Big changes have taken place over the years in the way we do business. We now live in both an offline and online world and business can play a major part in both. For a small business the benefits have never been so strong. There is a lot of scope for small business internet marketing.
Any business needs to be aware that online video is important to getting sales and increasing profitability. You should certainly aim for a small business internet marketing presence to increase sales.
Keep in mind these statistics
- Today YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine
- There has been a huge increase in online video content
- Online video accounts for more than 60% of all internet traffic
- 26 billion online videos are viewed each month in the USA
Today people use the internet in a variety of ways. We can now view online video content on iPad’s, blackberry phones, iPhones, Android phones, tablet computers, etc. Not only that, but Wi-Fi connections are increasingly popular, allowing us to access content in public places.
Something to be aware of when doing small business internet marketing is that there are 4 times as many mobile device users as there are internet users. Also 33% of phones make use of high speed data services.
You can see how things have moved on over the years just by these statistics alone. We now do business in different ways and really you need to hang out where your customers are likely to be.
Historically in order to promote yourself you would have to create a costly TV commercial. Possibly take out a yellow pages advert or create a radio spot. There are now more possibilities and small business internet local marketing can make an impact. You really should be looking at this right now.
Are you thinking people are not looking for your business or product? Well think again because there are so many ways now that they can find you if only you put yourself out there.
For example, social media is now very popular. Think Facebook and the millions of worldwide users it has. There is also YouTube, MySpace etc. As part of small business internet marketing, some make use of Twitter to get their message out there.
Why web video will benefit your local business
Increase your customer base
Who really likes to read long sales page text when they can watch a shorter video which conveys the same message? Video enables you to attract a bigger audience.
Easy access to content
With so many portable devices in use today, it is now possible to watch video anywhere. You really need your product in video form, so that people can watch.
Connect with your potential customers
A text based sales page cannot compete with a video sales page. If you create a video as part of your small business internet marketing strategy, you could add photos to create even more impact. Because people have grown up with television they are used to visual formats. It makes sense that they will also love video content.
Keep ahead of the competitors
If you have a plumbing business for example and your website contains a lot of text sales pages then someone who has online video on their page is going to get ahead of you. Their site will be found in Google, but so will their videos also.
You are losing business to your competitor. This would be the site that has the small business internet marketing focus also.
Get your video in the search engine rankings
Google now shows video as part of their search results. Someone can type in say ‘cars’ and text web pages as well as YouTube videos will be returned. Why don’t you get your own videos in the search results and see how this can benefit your sales.
The viral effect
Today it is possible to share any online content you like. If someone likes your video then they can click a button and share it with friends. This means your video content goes viral.
The more people that see it, the more people will visit your website. This means more profit for your business of course. This is how you should be doing small business internet marketing as it will give tremendous exposure for your business.
Don’t keep on losing sales by using out-dated marketing methods. Things have now moved on and you need to keep pace.
Video content to use
You won’t be short of ideas.
Here are some to get you started:
- How to videos
- Useful hints and tips
- Describe your company
- Describe your product and create a review
- Convert the sales pages into video sales pages
- Convert articles into video content
Let’s look at one of those ideas. How would a video sales page impact your business? People are visual in nature, due in part to having grown up with television and movies. We are far more receptive to seeing and hearing things.
You want to have your product where people are able to locate it and probably your best bet for this is small business internet marketing. How you actually do this is by using web video content in your marketing.
When faced with a long piece of text to read, in the form of a sales page, we tend to not read all the way through. We like to digest just the best bits and the most important element of all will be the price.
On the other hand, a video of someone talking about a product or service is going to strike a chord with us. If you load your video onto YouTube there is a chance it could become quite popular if people like the content. If this happens you could expect more people to come and visit your website.
Conclusion
Online video as part of small business internet marketing is going to pay dividends for your business and product. It is time to make web video part of your marketing strategy.