It is well established that over the past few years, video has been one of the key growth trends in the marketing world – the pandemic and successive lockdowns have only confirmed the need for small businesses to embrace this format in their content marketing strategy.

Research shows that by Feb 2021 75% of UK shoppers had increased their online purchasing activity. Our own VisualGPS research shows that 4 in 10 GenZ or Millennial shoppers would be most influenced by a video to select a small business to shop at, ahead of even an in person visit.

A recent survey also points to the fact that video is clearly one of the most effective storytelling and communication medium of today. In particular, 92% of marketers who use video say it’s an important part of their strategy, 86% of businesses already use video as a marketing tool and 89% report that video provides a good return on investment.

For small businesses, it enables audiences to gain deeper insight into how a product or service works, and learn about who you are as a business and your values, fostering a greater customer connection.

So, video is no longer a “nice-to-have” marketing tool — it’s an essential. But for many, the barriers to creating professional-quality video, especially cost, are still considered too high.

While you’re looking for ways to keep your budget in check, there are a number of tools that make video creation easier and more affordable, without reducing impact. Here are a few tips to integrate video into your marketing strategies:

1. Tap into stock video

As businesses churn out hundreds or even thousands of marketing assets per year to connect with and engage their audiences, stock video clips are an efficient and cheaper alternative to costly original video production.

Though video has traditionally been more expensive than still images, platforms such as iStock offer subscription plans that give subscribers on-demand access to millions of video clips at a price that fits any budget. It also allows customers to license video clips for as low as a few dollars per clip.

Though video has traditionally been more expensive than still images, platforms such as iStock offer subscription plans that give subscribers on-demand access to millions of video clips at a price that fits any budget. Additionally, there are websites that provide free videos of nature, which can be used to enhance your marketing content. It also allows customers to license video clips for as low as a few dollars per clip.

2. Use free video editing software

Business owners understand that video marketing is vital to the growth of their bottom line, but video creation can be time-consuming, costly and complex.

These pain-points deter many small businesses from creating their own video content, leaving customers and dollars on the table. It is therefore crucial to choose a video editor tool that offers a simple user interface that eliminates needless complexity and doesn’t require any previous design or editing experience.

The platform should also offer easy step by step guides to help users from the start to the finish of the video-creation process.

Finally, the platform should also provide access to a wide range of photographs, videos, music and illustrations, to enable creators to find the right look and deliver the right message for any business with customisable colours, fonts, layouts, logos, templates, and calls-to-action to develop everything from social media ads to promotional marketing material in minutes.

3. Maximise the reach of your videos by adding keywords. 

No matter how slick your visuals are, if they aren’t seen by your target audience, they won’t have the intended outcome.

Including SEO keywords is a simple, yet often overlooked, step for video optimisation, and it is essential for successful digital marketing. Start by conducting a keyword search on your video’s topic — there are a few tools, like Keywords Everywhere, that will generate words to use and let you know how often they appear in search engine results.

Once the keywords have been selected, use them in places like the video title, description (keep it short!), file name, and any promotional content posted on the web or social media. It’s important that the keywords flow throughout the content, which will result in a greater chance of appearing in search results.

As well as boosting engagement, video has been proven to help small businesses to grow their audience and increase loyalty. In fact, 84% of consumers surveyed in a recent study stated that they had been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

However, it’s important to remember that content needs to be relevant to deliver a good ROI.

For small businesses looking to boost sales using video, you should ensure the content communicates what your brand values are, as insights from our Visual GPS research found that 77% of UK consumers are more likely to be loyal to brands whose practices align with or support their values.

By developing video content that aligns with your brand small business can win big, without breaking the bank.

Grant Farhall is chief product officer of iStock