Small Business Video Marketing: Creating Vlogs to Market Your Business

When it comes to small business video marketing, one of the trickiest parts is figuring out what kind of video content you should be making. It’s the part that requires you to have your ears to the ground — to be acquainted with the ins and outs of social media — which is something that a lot of small business owners struggle with.

 

One of the most popular types of videos small business owners can make is a vlog 

(video blog), or a “day in the life” style video that documents your activity for a day, or a snapshot of a day.

 

The vlog is the go to for influencers and influencer style business owners, but anyone can do them. One of the best parts of a vlog is you can record yourself without talking, and then clip together the content with a voiceover, making it a low effort result with a high impact.

Why WE DO SMALL BUSINESS VIDEO MARKETING

There’s not really one specific reason that vlogs work; they are so helpful for so many aspects of small business video marketing. However, one of the most important ways vlogging can help business owners is it helps us connect with our audience. 

 

At the end of the day, people want to relate to you. And, by showing the mundane, the humdrum, the everyday, audiences will identify with you even more. And while it’s not the only factor, a big part of making sales is how well you connect with your customers. A business that works to relate to their audience will almost always win over a business who doesn’t try at all.

 

Watching you as you go through your day helps people feel they are seeing a more authentic version of you. from getting dressed, to what you eat, to work. Vlogs help your audience get to know you, and, by extension, connect with you.

 

One of the best parts of vlogs is they naturally help your viewers to be more engaged — they’re not forced! Often it’s a question about something you’ve bought, worn or used, but it’s a start. You might also have gone through an experience during your day others have too, and that will help them to connect with you more. 

Learning from Others

If you’re interested in trying this format out, I recommend you watch other creators first to work out the style you like the most. Think of it like a kind of market research — you need to figure out what’s out there already, what works, and what you can add to stand out.

 

A great example of a vlogger is Lisa Perese-Cullen who vlogs on her life as a mother, and owner of her lingerie business “Harper”. She’s fantastic at mixing her marketing for her business with her personality, so while her audience comes for her humorous deadpan observations, they leave having learnt about her business. This is exactly what vlogs are great for — they give us space to show the human side of our businesses.

Recording Tips and Tricks

The first step to actually recording a vlog is to consider what you want the overall message to be. If you want it to be about being a working parent, plan to make your video tell that story. If you want it to be about a day in the life at your office, plan to include clips of your workday.

 

Going further, think about the steps of the journey that need to be recorded. For example, if I choose to vlog on a networking event I’m attending, I might think about how it’s going to be about my anxiety in social situations, and how I’m doing it because as a marketing coach I need to model trying new things. A vlog is a mini story; it needs to have some kind of structure.

 

The really great thing about vlogs is that all you really need is your phone (so make sure it’s charged!). You can choose to record the content on your phone, then edit in an app such as Capcut, or record as you go in Tiktok or Instagram reels, depending on your level of confidence. 

 

While, ideally, we should aim to get clear, well lit crisp shops, this is real life (even as a curated version) and we don’t want to overthink it. However, do try to keep your phone stable while filming. You don’t need to worry about sound as you’re going to use a voiceover. I also recommend that, while filming, you account for a few “B roll” shots, to give yourself more wiggle room for talking time later on. The “B roll” may be of the scenery, of you walking somewhere (video your feet), or of the venue you are attending.

Recording Your Voiceover

Recording a voiceover is a key element of vlogging. The voiceover can sound like your “inside the brain” voice, with you using images of your day as the outer activity. This is part of what makes the viewer connect more deeply with us, as it’s giving a glimpse into the inner workings of the brain behind the business.

 

So, once your video is all recorded, I suggest planning the talking points of what you want to cover. If you think you’ll need it, write a script of what you want to say. Then, test it with the video you have. Some of it might need to be edited or even deleted to make the voiceover fit with the video content. Then, hit record and do your voiceover with plenty of expression and speak quickly. Short form video content requires a quick pace, otherwise people get bored! 

 

A common mistake when creating this kind of vlog is not making the voiceover the star of the show. With such limited time, the video should be there to support what you’re saying, not the other way around. Take time and consider what you want to say in your voiceover. It should go deeper than just what is seen on screen.

Final Touches

Almost there! Here’s my best tips for putting the finishing touches on your vlog:

 

• If you want to be able to share it on any platform, make sure it is less than 60 seconds. 
• Add subtitles to make your video more accessible/able to be watched without sound.
• Add a caption to the video before making it live.
• Add hashtags to help send your video to the right audience.

 

It’s now ready to be shared on any platform!

Choosing the Right Platform

Now you’ve recorded your vlog, it’s time to post it — but where? Vlogs tend to shine most  on platforms like Tiktok and Youtube and Instagram, but they can also be shared on Linkedin and even Facebook. Where you post your vlogs really depends on where your audience is. As they can work on pretty much all platforms, think about the way that your target audience uses social media and work around that.

 

For example, if you are marketing towards teens and young adults, TikTok is likely where you should go. On the other hand, if you’re marketing to business owners, LinkedIn may be your primary platform. As always, it comes down to knowing your audience and catering to them.

 

Whether you only make vlogs occasionally, or they become one of the most common forms of video content for you and your business, it is a format well worth trying. It is one of the best formats for relationship and community building, and stimulating conversation, and they truly are so easy. Vlogs are a great dip into the pool of letting your audience get to know you and I promise, it will do your business such good.

When it comes to small business video marketing, one of the trickiest parts is figuring out what kind of video content you should be making. It’s the part that requires you to have your ears to the ground — to be acquainted with the ins and outs of social media — which is something that a lot of small business owners struggle with.

 

One of the most popular types of videos small business owners can make is a vlog 

(video blog), or a “day in the life” style video that documents your activity for a day, or a snapshot of a day.

 

The vlog is the go to for influencers and influencer style business owners, but anyone can do them. One of the best parts of a vlog is you can record yourself without talking, and then clip together the content with a voiceover, making it a low effort result with a high impact.

Why Vlogs Work

There’s not really one specific reason that vlogs work; they are so helpful for so many aspects of small business video marketing. However, one of the most important ways vlogging can help business owners is it helps us connect with our audience. 

 

At the end of the day, people want to relate to you. And, by showing the mundane, the humdrum, the everyday, audiences will identify with you even more. And while it’s not the only factor, a big part of making sales is how well you connect with your customers. A business that works to relate to their audience will almost always win over a business who doesn’t try at all.

 

Watching you as you go through your day helps people feel they are seeing a more authentic version of you. from getting dressed, to what you eat, to work. Vlogs help your audience get to know you, and, by extension, connect with you.

 

One of the best parts of vlogs is they naturally help your viewers to be more engaged — they’re not forced! Often it’s a question about something you’ve bought, worn or used, but it’s a start. You might also have gone through an experience during your day others have too, and that will help them to connect with you more. 

Learning from Others

If you’re interested in trying this format out, I recommend you watch other creators first to work out the style you like the most. Think of it like a kind of market research — you need to figure out what’s out there already, what works, and what you can add to stand out.

 

A great example of a vlogger is Lisa Perese-Cullen who vlogs on her life as a mother, and owner of her lingerie business “Harper”. She’s fantastic at mixing her marketing for her business with her personality, so while her audience comes for her humorous deadpan observations, they leave having learnt about her business. This is exactly what vlogs are great for — they give us space to show the human side of our businesses.

Recording Tips and Tricks

The first step to actually recording a vlog is to consider what you want the overall message to be. If you want it to be about being a working parent, plan to make your video tell that story. If you want it to be about a day in the life at your office, plan to include clips of your workday.

 

Going further, think about the steps of the journey that need to be recorded. For example, if I choose to vlog on a networking event I’m attending, I might think about how it’s going to be about my anxiety in social situations, and how I’m doing it because as a marketing coach I need to model trying new things. A vlog is a mini story; it needs to have some kind of structure.

 

The really great thing about vlogs is that all you really need is your phone (so make sure it’s charged!). You can choose to record the content on your phone, then edit in an app such as Capcut, or record as you go in Tiktok or Instagram reels, depending on your level of confidence. 

 

While, ideally, we should aim to get clear, well lit crisp shops, this is real life (even as a curated version) and we don’t want to overthink it. However, do try to keep your phone stable while filming. You don’t need to worry about sound as you’re going to use a voiceover. I also recommend that, while filming, you account for a few “B roll” shots, to give yourself more wiggle room for talking time later on. The “B roll” may be of the scenery, of you walking somewhere (video your feet), or of the venue you are attending.

Recording Your Voiceover

Recording a voiceover is a key element of vlogging. The voiceover can sound like your “inside the brain” voice, with you using images of your day as the outer activity. This is part of what makes the viewer connect more deeply with us, as it’s giving a glimpse into the inner workings of the brain behind the business.

 

So, once your video is all recorded, I suggest planning the talking points of what you want to cover. If you think you’ll need it, write a script of what you want to say. Then, test it with the video you have. Some of it might need to be edited or even deleted to make the voiceover fit with the video content. Then, hit record and do your voiceover with plenty of expression and speak quickly. Short form video content requires a quick pace, otherwise people get bored! 

 

A common mistake when creating this kind of vlog is not making the voiceover the star of the show. With such limited time, the video should be there to support what you’re saying, not the other way around. Take time and consider what you want to say in your voiceover. It should go deeper than just what is seen on screen.

Final Touches

Almost there! Here’s my best tips for putting the finishing touches on your vlog:

 

• If you want to be able to share it on any platform, make sure it is less than 60 seconds. 
• Add subtitles to make your video more accessible/able to be watched without sound.
• Add a caption to the video before making it live.
• Add hashtags to help send your video to the right audience.

 

It’s now ready to be shared on any platform!

Choosing the Right Platform

Now you’ve recorded your vlog, it’s time to post it — but where? Vlogs tend to shine most  on platforms like Tiktok and Youtube and Instagram, but they can also be shared on Linkedin and even Facebook. Where you post your vlogs really depends on where your audience is. As they can work on pretty much all platforms, think about the way that your target audience uses social media and work around that.

 

For example, if you are marketing towards teens and young adults, TikTok is likely where you should go. On the other hand, if you’re marketing to business owners, LinkedIn may be your primary platform. As always, it comes down to knowing your audience and catering to them.

 

Whether you only make vlogs occasionally, or they become one of the most common forms of small business video marketing for you and your business, it is a format well worth trying. It is one of the best formats for relationship and community building, and stimulating conversation, and they truly are so easy. Vlogs are a great dip into the pool of letting your audience get to know you and I promise, it will do your business such good.

For more tips and tricks for creating small business video marketing, check out this blog!