In today’s article I want to talk about using video to grow your business and your brand, and how that will make all of your marketing more effective. This is part one in my new video series. Today you will learn why you need to be using video, how easy it is to maximize this strategy, and the big payoff for you and your brand.
It’s no secret that most entrepreneurs don’t have the marketing dollars to spend like big corporations do. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that it doesn’t matter. As a small business owner, using video to grow your business and your brand is a no brainer. It's quick, it's easy and it's free.
Using Video to Grow Your Business and Your Brand. So Why Video?
If you spend time here on the blog, you know that I'm a podcaster. I love doing podcasts. But I also do video, and here's why.
You probably know that Google (the biggest search engine on the planet) owns YouTube. What that means to you is whenever you make a video and put it up on YouTube, Google will show some love by showing your video content before written content in most cases. Google loves video.
When you create video for your business, it sets you apart from your competition. Most of those folks you call your competitors simply won’t use this strategy over the long term. Sure, they may make a few videos here and there, but they won’t stick with it.
As they say, the money is in the follow up.
Following up your first video with just one video a week is all you need to do. That’s the magic formula. In one year you will have 52 videos, and in 2 years you will have more than 100 videos on your YouTube channel. Getting to 100 (and beyond) should be your goal. If you get really ambitious, you can easily average 2 or more videos week. Here's what I like to do; I like to batch my videos and make a bunch at one time. I feel like it's easier after the first few. I will have some tips for making these short videos in a later article.
Just remember, you only need to make one video a week and put it up on YouTube to start seeing a difference when it comes to your brand. Does this happen over-night? No it doesn’t. But it starts to come together much faster than you might think. Using video to grow your business and your brand is one of the simplest yet most powerful thing that you can do.
What’s In It for You?
Your videos show the world your expertise. and they showcase your unique brand. People will begin to think they know you which makes it easier for them to do business with you. If you are just in the beginning stages of creating your brand, then you need to understand this: video is one of the fastest ways on the planet to get known for what you do.
Your videos will do such a good job of branding you, the motivated sellers you’re trying so hard to attract with your marketing, will see you as the “real deal”. You will get a chance to make a great first impression before they ever pick up the phone to call you. It doesn’t matter that your video isn’t saying, “Sell me your house”. The business you get will come indirectly from being seen as an industry expert, and that’s all about your brand.
Once someone gets your marketing piece whether that is a postcard or a letter, the next step they take is to check you out online. What does someone see when they Google your name? Chances are the answer is not much of anything now, but you can change all of that with your video branding strategy.
You Don’t Need any Fancy Equipment
One thing that is great about creating video content is you don’t need any fancy equipment. Creating videos that people want to watch can be a simple as pulling out your smart phone and having a microphone that you clip on your lapel. Your phone works great especially for Facebook live. I like to use my computer to make videos. Since the camera in my laptop isn't the best, I use a Logitech HD Pro C920 camera that that clips right onto my laptop. It costs about $70, and it is a great little camera with a pretty good dual mic built in.
When it comes to mics, don’t make the mistake of thinking your smart phone is going to record audio that is good enough for content creation on YouTube or other platforms. In most cases, your phone will be too far away for good sound quality.
You can pick up a Lavalier Lapel Mic on Amazon for under $15.00, and it will make a huge difference in your sound. You can also spring for a Bluetooth lapel mic, but that will cost you a little more. Either one works just fine.
Be sure to get one with a long cord so you can put some distance between you and the camera. It’s truth time here folks: no one wants to see someone’s big face on the whole screen so back up a few feet from the camera for better video.
What’s coming up in this Video Series?
In this series on “Using Video to Grow Your Business and Your Brand to Make Your Marketing More Effective”, here are some things we’re going to cover:
- Why using video is so effective to build your business and your brand
- What types of videos real estate investors should make
- Why “how to videos” are some of the best types of videos
- Specific types of videos for rehabbers and landlords
- How to make videos to help you sell your house for more money
- Why your videos need to “live” on YouTube
- How to repurpose a long video
- Why it’s so important to share your videos on social media
- And so much more
Let me know. Are you using video in your business now?
Part 2
Here is part 2 of this series on using video to grow your brand, your business and your bottom line. Why Video?
So stay tuned for more great info on simple ways you can use video to grow your business and your brand.
If you want to schedule a 1 on 1 call with me to talk about specific strategies for building your brand and creating more effective marketing for your business, you can do that here by clicking this link.
Have you gotten your freebies and subscribed to the blog? If not be sure to do that today so you don’t miss any of the business building tips I have coming your way. I want this year to be your best year ever!
Thanks for letting me know Dianna, and thanks for stopping by.
Absolutely Jenny. Thanks for stopping by.
This article is very helpful. Best advice on growing your brand the cost-efficient way! Another thing to consider is keyword tags when you’re uploading it to your Youtube channel for SEO purposes.
Awesome, awesome article! I especially appreciated the product recommendations with pricing; it makes taking the next step all that much easier! I look forward to the next in the series.