As a veteran internet marketer, one of the perplexing things seen for local small businesses is the lack of planning to market their videos. Over and over again, you can find so much emphasis is made by the owner and employees on the video production side of the equation. This can range anywhere from people worrying about getting the right tan & makeup, all the way to worrying about lighting and over-rehearsing their scripts to the point where what appears on camera borders on being “inauthentic”.

However, the same people have almost zero planning on what to do with the video AFTER it has been produced. The goal of most small local businesses’ videos is to help generate more sales, either directly or indirectly. Yet they don’t have much planning other than to “throw it on social media” and then forget about the video.

This easily can be seen in competitive local niches, like plumbing or landscaping, even in some cities and larger suburbs. Some videos on YouTube can be live for five years… yet they only have 3 or 4 views! Yes, some videos have fewer views than the number of years since being uploaded, despite the video still offering solid value to the first-time viewer.

Of course, on which platforms and whether or not you run paid ads is dictated by your business category, who is your target audience, and what you would like them to do. Certain local businesses do better with the vertical-orientation, shorter-form videos which you can see on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Reels. Other videos are better for the traditional horizontal (16:9 ratio), longer-form videos which can be seen on a platform like YouTube or Vimeo -- especially if you want the viewer to click a link to a website page other than an easy-to-convey home page. Specific “landing pages” on your website are better served with these kinds of videos so that the viewer who leaves the platform (like YouTube) only has to make just one click to get to the page you want them to visit.

So how do you know what to do? Consider using an experienced video marketing service with knowledge of your specific area, or at least with experience in what you would like to accomplish. This can be a standalone business or individual consultant, or it can be a service offered by a trusted video production company.

You are going to see examples of videos being marketed in unique ways, designed specifically to help get more viewers & exposure to desired audiences. Each of these required at least some degree of planning for what to do after the video was produced.

This video was designed to be emailed to attendees and other patients of a local chiropractic clinic. It shows testimonials and people having a good time, despite heavy rains that day (!), for the practice’s 20th anniversary. Friends & family then shared it with others to help them potentially decide to visit the chiropractor for the first time.

This video, from the production company itself, had multiple ways of being marketed. It was designed to help those considering live stream video events to pre-plan in order to make the event successful. The video was marketed by:

• Paid ads inside YouTube targeting event planners

• Embedded inside a syndicated online press release

• Added to a Google Business Profile update about new live streaming equipment

• Embedded on web 2.0 properties associated with the company

Additionally, the video production company’s videos were combined with YouTube videos on other clients’ channels to make an optimized playlist. That playlist now ranks #1 in YouTube for “CITY video production company”.

The above methods are just some of the ways in which a local business can use its videos to get new prospective customers/clients/patrons to take the next step. You even can explore ways to reach local web3 fans (crypto, NFT, metaverse, etc.) using your video content.

Hopefully all of this gives you some encouragement and ideas to get started when planning how to use your videos after they are produced.

As a veteran internet marketer, one of the perplexing things seen for local small businesses is the lack of planning to market their videos. Over and over again, you can find so much emphasis is made by the owner and employees on the video production side of the equation. This can range anywhere from people worrying about getting the right tan & makeup, all the way to worrying about lighting and over-rehearsing their scripts to the point where what appears on camera borders on being “inauthentic”.

However, the same people have almost zero planning on what to do with the video AFTER it has been produced. The goal of most small local businesses’ videos is to help generate more sales, either directly or indirectly. Yet they don’t have much planning other than to “throw it on social media” and then forget about the video.

This easily can be seen in competitive local niches, like plumbing or landscaping, even in some cities and larger suburbs. Some videos on YouTube can be live for five years… yet they only have 3 or 4 views! Yes, some videos have fewer views than the number of years since being uploaded, despite the video still offering solid value to the first-time viewer.

Of course, on which platforms and whether or not you run paid ads is dictated by your business category, who is your target audience, and what you would like them to do. Certain local businesses do better with the vertical-orientation, shorter-form videos which you can see on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Reels. Other videos are better for the traditional horizontal (16:9 ratio), longer-form videos which can be seen on a platform like YouTube or Vimeo -- especially if you want the viewer to click a link to a website page other than an easy-to-convey home page. Specific “landing pages” on your website are better served with these kinds of videos so that the viewer who leaves the platform (like YouTube) only has to make just one click to get to the page you want them to visit.

So how do you know what to do? Consider using an experienced video marketing service with knowledge of your specific area, or at least with experience in what you would like to accomplish. This can be a standalone business or individual consultant, or it can be a service offered by a trusted video production company.

You are going to see examples of videos being marketed in unique ways, designed specifically to help get more viewers & exposure to desired audiences. Each of these required at least some degree of planning for what to do after the video was produced.

This video was designed to be emailed to attendees and other patients of a local chiropractic clinic. It shows testimonials and people having a good time, despite heavy rains that day (!), for the practice’s 20th anniversary. Friends & family then shared it with others to help them potentially decide to visit the chiropractor for the first time.

This video, from the production company itself, had multiple ways of being marketed. It was designed to help those considering live stream video events to pre-plan in order to make the event successful. The video was marketed by:

• Paid ads inside YouTube targeting event planners

• Embedded inside a syndicated online press release

• Added to a Google Business Profile update about new live streaming equipment

• Embedded on web 2.0 properties associated with the company

Additionally, the video production company’s videos were combined with YouTube videos on other clients’ channels to make an optimized playlist. That playlist now ranks #1 in YouTube for “CITY video production company”.

The above methods are just some of the ways in which a local business can use its videos to get new prospective customers/clients/patrons to take the next step. You even can explore ways to reach local web3 fans (crypto, NFT, metaverse, etc.) using your video content.

Hopefully all of this gives you some encouragement and ideas to get started when planning how to use your videos after they are produced.