Included in the dizzying array of marketing tools bombarding us every day is the torrent of emails regarding video marketing. Video marketing is one of the most talked about marketing topics swirling around the Internet. However, it is important to take a deep breath and begin to evaluate how your business could benefit from employing video. Are you ready? Lights, camera...confusion!

Often small business forgoes video marketing because they think either it is too expensive or too difficult. What if we were to tell you that it does not have to be. Of course, like most things, there is the top shelf and the bottom shelf with many choices in between. Video marketing will likely become an essential part of your marketing communications effort in the very near future.

Why Video Marketing

In the fast-paced world, we live in today, the use of video confirms the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. It is a fact that most people love videos! If you put a video on your homepage, more people will remember what you have said, they will spend a longer time on your website, and studies show that your sales conversions will increase significantly. According to ADWEEK, by 2017 nearly 70 percent of online traffic will be video-related.

Video Marketing Tips

If your company has not invested in video marketing yet, it is time to get started. Here are seven tips that can help your small business get acquainted with the basics of video marketing in short order.

1. Formulate Your Strategy 
Most of your effort should focus on formulating your strategy. Your strategy should include:

A. Set Marketing Goals

• SEO Search Rankings
• Client’s Prefer Video Communication
• Video Displays Products or Services Better
• Social Media Outreach

B. Decide Video Types

• Instructional (“How to” do something)
• Product or Service Reviews
• Product or Service Tips
• Interviews
• Sales
• Tours
• Client Testimonials
• Webinars

C. Identify Topics that Interest Your Customers

• Determine the length of your video - Studies show that people have short attention spans, so a higher volume of short videos is generally a better strategy. The exception here would be Instructional videos where the length of time is dependent upon how long it takes to demonstrate or teach what you are instructing your audience to do.

D. Create Rough Content Outlines Per Video Topic

• Tell stories
• Be sure your content is relevant and valuable to your customers
• Show people not just products
• Include a call-to-action at the end of your video – this could be your business phone number, email, location, or a special offer or all of these
   elements

E. Create a Budget

• For D.I.Y. Production
• Outsource Production

2. Create a Timeline

Create a schedule for your video creation and distribution. How many videos would you like to create each month? Set dates for video creation, editing, and publishing. Even if you are hiring out these functions, you will still need this timeline.

3. Assemble Your Tools
Whether you decide to make the videos yourself or hire someone to do it for you, this is where you will need to make decisions and get these resources lined up. If you are going to create the videos yourself, you will need these bare minimum tools.

• A Camera

o A high-quality smartphone
o Tablet
o GoPro camera

• A quality external microphone, if necessary
• Sufficient Lighting
• Possible no-seam solid color backdrop
• Video editing software

4. Create Videos
Action! It is time to make some video magic. Keep in mind that these are not Hollywood movies. Creating videos for marketing purposes requires that you spend some time planning, but do not feel that the production must be Hollywood quality. In fact, small mistakes and imperfections often endear you to your audience and make your business more appealing.

5. Video Editing Basics
Editing a small business marketing video should not be a big budget job. If you are adding music, combining multiple takes, or having flyover graphics, you will probably want to hire an affordable video editor to assist with the job. If it is a basic one-take video, you can probably edit the final version on your own. In fact, YouTube now has its own native video editing software you can check out.

Other Options:
Windows Movie Maker free for Windows Users
Apple I-Movie free for Mac Users

Paid Options:
Camtasia or ScreenFlow both available for Windows or PC

6. Video Distribution
It is time to get your video in front of your sales prospects in every way possible. Post it on your website. If you do not know how to post it, ask your web designer for help. Share the video on your social media accounts, include it in your email newsletter, and create a dedicated YouTube channel for all of your company's videos. When you post your video, be sure to include any important keywords in the title tags and video descriptions.

7. Promote! Promote! Promote!
Now that your videos are out there, you will want to continue to promote them to drive traffic to your website. You can do this with additional social media posts, asking friends or colleagues to share, and even some inexpensive ads. Continue to promote your videos as you work to create that next visual masterpiece.

Video marketing and production may seem like a trend that is out of reach of the typical small business, but this is a fallacy. This effective marketing medium is growing in importance and is available to even the smallest business. All that you need to get started is a little time, planning and determination.

Kinds of B2B Sales Leads

To achieve your small business sales goal, you will need to generate real sales leads not just contacts. This Infographic is helpful in understanding the difference between various kinds of B2B sales leads.

To view larger image click on the image.

Do you think that there is a reason why your head hurts after reading all the sales pitches about B2B marketing? Do you really need to know let alone understand every new buzzword that litters the B2B marketing ether?

We know what a B2B sales lead is not. It is not: 

by Guest Blogger Dave Landry Jr.

It is a world of rapid-fire digital speed demons and if your company is not on target the alternative is a sure way to get lost in the dust. The old fashioned way of hunting for new business is no longer sufficient. You can only get so far relying on networking with here’s my business card and palm pressing. Utilizing social media options like Twitter to engage potential prospects first before the first  handshake is the best way to beat the competition to the punch. 

You may have heard that Press Releases are dead as an effective marketing tool to create traffic to your website. Moreover, you may also still be getting emails from on-line press release companies still touting the traffic building and SEO benefits of press releases. So who’s right? Neither.