Do what you can to stay top-of-mind without selling all the time and you'll come out of this stronger than ever.
Market With Video Now!
Now is the time to create videos. You've likely got the time on your hands. Take advantage of it. I'm talking about short 1-3 minute videos that tell people about you and your business. Let people in. Let people get to know you and get to know what you do. This works whether you have a product or a service
Not a lot of people take advantage of video marketing, but they should. You can put videos on your website, in a blog post and social media pages. You can also upload them to YouTube.
The advantage of a Channel Trailer that starts playing immediately when the viewer comes to your YouTube Channel is that it's eye-catching. Most people stop to view at least a few seconds of a video and might continue to watch the rest if it's relevant to them.
YouTube Video Ideas
When you think of marketing videos, the first thing that comes to mind is a TV advertisement. And yes, you can definitely make a marketing video in the format of a TV advertisement. But there are so many other types of videos you can make. Especially now. Here are some ideas:
- You can do a little storytelling by sharing the experiences of clients who were happy with your services.
- You can also do short, informative videos dealing with different aspects of your product or service.
- You can do short profiles of your employees.
- You can address the FAQs clients, customers or prospects.
- You can also address any “hot topics” that are getting a lot of press in your industry.
Once your videos are made, they need to be edited and then marketed. Get them on your website, your social pages, and your YouTube Channel. You may even write blog posts that include your videos to get more views. If it's a longer video, think about taking shorter clips from it and using those clips to promote the longer video. This tactic works well on Instagram, for example.
The Bottom line is this. It doesn't matter what you do. Regardless of the industry, you are in. Whether you sell products or services, you need to be marketing with video. There's just no way around it.
One Last Thing
One last thing. I've been telling all this to one of my clients since last September. He hasn't made one video in the past six months. I've even written scripts for him. And, to make matters worse, his wife is a video editor. So, she has the equipment and the expertise to make video magic if he would just sit down in front of the camera for 1-3 minutes. He has given me every excuse you have thought of yourself. So, if you are like my client, hire someone to be in your video. Or, get one of your employees to be in your video. Though it would be best to have the business owner be the voice of the business. It would be better to have videos on your website, YouTube channel and social pages.
For more information about video marketing for your business, call 720.248.8185 or click here to schedule a free marketing consultation.
Please note: Our marketing consulting company is in Denver, and we work with professional services providers and businesses (of all sizes) throughout the U.S. Brad Friedman has more than 30 years experience in marketing and 16 years experience as a practicing attorney.
