If you’ve thought about marketing your small business with video, there are some important things to consider. Over the years we’ve created more than 100 videos for our in-room television channel. So we’ve learned a few things along the way. In this video, we share some of the secrets that have helped us create targeted marketing that works.

Why Should You Be Marketing Your Business with Video?

Video continues to strengthen its foothold as a powerful form of marketing for small businesses. If you aren’t marketing with video already, there are some pretty compelling statistics that indicate it’s time to get in the game.

• 92% of marketers consider video an important part of their strategy (Wyzowl)
• 88% experienced a positive ROI from their investment in video (Hubspot)
• Video has risen to the #1 form of media used in content marketing strategies (Hubspot)

How to Use Video to Advertise Your Business

Video is not a one-size-fits-all solution to marketing. Each video should have a platform for distribution (social media, youtube, tv), an objective and an intended audience. At Traverse Traveler we create videos that play on our visitor channel to introduce local small businesses to travelers staying in area hotels. We build our content to speak to that audience. Whether you’re creating video content for social media, for your website, your YouTube subscribers or for broadcast television, your videos need to be created with a plan in mind. We’re here to help you get started on the right foot.

6 Tips for Marketing Your Small Business with Video

After analyzing the video content that has been most successful on our television channel we determined they all had certain elements in common. These video marketing tips are the result of our research. Watch the video above to see examples of these tips in action.

1. Know your target audience

For video advertising to work, you have to know your target audience. What works on Facebook with people that know you, won’t work on TV with people who don’t. Our target audience are travelers. Some are visiting the area for the first time. We know certain things about them. To start with they want answers to the big W questions:
Who are you?
What products or services do you provide?
Where are you located?
Why should they spend their time or money with you?

2. Don’t assume anything

When marketing to travelers it’s important to avoid any assumptions. Remember, they aren’t from here. They don’t know their Right Brain from their Left Foot without some details. So make it clear and easy to do business with you. For instance, provide location information. Add a lower third or a voiceover with location references that make sense to your audience. Don’t use local shorthand that visitors can’t relate to. Regional references like Slabtown and Warehouse District aren’t going to show up when they ask Siri for directions. Crossroads, recognizable landmarks, and your street address are a much better way to direct traffic to your business.

3. Words speak volumes

We love beautiful drone footage, up-tempo music and smiling happy people. But you can’t rely on pretty pictures to replace call to action. This is advertising. When hotel guests are getting ready with the TV on in the background if you don’t have a script on your video you miss out on the opportunity to speak to them. And frankly, if music is all they hear they’re likely to tune it out entirely. A scripted video helps hit the highlights, reinforcing the images that tell the story. This can be done with an on-camera personality or voiceover.

4. Get the big picture

Don’t get so caught up in the details that you forget about the big picture. Close-up shots of products available for sale, mouth-watering food and drinks, customers laughing and having fun – all great examples of what your business has to offer. But as a prospective customer, I’m left wondering…how big is this place? What’s it look like from the road so I know when I get there? Is the dining room big enough for my family of 10? When you assume you’re speaking to someone who has never heard of you it’s important to include wide-angle shots, maybe a walk-through to give them a sense of space and place. Your location is part of the story. So paint a vivid picture, with details big and small.

5. Just one thing

After you address the big picture, narrow down just one thing you want the viewer to remember. Maybe it’s a signature dish, maybe it’s a staff member with a recognizable talent or a feature at your location that sets you apart. It’s not just a unique selling proposition. If that one thing is specific and uncommon it will stick in their brain after watching. And that’s what makes people go out of their way to find you.

6. The face of the place

There is just something about a face. We remember faces and tie them to places. Over the years we’ve learned the value of putting an owner or regular staff member on camera. They don’t have to speak – although it’s great when they do. A smiling server bringing food to the table. An owner greeting guests at the door. A winemaker giving a behind the scenes tour or sharing a tip. It’s the people that make the place. We connect with people, not products. We buy from people. And when we see faces we recognize we often let them know.

We hope these tips will help you create targeted marketing that works. If you’d like to use video to reach the traveler market we’d love to help. For information on advertising with the Traverse Traveler visitor channel please contact us and let us know more about your business. To see more examples of our videos subscribe to our Traverse Traveler YouTube channel.