Peanut butter and jelly sandwichVideo to online marketing is what peanut butter is to jelly. They are not only great together, they enhance one another. There is overwhelming evidence that video is your friend when it comes to creating awareness and building credibility for your business. According to a Forrester researcher, Dr. James McQuivey, one minute of video is is worth 1.8 million written words. Video is effective and it can save you time and money while out performing other content.

Here are some of the best ways you can use video to market your business:

Testimonials – Ask your customers for testimonials. Send a personal email to some of your best customers and ask them for a short testimonial. Most people have smart phones or laptops with cameras. Take some of your best customers for lunch or coffee and ask them for a testimonial there. Don’t be shy about it. If you are taking good care of your customers they’ll be glad to help. Even if they give you a written testimonial you can still create videos by reading them, turning them into an interesting video.

FAQ – Create videos about your most frequently asked questions. Your website might already have an FAQ section. You can turn your FAQ into short videos. Don’t try to create a long video, answering all questions in one shot. Rather, create several short 30 second to 2-minute videos. Some people prefer to read while others prefer to watch videos. Turning your FAQs into videos gives your website visitors options.

Introduce – Video introductions to your company and services can be great credibility builders. Introduce yourself and your staff to humanize your company. When people end up on a boring website they will spend little time there. Create excitement by including a short introductory video explaining what makes your firm different from the others. Talk about your services, accomplishments, credentials, and the types of clients you serve.

Educate – Video gives you an easy way to educate. People want to buy from experts. When you teach you become an expert. You build your reputation. Teach people about the services you offer. For example if you are an SEO expert, teach people about the need for SEO and the reasons businesses should optimize their websites. Don’t think that educating people is a waste of your time. It could be one of the best investments you can make.

Support – Your customers may need help understanding some of your processes. They might need help with completing forms or getting started with certain things. Use video to create support videos.

The above are just a few of the many ways you can market your company using video. There are several aspects to creating a strong video marketing platform:

Relax – Relax you are on camera. It is no big deal if you are not 100% comfortable. It will become easier. You first video doesn’t have to be perfect, but you must get started somewhere.

Keep it real – You don’t have hire a hollywood studio to produce your videos. You can record yourself with a camera on your laptop or with your smartphone. Your video will look authentic instead of overly polished.

Don’t waste time – People have very short attention spans, especially when it comes to online videos. Most of your videos should be under two minutes. Only make your videos longer if you must. If a video has to be longer, consider breaking the video into shorter segments.

Don’t read – When people read they look unprepared. Talk to people. When you talk you come across more natural. You are talking about things you are very familiar with, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

Post it on your website – Your website is the best place for your videos, but it is not the only place. Some of your videos would be great on YouTube and elsewhere. You can share them with people on LinkedIn, Facebook, and many other platforms that are appropriate for your market.

Call to action – When appropriate have a call to action. What do you want people do after they have watched your video? Do you want them to call you? If yes, show and mention your phone number. Do you want them to complete a form? Show them where they can find it. Tell people what you want them to do.

Video can be an effective and fun marketing tool for your business. The great thing about it is that you can use video even if you are on a budget. It doesn’t take a lot of time. If a picture tells a 1000 words, a video tells a whole book about why people should do business with you.