Hi, my name is Suzanne and I'm addicted to video marketing. (all together now….. “Hi Suzanne”)

So it's no secret that I'm a bit of a video nut.  I started using video in my business 4 years ago when I started The Connection Exchange with 2 minute power plays – totally inspired by Ms Marie Forleo and her amazing videos. Basically it was me and my camera  providing business and brand tips in under 2 minutes. For some reason I thought 2 minutes was a good amount of time and it was starting somewhere. I thought I'd keep it short and sweet as I worked out how to do it all.  As they say, slow and steady wins the race.

YouTube was my best friend and over time I learnt all the ins and outs of creating videos for my business.  Learning the rope of a few different editing software packages like imove, Creative Director, Filmora – but really my all time fav and the one that I use for my videos as well as client's videos is Camtasia – but I'll get to that. As I started moving more into the branding space with corporate clients, I was fortunate enough to work with some great videographers on larger branding video shoot projects which I loved.  I watched inspirations video creators and learnt over time different creative techniques.  I personally think, it's a great way to learn as you get started.

When I think about my business and it's core message – for myself and the women in my community to Play Big and Brand Bold, I know that everything I teach and coach on all works together to build your brand. So whether it's Speaking and Presenting with Confidence, Video Marketing, attending an event to learn from any of our awesome speakers there is always a way to connect more with the people you're wanting to engage with and attract.  It could be your customers, community or clients but at the end of the day we trust people quicker if we can see and hear them. You may not like that, but it's a fact. Soz #notsoz 😉

When it comes to creating videos, I personal find inspiration and motivation by following a few awesome creators like Peter McKinnon, (check out the angles – the storytelling) Casey Neisat (You CAN do what you want!) and Sunny Lennarduzzi who was recently the host of the live stage at Social Media Marketing world – which would be my #dreamgig !!

The question is – how can YOU use video marketing in your business? Well the list is long and there are so many ways that you can create the right video content for your business. I personally think that it's worthwhile trying everything out so that you can see what you enjoy and what you don't.  When it comes to something like video content, if you enjoy doing a specific type of content then you're more likely to continue to do it over time and that's where you can build some brand equity – what you're known for that your customers, clients and audience love about you!

1// Website Videos

There are loads of different ways you can use video on your website. Think about a welcome video when new visitors arrive.  Share what you're about and why your website is the right place for them! One of the more popular videos on websites is the About page video. I've had a number of versions of this but am due an update on this.  I love when I go to someone's website and there is a video.  It feels more personal and like I can get to know them quickly and easily.

Obviously the weekly, fortnightly or monthly vlog that you create to share awesome content with your audience, subscribers, website visitors.  If you find it hard to write then vlogging can be great.  I'm not always excited about sitting down and writing so vlogging, and more recently my podcast is where I'm usually found.  I did think it was ironic that I was writing a blog post on video!!! don't worry I didn't miss that!

One that I've seen more recently that I really liked was a video FAQ section.  As it was for a product, they were able to show the product and then answer the questions they get regularly about that product. I think that if you do decide to do a FAQ video it could help buyers make a quicker decision.

Similarly, doing a video that showcases your product or service is always a good idea. According to Global Pictures video marketing trends for 2017 –

• 83% of Australian consumers interact with brands on social media and 48% of them made a purchase after watching a branded video.

Other trends for global audiences include the following:

• Nearly half of users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store
• 4 out of 5 consumers believe that demo videos are helpful and 4 times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it
• 68% of YouTube users watch videos to make a purchase decision

I don't know about you but those figure are pretty compelling to me.  With so many similar products and service in the market, I think it can make a big difference if you can put a potential buy's mind to rest and show them everything you can about what you're selling.  Make it easy for them to buy!

2// Social Media content

This is probably the most popular form of video and I'm sure most business owners have used or are planning on using things like Facebook Live & stores, Instagram stories and/or Facebook or Instagram video ads.  What is really interested is that 85% of video is watched without sound so captioning your videos (which I need to get better at!) is something super important.  I use Rev.com for my captions, they are cheap and super quick which is perfect when I make a quick decision to do a video ad for something.

Starting to get comfortable creating social video content I think is just the way business is going.  I know that blog are still key for SEO but video is a great way to engage your audience and video ranks higher for SEO than blog from what I've been told.  We consume content more on the go these days as well so watching a video or listening to a podcast is on the increase and if you don't have a video strategy or basic video skills then you could be missing a massive opportunity to build your customer base!

I love Insta stories at the moment.  The in the moment, behind the scenes nature of the platform I think lets you really get to know someone.  The great thing is that you can choose to be in front or behind the camera – whatever works for you.

3// Video proposals

This is an interesting one as I started doing it about 5 years ago now.  Whenever I had a larger proposal to provide whether it was for a corporate proposals or a solo client, I would not only send through the quote but if it had multiple parts to it and I wanted to share more information, I would send the quote/proposal along with a video sharing the ins and outs.  The feedback was pretty amazing when clients received it – definitely something that NO ONE else was doing.  I think it also conveys your passion for what you do and how you talk about it that obviously a paper based proposal doesn't give you.

4// Online courses & Training content

The majority of online courses have a video training element to them.  Understanding the different ways you can provide training and tutorials can support the different learning styles of your clients.  Whether you do a screen capture to show what's happening on the screen for more technical or detailed training or if you're speaking direct to camera explaining insights and concepts for your participants and students. Membership sites also use a lot of video content to continue to provide training for their members.

No matter what you're looking to use video for, learning basic video skills, which tools you can access on your phone or desktop to create what you want and know how to make it easier for you to create that content is going to only become more important and critical for small business owners.