7 ways creative entrepreneurs can use video for business (+ why video marketing is such a powerful tool)

If you are a creative entrepreneur and you aren’t using video as part of your content marketing plan, you are leaving money on the table. You’ve been hearing it for years: Video is good for your business.

But, as time marches on and our attention spans dwindle, technology improves and our desire for instant gratification grows, video becomes a key player more and more.

When I say video, I’m talking all kinds…the quick fixes like Instagram Stories to well-produced promo videos (the kind you hire the pros to do) and everything in between. We get that it takes time. We get that it might feel scary, at first, to put yourself out there. But, here’s the thing, and you’ve probably experienced this in other areas of your business (or, LIFE, for that matter!)…

When you’re brave enough and disciplined enough to do the work, the scary, uncomfortable things that few are willing to do, you stand out from the crowd. You not only rise to the top, but, more importantly, you prove to yourself that you can do hard things.

When you’re brave enough and disciplined enough to do the work, the scary, uncomfortable things that few are willing to do, you stand out from the crowd. You not only rise to the top, but, more importantly, you prove to yourself that you can do hard things. And then, you have a growth spurt. Your confidence skyrockets. Your ideal clients see all you’re doing and want to be part of it.

So, let’s dig into this a bit. We want to tell you why we believe creative entrepreneurs should be using video for their businesses.  

Video is good for your business because it is…

• Easy to show your personality + passion, which, in turn allows your audience to connect with you! When that happens, your tribe gets stronger. We want your ideal clients to see how fun, cheerful, kind, creative, talented, _________ that you are!
• Easy to consume + is instant gratification for your audience. They don’t have to put any effort into consuming or reading. Instead, they just watch while you entertain.
• High touch. Viewers see the real you, really fast.
• Good for SEO. Google likes video. When you embed a YouTube video on a page, Google likes that, and it makes them more likely to show that specific page.
• Good for Facebook. Facebook wants to show content that its users want to see. And people are engaging with video more than other kinds of Facebook posts right now, so Facebook gives priority to and pushes video.
• A great way for you to stand out. A lot of people shy away from it because they think it’s hard or uncomfortable. So, the fact that you do use video helps you rise to the top.
• Fun! You can get super creative or stick to the basics. It’s a fun outlet to implement creative ideas.

Real life examples of how to use video to connect with your (future) clients…

• Use Screencastify to respond to inquiries and/or clients’ emails. With so much work done over email and so much time at the computer, I know I love seeing more smiling faces! We know our clients do, too. I bet your clients and potential clients will feel the same way.
• Create super quick + easy Instagram Stories (they don’t have to be perfectly polished) to educate + entertain your viewers. Give them a taste of who you are, what you’re working on and what your business is all about.
• Take an FAQ you hear all the time, something you’re already educating clients on and turn it into a Facebook Live!
• Add a video to your thank you pages (for example, for downloading a PDF); for visiting your blog; or for joining your newsletter!
• Create (or hire someone else to help you create) a promo video for your business! Does having a promo video bring in more inquiries, we can’t be 100% sure of that. Does it help you book more of the inquiries you do get? For us, it absolutely does (and it did for our photography business, too)! We have ours on our about page. Promo videos help set the tone and course of consultations, changing them from being a first meeting, to more like having coffee with friends!
• Create short videos to answer your clients questions. Incorporate this into your workflow, so you answer before they even have to ask! For our photography business, we created a What to Wear for Your Engagement Session video and all of our clients loved it and said it was super helpful!
• Ask your happy clients for video testimonials. Nothing you can say about yourself will sell someone better than someone else telling them about what you have done for them. Especially, if the person watching can relate to and connect with the person giving the testimonial. The absolute best time to get video testimonials from clients is when they’re most excited about what you did for them, which is typically right after you do it!

“I hate being on camera…help!”

• Start small! Instagram Stories is a great place to get your toes wet.
• Practice out loud in the mirror, with friends or your spouse.
• Talk how you’d talk to a friend.
• Smile! If you are smiling, your viewers are probably smiling, too 😉
• Keep the energy high + spirited.
• Wear something that makes you feel confident + stand out (something fun or colorful)!
• Oh, and you don’t have to look directly at the camera the whole time!

Remember, done is better than perfect! Not every video (especially when you’re using Facebook Live, Instagram Stories and Snapchat), has to be perfectly produced and polished. Bring it back to your purpose. The reason you’re doing these videos in the first place is to connect with your tribe, with your (future) clients, and they like to know you’re human too!

Using video is just one way to use content to connect with and attract your ideal clients. We are BIG FANS of using video, blog posts, social media, newsletters…the list goes on and on…to connect with the right people and grow our business. If you’re having trouble coming up with all those videos and other content, click here to download our FREE Content Creation Kit!