Small Business Video FAQs

How can video help my business?

Video is a powerful medium.  It is the closest thing we have to actually interacting with other people in real life.  Video´s big advantage is only having to do something once and it can be repeated in exactly the same way every time.  This is extremely important for product or service demonstrations and employee training.

Video can be used to enhance your:

• Marketing
• Advertising
• Team Building
• Training
• Demonstrating services or products

How can I distribute or show my video to others?

In the past, video was either distributed through costly TV and cable broadcast or large and bulky video tapes.  Things got better with easy to ship, store, play and navigate DVDs.  Now you can take advantage of your existing website to show your videos.  Actually internet distribution is the best method because you don’t have to re-burn hundreds or even thousands of discs every time you change or update your video message.  With the internet all you have to do is change one file!

Can I really use my existing website to distribute video?

Yes!  In the past you needed special “streaming servers” to provide video content which was rather costly.  Today we can convert your video into a format that can be “served” from any website or you can post your video on YouTube and “embed” the video on your site.

I have a small business can I really afford professional video production?

Lighthouse Media Works offers professional video production services tailored for the small business owner.  We are a small shop that focuses on the kinds of production the small business needs.  This means we can keep our cost down and pass that savings along to you.

Video as a Marketing Tool

You are a savvy business owner and no doubt have a killer marketing plan that includes various forms of media.  But does your plan include video and video on your website?  When you mention video to most business owners they think of 30 second TV commercials and the hundreds of dollars it can cost just to air one spot.  What should pop into your mind?  Your website of course!

The same technology that allows YouTube™ to webcast video around the world makes it possible to include video on your own website.  You can leverage an existing marketing tool you already have into something new.  Your website becomes more than an electronic version of brochures or catalogs.  It is a way to speak directly to customers showing them your goods and services.  This develops relationships with visitors to your site and establishes yourself as an expert in your field.

Traditional TV advertising for small business has been simple: We have a business; This is what we do; Come in and buy our stuff.  This is a good direct selling method of driving traffic to your shop and hopefully making a sale.

However, video on your website is subtly different.  A visitor on your site is already in your “virtual” store.  Talk to them face to face like you do with actual customers or clients.

Online surveys show that web visitors love to learn stuff.  They especially like “how to” videos.  This is fantastic news!  Unlike the TV viewers who try to avoid commercials by channel zapping or TiVo-ing a , your web visitors wants and is ready for you to tell them about your business.  You have a willing audience so take advantage of it!

Have a flower shop? Produce videos about flower arranging or what flowers are good for different occasions.  Have an electronics store?  How about a video on the difference between 720p and 1080i?  Every business or service has a set of questions most potential customers ask.  These are ideal topics for your online videos.  Show them that you are an expert!

Things to keep in mind when planning online videos:

Make it professional.  The quality of the video reflects on the quality of your business.  Most likely you had a professional design your website and other marketing materials get a professional to produce your videos.

Keep it short and simple.  Our attention spans keep getting shorter and shorter.  It is better to have several short videos than a longer one.

Remember that video is a visual medium.  When planning your video think images or pictures first then words second.  It is show then tell.

Make It Serial. You always need fresh content to entice people to return to your website.  New content also gives you something to blog about and to add to your social media.  If you can think if 12 things you’d like to tell your customers about your business you have a whole year’s worth of video content that you can blog and Facebook about each month!

Collaboration

Lighthouse Media Works collaborates with other businesses to offer you the most powerful media marketing available.

Living in the Cloud

In the “old days”, your website was pretty much a standalone electronic reproduction of your print materials.  Today it is the multi-media hub of your marketing efforts, or it should be.  The internet is now referred to as the “cloud” because so much of what we do on our computer happens out in cyberspace and not on our personal computers.  Our websites are connected by embedded video, they are linked to blogs and social media sites and being found by the right viewer is just as important as having a first rate website.

Lighthouse Media Works collaborates with AdzZoo. 

AdzZoo offers your company a way to not only rank high in search engine results (being seen on Google) but the ability to target people in your area.  We feel that this service is essential in making your website work and your online marketing truly giving you a return on your investment.

Dennis Schrand
AdzZoo Campaign Director
813-843-0894
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