Video marketing for small businesses means using video to show customers who you are, what you do and why they should choose you. That can be short videos on social media, explainers on YouTube or a video on your website. You do not need a production company: with a phone and a good plan you can get a long way.
Video shows in a few seconds what takes many words in text: your workshop, the way you work, your face. That builds trust. In this article you will learn which videos work, how to make them and where to use them best.
Why video marketing works for small businesses
With a small business, customers often choose the person behind it. Video makes that visible. A few benefits:
- Trust: people see who will be coming into their home or who will be doing their treatment.
- Explanation: a tricky product or way of working is often clearer on screen.
- Reach: short videos often get more reach than photos on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
- Reuse: you can cut one recording for your website, social media, a newsletter and an ad.
Video marketing does not have to be a separate project. It works best as a standard part of your existing social media marketing and your website.
Which videos work for small businesses?
Start with your customers' questions and doubts. Videos that work well for many businesses:
- A short introduction video: who you are, what you do and for whom. Ideal for your homepage or about page.
- Explainer videos: how a treatment works, how a renovation goes, how to use a product.
- Answers to frequently asked questions, one question per video.
- Before and after videos of your work.
- Behind the scenes: your workshop, your kitchen, your team at work.
- Customer stories: a happy customer talks about their experience in their own words, with their permission.
- Recruitment videos: show what it is like to work for you.
Making a business video with your phone
Modern phones film well enough for most business videos. The difference is in light, sound and stability. Here is how to approach it:
- Light: film in daylight, with the window in front of you, not behind you. Avoid strong backlight.
- Sound: a small clip-on microphone makes a big difference. Bad sound is more annoying than a slightly blurry picture.
- Stability: use a small tripod or lean your phone against something.
- Format: film vertically for stories, reels and TikTok, horizontally for YouTube and your website. If in doubt, make both versions.
- Length: start short. A video of thirty to sixty seconds is easier to make and to watch to the end.
- Editing: cut out pauses and slips with a simple editing app.
Put the main message in the first few seconds. On social media people decide very quickly whether to keep watching.
Subtitles and accessibility
Many people watch videos without sound, for example on the train or at work. So always add subtitles or on-screen text. Most apps create subtitles automatically, which you then check quickly.
Subtitles also help people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For video on your website, that is part of an accessible website. Also add a short description to the video, so everyone knows what it is about.
Where should you use your videos?
A good video deserves several places. An overview:
- Instagram and Facebook: reels and stories, short and vertical.
- TikTok: short, personal videos. Read more in TikTok for business.
- YouTube: longer explainers that stay findable for a long time. YouTube is a search engine in its own right.
- Your website: an introduction video on the homepage, explainers on service pages, customer stories next to your reviews.
- Your Google Business Profile: short videos of your premises or your work.
- Your newsletter: an image with a play button that links to the video.
- Ads: videos that did well as normal posts can be promoted.
YouTube for business: get found with explainers
On YouTube, people actively search for answers: 'how do I descale my coffee machine' or 'how much does a dormer cost'. An explainer video that answers such a question can bring in viewers for years. Tips:
- Use the words people actually type in the title.
- Write a short description with a link to the right page on your website.
- Make a clear thumbnail, the image people see before they click.
- Group videos by topic in playlists.
- Add chapters to longer videos, so viewers can jump to the right part.
Video on your website without slow pages
Videos are heavy files. If you put them on your website the wrong way, your page gets slow. That is bad for visitors and for Google, which measures how fast the largest element on your page loads. That measurement, the LCP, should stay under 2.5 seconds. Here is how to keep your site fast:
- Only load a video when someone clicks play, with a light image as a preview.
- Host long videos on YouTube or a video service and embed them on your site, instead of uploading large files yourself.
- Do not let videos autoplay with sound.
- Use short, compressed videos as backgrounds, or preferably none at all.
Read more about speed in making your website faster.
Help with video marketing and your website
We help you plan videos that suit your customers and channels, use them on social media and in ads, and make sure they work well on your website without slowing your pages down. Our online marketing starts from €599 excl. VAT (€725 incl. VAT) per month, with no minimum term and cancellable monthly with one month's notice. Want a new website with a proper place for video? A custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT).
Want to know how video marketing could work for your business? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your ideas. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price estimate, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need expensive equipment for video marketing as a small business?
No. A good phone, daylight, a small microphone and a little tripod are enough for most business videos. For a big brand film you can always bring in a professional later.
How long should a business video be?
For social media, short videos of fifteen to sixty seconds often work well. Explainer videos on YouTube or your website can be longer, as long as every minute adds something.
Should you upload videos to your website yourself or use YouTube?
For longer videos, YouTube or a video service is usually better, because they handle playback quickly. Only load the video when someone clicks play, so your page stays fast.
Why add subtitles to videos?
Many people watch without sound, for example while out and about. With subtitles they still get your message. It also makes your videos accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
