The previous 12 months marked quite the year for online marketing with one of the biggest trends being the use of video marketing.

In fact, the company Hubspot called 2015 the year of video marketing. People use their free time to just pull out their phone or tablet and watch a video.

According to Groupon in 2014, 78 percent of people watch videos online every single week. Of those, 55 percent watch a video online daily. According to the Merchant Marketing Group, online video now accounts for 50 percent of all mobile traffic.

This number is expected to grow in the coming years. Is your company marketing to the masses of people who are watching online video? With the popularity of Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube and the video capabilities they provide, it is easier than ever to distribute your content online.

When marketing with video, it is important to know that quality does matter and that it is not necessary to push a sales pitch. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about videos you can make to reach your customers.

Introduce your staff

Set yourself apart from other companies by having your staff make a short biography about themselves online. In their own words, have them describe themselves, what they do at the company and how they can assist customers.

Let them also describe why they love their job and working at your company. This helps describe the company culture and why customers should do business with you.  

Frequently asked questions

How many times have you answered the same question on the phone about one of your products or services? I once heard a business owner tell me that if some of his customers would just read his frequently asked questions on his website, he would have more time to sell to his customers.

Is it possible the questions and answers you wrote on your website are not clear? Take video of you or one of your employees answering frequently asked questions and demonstrating the answers. Some people process information easier by watching and listening than just reading a website. 

Instructions

Have you ever bought something that needed assembly, took everything out of the box and realized you did not understand the directions that were given to you? The directions say everything is there, but nothing looks the same as in the drawings.

Make a video of someone in your business putting together your products. They can show people what the pieces look like and how to put it together. If your customer gets confused, they can pause the video, and rewind to watch individual parts again.

With so many videos being posted online every single day, it is not enough to just post content, but you need to make it interesting and unique. Learning how to stand out among your competition will help you gain more customers.

It is more important than ever before to keep learning new techniques and trying new ideas to give you the edge in a crowded market place. Attending classes such as our Digital Marketing Bootcamp will help you stand out. For more information on this class or others from the University of Georgia SBDC, please go to our website at www.savannahsbdc.org. 

Kyle Hensel is the area director of the University of Georgia SBDC in Savannah. He can be reached at 912-651-3200 or [email protected].