Stuck finding ways to generate new business for your agency? Then the real question to ask yourself is have you ever considered adding video marketing to your online marketing strategy. If not, this is the episode for you.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• The benefits of rich media in your agency marketing.
• Top 3 mistakes to avoid in video marketing.
• How to repurpose your video content and give it legs.

In this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class, Brian Town, schools us on video marketing. After a 17-year career as a high school TV and video production teacher, Brian switched gears and founded Michigan Creative.

Over the past 5 years the agency has grown to a team of 10 which serves clients in web development, video branding and social media. Brian shares some great tips on starting or improving your video content to it becomes a major lead generator.

Why video marketing?

The real question is, why not video?

1. It’s never been easier or cheaper to produce and edit video.
2. Video content lives forever on multiple formats and can be repurposed in many different ways.
3. No one can replicate you on video.
4. One video, genuine and authentic personalities shine through. People buy from people.
5. Developing a great video takes as much time as writing a stellar blog post and gets just as much SEO juice.
6. Videos are more easily consumed than a written blog post. People would rather watch than read.

Mistakes to avoid in video marketing

1. Not using the right equipment. Brian says video still has reputation for being expensive but all you really need is a few inexpensive pieces of equipment – it’s much more affordable than you’d think.

It’s true you can record great video on your tablet or smartphone. (ALL my videos are done on my iPhone or iPad and a ring-light like this one.) The other two pieces of essential equipment that Brian recommends are a tripod and external mic. There’s a huge difference in sound quality when you’re mic’d.

2. Being “birthday mom or dad.” You know the type. They’re the person who records the entire birthday party from start to finish. No one ever wants to watch that video. It’s a total snoozer. People just want the highlights. So capture the special moments – not every minute.

Make sure you communicate the goal of the video right away. Then make your point in a direct, brief manner and include a specific call to action. Be brief – like 60-90 seconds, max.

3.  Unclear or too many call-to-action(s). Your video should solve one problem or ease one pain point for your prospects. If you have more to say or more to accomplish create a new video for it.

Think about how/why you search for a video in YouTube… in most cases you have a problem you want to solve quickly. Brian recommends putting yourself in your prospect’s shoes. Determine what they’re searching by making a list of their common questions, issues and problems.

How to repurpose videos for more impact

Once you’ve got a great list of video topics, Brian suggests spending part of day shooting 5-10 at once. They can then be edited into multiple pieces of content to use in a variety of ways across different platforms.

For example: my #AskSwenk videos are usually 7-10 minutes long and answer 3 questions. (I even did one about video marketing for your agency.) The full video get posted in the blog section on my site. I also slice those into 3 separate, mini-episodes and post them socially. The shorter 2-3 minute videos get even more engagement than the full episodes.

Get creative about where you use video… It can live on your site as a vlog, embedded into emails, posted on social platforms. You can also pull GIFS or sound bites to post on social, you can use it on your About page… the opportunities to use and reuse video are endless.

Hey, Smart Agency Master Class fans! Save time & win more work

Replace your proposals, quotes and presentations with interactive + mobile-friendly webpages that plug into your systems and are as easy to build and reuse as they are beautiful.

Check out Qwilr. Sign up now for free by using the coupon code smartagency while upgrading.

Grow Your Agency

I hope this spotlight on how video marketing can transform your agency was beneficial to your marketing strategy moving forward. Don’t just stop there but take a step back and really look struggles you need to focus on to improve your business. I have all you need to get through these obstacles.

I have advice on topics from gaining agency exposure in the news, how to build authority for your agency or even ways to use facebook marketing strategies to expand your brand awareness. If growth is your focus, I’ve discussed the four phases of growth within your agency and how website issues could be holding your business back from reach your potential.

You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

If videos are more your thing, don’t worry, i’ve got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.