One powerful tool for promoting small-to-medium-sized enterprises is video marketing. On the latest episode of The Small Business Show, we’re joined by Maxwell Bentley, Founder and Executive Producer for the Bentley Media Group. Bentley offers important tactics that business owners should consider while using videos for promotion.
Nowadays, video is thought to be the most effective digital marketing medium. Compared to other mediums, it helps audiences develop trust more quickly. Moreover, videos create an emotional connection with viewers by weaving a brand’s story with a combination of visuals, sounds, and music. According to Bentley, “Video allows brands to captivate their audience.”
Key Takeaways:
1. Entrepreneurs can make their content discoverable on YouTube by optimizing video descriptions, titles, and tags, as YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine, following Google. At the same time, younger audiences like Generation Z tend to utilize TikTok as their primary medium for search engines.
2. Bentley Media was launched in 2007 when Bentley was just 17 years old. At that time, YouTube was not yet a major social media platform, but Bentley had always enjoyed filming people and things, even as a young child. He never outgrew this interest, and once he discovered YouTube, he started creating videos about the now massively successful video game Roblox. One of his videos went viral and received more than three million views. This caught the attention of the developer, who became his first client.
3. People often overlook videos, but they can have a significant impact on us, similar to films. In the early days of cinema, people used to go to the theatre to watch the “moving picture” that generated different emotions. Bentley notes that this is the same basis for video. He believes that entrepreneurs should use videos to tell their brand’s story and emotionally connect with their target audience. However, Bentley argues that businesses not using videos will ultimately fail.
4. If you’re uncomfortable with creating videos for your brand, take a moment to analyze the foundation of your brand’s story. Check if your message includes any aggressive sales pitches, and remove them if you find any. Customers are less likely to relate to or connect with an overly ‘salesy’ brand. Instead, focus on discovering the fundamental story connecting people to your brand.
5. Ultimately, as entrepreneurs, Bentley believes there is a moral obligation to get on video and other social platforms to share your message.
"Cameras have become ever present in our lives." – Maxwell Bentley
