We’re going to be real with you... video marketing is a big deal - especially over the next few years as everyone is in a frenzy to create video content. It’s engaging, it stands the test of time, and it works on a variety of digital platforms.

Plus, video marketing helps you leverage the traffic of 70 million Americans who watch video on a daily basis. Did you know that YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world, just behind you guessed it, Google? What we focus on at Bucks County Video, is maximizing your marketing dollars. Interesting videos marketed properly can bring huge results. For great marketing videos, you need to start with a storyboard, even if its just a picture in your mind. You have to consider that 80% of all web traffic next year is expected to be in video format. So putting all that to the forefront of your mind, read below for the 5 essential marketing ideas for small business:

"For great marketing videos, you need to start with an idea or even just a storyboard in your mind."

Online videos provide a wealth of knowledge for people all over the world trying to learn new things. Do some research on your industry and see how the best media producers are creating content. Once you get a gist of whats going on, you then will have a clearer idea of what kind of content to make and more importantly, why.

1. Do Your Keyword Research

If you’re struggling to get your video production started, keyword research can be a great tool to use. Search through both Youtube & Google to find the most-searched keywords and phrases within your industry. As you research develops, consider "long-tail" keywords that aren’t as competitive so you’ll have a greater chance of ranking on search engines and social media.

2. Talking-Head Videos

Many companies refrain from video marketing because they think it’s too expensive. However, film and animation technology has finally become affordable for the masses. Even the camera in your pocket has more resolution than the camera NASA sent to the moon just a few decades ago. Talking-head videos can be as simple as a phone recording of one of your employees explaining your business in digestible video clips. One of the largest mistakes we all make as business owners, is not using our resources to their fullest potential. You don’t have to be the main subject of your video. Consider bringing in professionals in your field for quick, relavant videos to educate your audience and future potential customers.

3. Go Live

If you’re using live video yet, now’s the time. On some platforms, doing a live video sends a notification to everyone online that your video is starting. With Facebook Live and live Instagram videos, you could start with something short such as, “good morning everyone”  to get comfortable the technology and your audience.

4. Do a Demo

How-to videos are among the most popular on the internet for good reason. There are some things you can’t learn as easily from a written explanation. Think about your niche and what your customers might want to learn. The key is speaking to your specific audience. For that hypothetical hair product retailer, a video to demonstrate hair curling techniques might play nicely when selling to average citizens, but if the company’s a wholesaler whose customers are hair salons, that’s information they already know.

5. Create a Series

Instead of focusing on a new topic every time, why not start a series? Having a series of videos on related topics can make it easier to generate ideas in the future. It also helps build a following because viewers who get hooked by the series are more likely to follow your other marketing endeavors. Returning to our hair products company, a series like “Updo of the Week” might bring viewers back to learn new techniques.

6. Take a Content Marketing Approach

As you create videos, try to maintain a content marketing approach. In other words, your goal should be to inform viewers, not advertise to them. You don’t want them getting fed up and tuning out. The exceptions to this are videos on product pages. The main purposes for those videos are to show a product’s features or demonstrate how to use it. Even for those videos, though, think about what will genuinely help your customers rather than “here’s why this is so great.”