Guide to Videography for Small Businesses in 2024
There are more options for marketing your business than ever before. From graphic images to informative blog posts, social media platforms allow you to show off your branded content to thousands of people. However, because modern advertising is so accessible, competition is fierce. To find sustainable success, your business needs to deliver a clear and engaging message in a variety of mediums.
One of the most effective mediums for advertising your business in a digital landscape is through videography. In fact, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, representing a consistent all-time high since data started being tracked in 2016, according to Wyzowl. High-quality videos are an effective advertising tool because they allow you to efficiently communicate a message that captures your audience's attention in a short period.
Videography is the evolution of the TV commercial. It used to only be possible to show a video advertisement to your audience via the television. However, as technology has advanced and people’s attention has shifted away from television towards other devices like computers and smartphones, it is now possible to show short videos in a variety of formats without the hefty cost of TV ads. For example, it is now relatively cheap to showcase your ads before YouTube videos and on social media services like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
While it is easy to scroll past written posts or even graphics, videos tend to catch our attention and encourage active engagement. At Legend Web Works, we have heavily invested in video production over the past year, creating multiple high-quality informational videos, launching a TikTok channel, and offering professional video services to our clients.
A recent report from the international video production firm, Wyzowl, confirmed that this was the correct decision on our part. Video marketing is more popular than ever and now is the perfect time to invest in this pursuit if you haven't already.
Why Small Businesses Need Video Services
Small businesses need to adapt to the increasing demand for dynamic content in today's digital landscape. With the rise of social platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube, video content has become an essential part of a successful marketing strategy.
Consumers are spending more time on these platforms, and small businesses need to meet them where they are. Video content allows for more creative and engaging communication, making it easier for businesses to connect with their audience. In addition, website videos are becoming increasingly popular over standard images, as they can provide a more immersive and memorable experience for visitors.
Marketing firms that offer professional-grade video production provide small businesses with the tools and expertise needed to create high-quality, engaging content that will set them apart from their competition. From promotional videos to product tutorials, video content can help businesses showcase their products and services in a way that is both informative and entertaining.
Reader exercise:
- Without looking, write down your guess for how many videos your business produced per week last year.
- Next, make a list of every form of media your business uses for marketing purposes (ex: blog posts, graphics, printed fliers).
- Third, look back through the year and see how many videos you made in total for the year. Divide this number by 52, this will give you your weekly average for videos produced.
- Compare this number with other forms of media produced per week. Is your weekly video average higher or lower than your guess? How many videos should you produce per week to meet your goal in 2024?
In the next section, we will look at what type of videos you can consider producing for your business, based on the data from Wyzowl.
What Type of Videos Should My Business Make?
Your business can produce videos on nearly any topic. Some businesses want to make videos that are strict advertisements for their products and services, others want to make short spots that are purely for entertainment value, and most want to produce something that lies in between.
According to the 2024 report from Wyzowl (which was based on data from late 2023), there are fourteen types of videos that businesses tend to make. We will list this data below with what percentage of businesses are creating these types of videos in parentheses.
- Testimonial videos (39%)
- Explainer videos (38%)
- Presentation videos (34%)
- Social media videos (34%)
- Product demos (32%)
- Video ads (30%)
- Sales videos (30%)
- Teaser videos (30%)
- Customer service videos (28%)
- Videographics (25%)
The meaning of each of these categories is subjective to each respondent but from this sprawl of data, we can determine that many businesses are using video for both internal purposes (like onboarding) and external purposes (like advertising).
From the same Wyzowl report: "91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool – maintaining an all-time high since we started tracking this data in 2016."
That means most businesses today see the value of video marketing. However, approximately 9% of businesses are not using videography as a marketing tool. These businesses may run the risk of falling behind the pack and losing out on important clients, customers, and deals.
Reader exercise:
- Briefly look through this list and using pen and paper, jot down three of these categories that you feel would be relevant to your business.
- Take some time to brainstorm a few specific video ideas you could create for each category.
- Select your five favorite ideas. What will each of these ideas accomplish? Some videos are designed to maximize ROI (like ads), others will help existing customers to boost satisfaction rates (like product demos), and some will be designed to boost your brand image (like testimonials).
- Determine which types of videos you want to prioritize now and what types of videos you want to explore in the future. Use our free content calendar template to help you start planning and scheduling.
Check out the free content calendar here to start planning your video schedule now!
What Can Professional Video Services Do for My Small Business?
If you made it this far into the article, then at this point it is clear that the vast majority of businesses are using videography as a form of marketing. However, there are reasons businesses are not using video. Chief among those reasons? Time constraints.
Many businesses simply do not have the time or manpower to regularly produce high-quality videos. One solution for businesses with time constraints is to partner with a professional video service.
Professional video services can greatly benefit your small business in various ways. Firstly, professionals know how to produce videos to maximize the appeal of your product or service. They have worked extensively with a visual medium and know how to produce a video that appeals to a viewer. This visual medium allows potential customers to see and understand what you have to offer, leading to increased engagement and conversion rates.
Additionally, professional video creators can help you generate concepts for videos that will lead to a maximum ROI. Professional services can listen to your needs and create a detailed content calendar that will take away much of the pressure for video production that falls onto business managers.
Video production is an important step in building a marketing plan. Learn more about how to create a comprehensive marketing plan in this blog!
Moreover, video production services can also schedule and coordinate people and actors. For testimonials, they can reach out to former customers and schedule them for their interviews. If you want something more scripted, video professionals can reach out to and schedule actors and coordinate shoots.
Professional Videos Services in Cincinnati from Legend Web Works
High-quality videos are one of the most powerful tools you can use to aid your marketing efforts. A team of expert video marketers can help take your marketing capabilities to the next level by producing digital assets that attract your target audience and hold their attention.
If you are looking for a marketing firm with expertise in producing top-tier video materials for businesses in the Cincinnati, Ohio area then Legend Web Works is the choice for you. Our team of marketing professionals has produced videos for dozens of local businesses. We can make a wide range of short videos for your marketing needs, whether you want a product video, testimonial, or anything in between, the Legend Web Works team is here for you!
Click here to start a conversation about your video needs now!
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