In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, video remains a cornerstone for connecting with customers and driving business growth.

Yet, the dilemma of how to effectively use video often perplexes small business owners and managers.

Should you invest in expensive productions, or can you truly make an impact with what you already have?

Is video just for huge companies, or can it genuinely help your small business thrive?

This post demystifies these options, setting you on the path to informed decision-making so you can confidently leverage video marketing to skyrocket your sales and profit. This is a series all about video marketing, so be sure to check back for each episode all about video marketing. 

Why Video is SO Strong at Marketing Your Business

Video is an SEO powerhouse helping to increase organic traffic from Google, and video keeps people on your page for longer, which increases conversions. Video already appears in 55% of Google keyword searches (source: Lemonlight), making it crucial for high rankings and capturing more traffic even with AIOs (i.e. AI Overviews). 

Here is an example:

For the below Google search results (Google Ads vs Yelp Ads), there are three videos listed in the search results. All three of those videos are from my YouTube channel. If SEO is important to you - and it should if you are trying to capture sales and maximize profit from digital marketing - then video is integral to capturing more impressions and traffic. 

What is important to notice in this search result from Google is that the first video is an evergreen video that is 8 minutes long. The next two videos below that evergreen video are YouTube Shorts videos cut from that same evergreen YouTube video. 

It's Not Just Better Traffic & Impressions - Video Converts More Visitors

Eighty-four percent (84%) of people say they've been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand's video. And ninety percent (90%) of marketers say video has helped them generate leads. (source: Wyzowl)

Interest in Video is Growing Exponentially

Take a look at the below chart from Google Trends which shows interest over time for Content Marketing and Video Content - both are upwardly growing exponentially. Video is becoming an essential medium to grow sales. 

Or this Google Trends chart showing interest in YouTube Shorts. 

Or this chart showing interest in Instagram Reels. 

Content is King, Distribution is Queen

And once you have a long-form evergreen video, you can scale its distribution to everywhere your customers are without increasing your workload too much.

One video can be posted on YouTube, embedded on your website, become an Instagram Reel, pushed onto TikTok, or posted to Facebook. You don't want to post the same exact video, but with some minor editing changes you can chop up a long-form evergreen video into short digestible sections you can push out to other social channels. 

What Exactly Is Video Marketing?

Let's strip away the jargon and get to the core:
Video marketing is a strategic approach where you create and share video content with a clear goal – attracting, keeping, and converting your ideal audience. It's not about going viral by chance or just checking a box. It's about purposeful content that aligns directly with your business objectives.

Too often, businesses dabble in video without a clear plan, leading to wasted effort and zero return. We're here to guide you past those common pitfalls.

This is the first in our multi-part series dedicated to video marketing for small and medium businesses. We'll show you how to harness video's immense power, transforming mere views into tangible business growth and higher conversion rates, ensuring your brand stands out even as search evolves with AI.

How Video Gets Your Business Found

When it comes to boosting your online presence and ensuring potential customers can actually find you, video marketing is an undeniable force for SEO. This strategy focuses on optimizing your video content to rank high in search results, drawing in organic traffic and dramatically expanding your brand's reach.

Video as a Search Engine Magnet

Think of video for visibility as your business's digital billboard, strategically placed where your customers are searching. It's about creating content that directly answers common questions, provides valuable education, or showcases your expertise in a way that search engines favor.

YouTube, for instance, isn't just a video platform; it's the world's second-largest search engine, making it prime real estate for discoverability.

By embedding videos directly onto your website pages, you signal to Google that your content is rich, engaging, and highly valuable, which significantly boosts your page's quality score.

Look at the charts below from Google Search Console - when video is embedded into web pages, it increases clicks, impressions, and average position compared to pages without video embedded.  

This also involves smart optimization: crafting compelling video titles, detailed descriptions, and relevant tags with keywords your audience is searching for. It's like traditional SEO, but with the added, dynamic power of sight and sound.

Video Drives Direct Business Results (Leads and Sales)

Ultimately, video drives direct business results, helping you profitably generate new customers and increase sales. Video is also a powerful tool for generating leads. Videos with forms can convert at an impressive 16% - that means, out of 100 views, you would capture 16 new leads, and if that form is within the first 20% of the video, conversion rates can jump to 43%. Now, a feature like this is only available if you're hosting your videos on Wistia. I only recommend hosting videos on Wistia if you're not concerned with a video showing up and capturing views in Google searches or YouTube searches.  

Here’s another Practical tip: Always integrate clear calls-to-action within your videos to guide viewers to the next step, whether it's visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. You have to tell people what to do next consistently.

Goals First, Then Video

You shouldn’t create a digital marketing video without first conducting research and developing a plan. The research doesn't need to be complex or take much time. Don't just "wing it".

This structured approach is the kind of clear, actionable advice you need to get real results.

Video Production Doesn't Need to Break the Bank

The good news is, you can make a great video today using tools you already have, in just a few hours!

A smartphone with a decent camera and a little creativity is often all you need. Remember that users often prefer authenticity over sleek and highly produced marketing. So, focus on clarity and genuine connection rather than overly fancy production. This helps you save money and resources. Tools like Loom or my favorite, Camtasia, offer affordable and easy recording solutions to help you get started quickly. 

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels thrive on unpolished, authentic content, proving that you don't need a Hollywood production budget to make a profound impact. Crucially, integrating clear calls to action (CTAs) directly within your videos or immediately after them is paramount for turning engaged viewers into valuable leads and sales.