With the global expansion of small businesses and solopreneurs, the race to the top of the entrepreneurial ladder has become faster, more competitive, and inevitable. Each day requires speed, ease, and creativity to drive higher audience engagement and longer life cycle loyalty.
SMBs are credited with creating a large number of jobs across the globe. They are major drivers of global economic growth and have been increasing at a rapid rate in recent years. As of 2020, there were an estimated 31.7 million SMBs in the US. Also, small businesses make up about 90% of the total worldwide!
Sustaining any business is definitely more of a challenge than starting it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), only 25% of new businesses actually make it to 15 years or more of surviving and growing in the global market.
This happens for a number of reasons: not investigating the market well enough, limited financing or budget, trying to expand too quickly, and even unsatisfactory marketing or internet presence.
SMBs often need to put in much more work to build and grow, but proper planning, research, and a lot of flexibility are key to taking any business to the next level.
Why SMBs Need Videos
Videos haven’t just changed the way people consume content, they have influenced buying patterns. The human eye is drawn to movement, so video ads are much more likely to grab attention as compared to static or simple poster ads.
Consider this: people are about 27 times more likely to click on an ad that is a video rather than just a plain banner. Also according to recent reports, 73% of customers are more likely to buy a product or service after watching a branded video about it.
Here’s a proven factoid: We’re more likely to retain television ads as visuals than pages of content – think about all the tv ads you watched growing up as a kid and compare them to still ads you may have seen on billboards. According to Hubspot, 80% of customers remember a video that they watched in the past month.
SMBs have to compete with much larger companies and search engines for their product to get attention. Since they have neither the budget nor the resources as bigger businesses, they need to make more out of less.
And what is the secret weapon? Videos. Small and medium businesses that are looking to convert laypeople and viewers into serious customers have to inevitably go down the path of video creation.
Video advertisements have evolved from traditional TV ads to online platforms. In recent years, with technology and the internet taking over, social media ads are the way to go. They are not only comparatively cheaper but are also easier to post more frequently. There is a much wider range of audience that will watch these ads and thus they greatly help to draw attention.
Advertising on online platforms is much easier, faster, and cheaper and has more visibility around the world.
On the flip side, video creation can be quite expensive to produce and transmit. The process is time-consuming and requires a certain level of skill that can take years of practice and intricate courses to perfect. Rendering videos also can also take up quite a bit of space on your devices and is a lengthy process.
Here’s why online video editors like illusto work well for SMBs:
You don’t need to divest extensive amounts of time in learning the software or hire someone expensive to create or edit videos. You also don’t have to invest vast sums of money in expensive offline editors.
illusto is super easy to pick up. With a model that stores all special effects, transitions, and filters in one place, it is also easy to use. Author, coach, speaker, and entrepreneur, Jane Malyon was a complete novice in video creation and editing, and her testimonial after using illusto is that she cannot stop experimenting with edits now, she’s hooked!
illusto also has a variety of preset sizes and different export formats. There is no limit to the duration of videos you can create, so go crazy and get creative!
For more features visit www.illusto.com and log in.
The app does not have expensive upgrades and doesn’t need to be downloaded. It is simply one browser search away!
Where can SMBs advertise their video content?
1. Embedding a video on a website
2. Reels on Instagram
3. Posts on Facebook
4. Quick promotion on Twitter
5. Sponsored content or dynamic ads on LinkedIn
Videos that every SMB must create to take their businesses to the next level
In today’s day and age, creating experimental and unique videos is what will help to set your small or medium business apart from the rest. Holding back is not an option anymore. Through illusto, you can create the content that your business requires most while engaging with trends and video types that suit your audience the best.
Here are some videos that your SMB can create using illusto:
1. Brand story videos
2. Customer testimonials
3. Small ads
4. Instagram reels
5. Promo videos
For those looking to get started with illusto right away, all you need to do is log in, upload your media, and get going!
