So What’s My Point?
For small business owners, YouTube has changed the way we reach out to our potential clients. It’s easier, faster, more direct and better than any other video advertising that’s been open to smaller companies in the past.
With YouTube, you don’t need thousands of dollars to purchase valuable airtime on your local TV station.
Plus, new video editing technology means that you don’t need to have a huge film crew and production staff to produce your ads.
In fact, you don’t need ads at all. Depending on what you do and sell, you can drive a lot of traffic to your website and clients to your business with how-to videos and product reviews.
Revzilla is a great example of how doing something simple like a product review can help you build a successful retail business.
They’ve definitely improved their production quality over time, but the premise is still very simple – offer free online reviews, then sell what you review. It’s something that even smaller business owners can achieve with a smart plan and a small crew.
You Want In?
Getting set up is simple. YouTube is free and connected to Google, so if you already have a Gmail address, you’re halfway there.
Now for the video. As with any smart marketing, you need a plan and a goal. What do you want the video to achieve (outside of bringing in clients)? Here are a few things to consider:
- Can you sell your product better when people actually see it work? Use your video to show it off. A sharp, concise how-to video is your personalized infomercial and a great intro to a new product.
- Setting up a service in a crowded market? Differentiate yourself with a video that reflects your brand. Funny, witty, funky, serious, professional. You can get across a lot of personality and really speak to your clients in a short, simple intro video.
- Established business trying to get a bit more exposure? With a good production company, you can easily put together a short, sharp commercial for a new product or service. Takes a bit more budget and planning, but still within reach of many businesses.
Speaking of Budgets…
Yes, YouTube is free, and if you plan on only putting the video on your website and out on other social media, then the only cost will be for production.
DIY for some applications is still totally acceptable. Just make sure you’ve got a good camera guy, a good mic and don’t forget to edit out the awkward bits! Here’s a how-to video that does a decent job of it with very little.
If you want to increase your exposure even more, YouTube advertising is a great option. You can set your budget, keywords and length of ad, target your demographic and get in depth data on conversions, visitors and your cost for client acquisition.
Setting up a good YouTube campaign can benefit from some professional advice. Even though it might add to the total cost, if you end up with more conversions, in the end it’s worth it, right?
Even if you hire a production company like Stealth to create and produce your video, the cost to enter the video market-sphere with YouTube is a fraction of the cost of regular television advertising.
Excited Yet?
Face it – you’re intrigued. You may have thought that video ads were way out of your budget. But video doesn’t have to be tough. Or expensive. Or intimidating.
You just need a plan and a goal.
If you’ve got questions, we might just have the answers. Get in touch or check out our portfolio.
