7 Easy yet Creative Video Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

In today’s digital era, the competition for target customers’ attention is constantly on the rise. Most markets would rather watch an informative video about your business than scroll down a long page of text. More and more marketers and businesses are turning towards videos to make the most of their customers’ attention spans, build a solid connection,  and leave a lasting impression on their brands. 

A 2023 survey regarding the state of video marketing states that 96% of marketers say that video marketing has not just increased people’s understanding of their products but also helped them increase their brand awareness. 

But with the abundance of content already available online, it now becomes crucial to develop videos that actually stand out. So how can you create them with minimal resources and beat that competition? 

With a solid video marketing strategy of course! We have compiled a list of 7 small business video marketing ideas that can not only help you establish trust with your target audience but also elaborate on the uniqueness of your brand. 

Let’s get started!

• Use explainer videos to introduce your brand
• Share video testimonials to provide social proof
• Leverage educational videos to build authority
• Invest in video ads to reach new audiences
• Tell your brand story using video storytelling
• Leverage various social media video formats
• Use humor in your videos to drive engagement

1. Create explainer videos to introduce your products and services

Explainer videos are short yet engaging videos designed to explain a concept, product, or service in an easily understandable manner. They often use a combination of visuals, animations, narration, and text to deliver information effectively.

One of the best examples is perhaps the explainer video from Dropbox — the popular file-sharing service. It’s now a tech giant with over 700 million users worldwide. That wasn’t always the case. When Dropbox launched in 2007, it knew that it had an amazing product. However, it did not know how to reach its audience.

As prevalent then, it turned to Google Ads. However, they soon realized that they were spending hundreds of dollars to acquire each customer. That’s when they decided to switch to a new strategy. Dropbox created an explainer video that was placed on their website homepage. It was viewed thousands of times per day. Owing to this, it earned millions of users in just a few years.

What you can do:

• Promote demo videos explaining how your product or service works and what problems they can solve. 
• Shoot an on-the-fly live Q&A that can help your customers make the most of your products or services.

2. Share video testimonials to provide social proof

When it comes to making purchasing decisions, people trust each other more than brands. This is exactly why you must add video testimonials to your internet marketing strategy.

Video testimonials typically feature customers expressing their satisfaction, sharing their positive experiences, and endorsing a product, service, or brand. Such videos add a personal touch and enhance your credibility. 

Videos have the power to evoke emotions better than text or images alone. 

A compelling video testimonial can not only create an emotional connection with potential customers but also make it more likely for them to engage with your small business. And guess what? You do not have to spend a ton on it! 

The below video is jam-packed with tips to create a great video testimonial.

Tip: Don’t forget to add subtitles and special effects to make your videos more visually appealing and easier to understand.

3. Leverage educational videos to build authority

Educational videos can be simple “how-to” videos, presentations, tutorials, etc. These videos can be incredibly useful for building authority. 

Here are a few tips you may consider for marketing these videos:

• Choose a niche: Focus on a specific area or expertise related to your business and target audience to establish your authority in that particular field. For example, if you want to promote your nail salon, then posting “how-to” videos around nail care, usage of stick-on nails, etc. can help you position yourself as an expert in the local industry.
• Provide valuable content: Create videos that offer practical knowledge, insights, or solutions to problems that your audience faces. Aim to deliver high-quality, accurate, and up-to-date information.
• Be consistent: Consistency is the key! Social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn promote accounts that regularly engage on the channel. Hence, producing and sharing content frequently is crucial to maintaining engagement and building credibility. You can easily schedule and manage your content by using various readily available tools online. 
• Engage with the audience: Encourage viewers to comment, ask questions, or provide feedback on your videos.

4. Invest in video ads to reach new audiences

One of the most popular and effective small business video marketing ideas is ads. Video ads can immensely widen your reach and are known for their ability to go viral and capture new audiences. They can also boost your brand’s image and greatly increase sales. So if you are up for spending a buck and haven’t yet added them to your content marketing strategy, it’s not too late!

Here’s how you can utilise this effective video marketing idea for your small business:

• Hook your audience in the first few seconds: An effective hook is paramount in grabbing your audience’s attention. You can start with a fun fact, an important statistic, a hypothetical situation or a joke, a short story, or a surprise! (Yes, a monster jumping out of a crater on the moon counts 🙂)
• Keep it short: Less is more! The precise length will obviously depend on the purpose and placement. But the shorter the video is, the more engaging it is. So keep it crisp and clean.
• Don’t be salesy: The most effective way to market yourself is by letting your audience know exactly how you can help them. Be of value to them, build a strong connection, and see how the results get better!
• Don’t forget to add a CTA: People need to know what to do with the information you provide. Giving them simple cues as the next step will greatly increase their engagement with your ad. You can simply ask them to share, comment, or even direct them to your website. 

5. Tell your brand story using video storytelling

What is more persuasive – a reason or an emotion? An emotion indeed! Brand storytelling is all about building that connection with your audience, telling them exactly what you stand for, and creating a memorable & authentic experience for them. 

Videos are a powerful medium for this kind of content marketing due to their ability to combine visuals, audio, and other storytelling elements.

Before you start, make sure you research and understand your audience’s interests, preferences, and needs. This will help you create videos that evoke certain emotions that help you connect with them better.

An iconic example is Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Machine” video campaign. The video featured a vending machine that dispensed surprises and acts of kindness to unsuspecting people.

6. Leverage various social media video formats

Given the popularity of videos on social media — think Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikToks, etc. — it’s completely worth following the viral trends. Social media provides powerful targeting options that can help you reach your intended audience more effectively.

What you can do:

• Give your audience a sneak through behind-the-scenes videos.
• Engage with them through live videos, polls, votes, etc. 
• Personalize and recreate viral content, etc. 

Tip: Read this to learn more about social media video marketing for your small business.

7. Use humor in your videos to drive engagement

Good humor makes everything better, doesn’t it? 

It is relatable and can make any piece of content memorable, entertaining, and shareable thereby increasing the reach, awareness, and engagement.

When done effectively, humor can create a positive association with your brand, making it more approachable.

Here are some best practices for using humor in your videos:

• Understand your target audience because humor is subjective.
• Keep the humor relevant so it aligns with your brand and the message you want to convey.
• Strike a balance between humor and your brand’s key points.
• Incorporate humor into a story to make it more memorable.

Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” is an excellent example of humor in videos.

The Bottom Line

We hope that the above small business video marketing ideas help you engage the right audiences effectively. Whether it is through testimonials, humor, or educational content, when done right, these videos can not only help you achieve your marketing goals but also exceed your expectations!

Which of these have you tried? Let us know in the comments below.

About Appointy

We at Appointy, help business owners grow and run their businesses with our online scheduling software. This blog was a part of our ‘Manage your Business’ category, where we provide expert tips, and resources, or simply talk about the challenges that small and medium businesses face every day. 

If you have any thoughts on this blog or would like to chat about your business struggles and achievements, let us know in the comments below. 

We love a good talk!