Video marketing is a great way to promote your business, products and services because it not only provides you with great content, but can also increase your online exposure via your own websites and via video sharing sites such as YouTube and DailyMotion.

If you are looking for ways to create a great video for your local business but do not know what to show, read on and get eight really interesting video ideas!

1. Get your employees into the act.the best or worst local videos you have seen

One of the benefits of video marketing is that you could get your employees to also take part in the process.  It could be fun videos such as having your employees sing or bring out their other talents.  Or it could take a more serious tone such as telling people how they do their work and serve customers.  This works because it shows that as a business, you value your employees and it gives your business a more human face.

2. How-to videos.

How-to videos are great ways to educate your consumers and sell your products.  This works especially if you have products that need assembly or instruction.

For instance, if you sell furniture, you might want to create a video on how to assemble them when they get delivered.  Not only will you be able to show how various pieces look when they are assembled, but it is a great help for your buyers who do not have to wonder where that last piece of screw should go.  If your video can be seen by consumers while in the store, this can also help save display space.

Another way to use how-to videos is to teach your consumers at home.  For example, if you run a fitness center, you could create a video on the classes that you offer so that your members can watch them at home or share them with friends.

3. Show them the many ways they could use your products.

Cooking videos work great for groceries.  You might have seen a product demonstration happen at your local grocery where they teach you how to cook a dish using particular ingredients.

You could also show people how to repurpose your product.  For example, if you have a bakery, show them the many things that they could do with stale bread.  It could be something like making home-made croutons, or something more creative like a bread house or basket using old bread, some glue, cement and water.

4. Answer their questions.

If your business has been around for quite some time, there are bound to be people coming in and asking you questions.  A dentist would get a lot of questions about root canal, or some other dental procedures.  If that is the case, create a video that answers everything people need to know about root canals, then another one for another dental procedure and so on.  This way, you can create far more interesting video FAQs and it could establish you as an expert in your field.

5. Show them proof.

One of the best things that you could do to back up your claim is to take a video of it.  Still on dentists, if you claim that your procedures are painless, then show it.  A good example is this: Dr. Jerry Gordon’s videos titled “The Painless Dentist“.

This also works for service companies like the business services that we promote here in our ethical directory.  It would be very difficult for you to showcase the results of your services.  For example, if you run a dog training school, or a house repainting service, pictures can be deceiving and it could be Photoshopped, but it is very difficult to manipulate videos.

So create a video showing the before and after shots of a house you renovated, or how obedient a dog became after you trained it.

6. Showcase your products.a video is a great way to showcase your products and services

You could also create a video of your products and services, extolling its various features and benefits.  Take note, however, that you should make it really interesting, or else it would come across as a cheap commercial.

7. Have your customers pitch for you.

Your satisfied customers are still the best way for you to get new customers into your door.  Why not put up a video version of your testimonials?  Have your customers talk about your products and services and how happy they are with it.

Another way is to have your customers show other people how they use your products.

8. Give them a tour!

Have you ever gone scouting a school for your kids and wondered just how things are inside the classroom and beyond?  Or perhaps you wanted to know if the rooms are really as spacious as in the pictures on the website?

Businesses can give their potential customers a tour of the facilities they have to show off their equipment, amenities, how they put on premium on hygiene, and give the customer a feel of what to expect in the future.

This works really well for real estate professionals who can create virtual tours of the houses they are selling, so that people could just view the videos without even visiting the house.

Also, it could be an interesting look at the places at your location that people do not get to see.  For example, if you run a restaurant, you could show people just how efficient and clean your kitchen is by giving them a video tour. There is a nice example of a video for manna vegetarian restaurant in London here.

What are some of the best (or worst) local business videos you have seen?  If you have any other video ideas worth sharing let us know in the comments as well.

Search Engine Optimization, Inc. understands that Videos are such a big part of today’s online consumer diet that you would be remiss not to add it onto your small business internet marketing table.

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