startups looking to build their brand visibility fast, video marketing can be the ultimate strategy for cultivating volition. With the right video marketing strategies in place, you can showcase what makes you different, why you’re passionate about your industry, and how you want to help others. Videos show the human side of your brand, building trust and sparking interest in a way that static text or images simply can’t match.
So let’s help you use video marketing for your startup in a practical, achievable way. No matter if you’re a complete novice with all things digital media or you’re just looking to expand your skills, you’ll learn video strategies you can implement today.
Below, we’ll cover how to tell your origin story, highlight your team, and create educational content that adds value. By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the know-how and confidence you need to start making videos that grab attention and leave a lasting impression.
The best place to begin is by considering logistics. What equipment do you need to invest in to get your video marketing campaigns started? For most startups, this can be as simple as investing in a dedicated camera phone for social media posting and a lapel microphone or two to allow for easier filming on the go.
Hardware is half the equation, however. You also need to make a catalogue of digital tools that can help elevate your content production. This is where tools like the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite can be a great investment, for instance. Gaining proficiency with these industry tools can be done with even just a few short courses. Plus, you can now even use tools like an AI video editor to make production even simpler and faster no matter whether you’re a seasoned software user or a total beginner.
Once you’ve got your toolkit down, the next step is to start writing your narrative. You can start your video journey by simply sharing the how and whys behind building your brand and go from there. Even better than a good joke, a good story keeps your audience engaged and interested in seeing more.
The same goes for an emotional connection, which you can develop with your audience by creating a persona for your brand. The easiest way to do this is simply be the face of your business, sharing your own emotions and life involved with the business.
Your team is the heart of your registered startup, and giving your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your team members makes your brand more relatable and memorable. Share short interviews, behind-the-scenes clips, or light-hearted interactions to showcase your team’s personalities, skills, and passions.
When your audience can connect with the real people behind your brand, they’re not just purchasing a product or service - they’re supporting a community of individuals with a story they care about. Celebrate your team and you will build trust, loyalty, and a sense of community around your startup.
Video testimonials have the added benefit of emotion, expressions, and of course, endorsements and recommendations. Seeing a real person genuinely enjoying and engaging with your brand builds audience trust and inspires interested people to give your products or services a try.
One of the quickest ways to get some great customer testimonials in video format is to simply host an event or two, invite your clients and customers along, and ask whether they’d be happy to share a few words. You may even opt to create some UGC (user-generated content) and other digital marketing strategies to encourage customers and clients to create their own videos. Even just participation in these initiatives can represent an endorsement of your brand and business.
Don’t just show them your product or service. Teach them how to be better at what they want to do. A cleaning company? How about 1-2 minute videos about removing set-in bathroom mould, or cleaning window fixtures and fittings?
Genuine how-to videos create useful content that your viewers will appreciate and use, and at the same time display your competence and expertise. If you educate your viewers, you present your brand as confident, capable and proud of what it does, and you create video content that people will actually want to watch and share.
Sneak peeks and development videos can be a great way to create buzz and work out pain points ahead of release. In fact, developing your products alongside your audience gives your viewers a connection to this item they’re helping to develop, which can even lead to them promoting by word-of-mouth.
You might be launching a new cryptocurrency and you want some interest before it’s available. The easiest way to do videos during development is through weekly updates, livestreams, or response videos.
To dive into response questions a little more, this is your direct line to your customers and the best way to do FAQs. Not only does it resolve confusion, but it shows that you’re directly interested in your customer’s satisfaction.
One of the advantages of having a web presence is that even if you’re just starting and don’t have any viral videos to answer questions for, you can always get friends or family to ask about your startup and answer questions from there.
To further build your online community, inspire fans to make videos too. Giveaways and working with influencers are the easiest ways to do this. You can do this by sending out your product for free to interested influencers in return for a video, or by holding a video competition.
Don’t be afraid to go big or even off-brand. For example, if your startup is an app for lawncare, you could jump to a “best lawn” competition, but that would be narrowcasting. Narrowcasting can be great for niche interests and diehard fans, but to reach the broader audience you want to get to the core appeal of your product. For lawncare, it would be enjoying a nice lawn, so you could hold a raffle for people who have picnics on nice lawns. Not only does it attract a larger audience, but it sells the appeal of lawncare too.
If you hit it big with a video concept, continue it as a series. “Will It Blend?” might be the most famous example of this. Blending golf balls, iPhones, and marbles showed off how powerful Blendtec blenders are while entertaining the audience with something that people couldn’t see anywhere else (and wouldn’t want to try at home).
The trick to a good series is to maintain the core appeal without being one-note. In much the same way that a joke isn’t as funny the second time you tell it, treading old ground with your video content and failing to consider what value your content provides can run the risk of your brand growing stale online.
Video marketing doesn’t have to be just another box to check on your to-do list. It’s an opportunity to bring your startup to life for your audience. Tell your story from the beginning. Showcase your team. Create helpful and educational content. When you share your journey in this way, viewers become engaged supporters who understand and trust your brand.
Begin with bite-sized content, authenticity, and consistency. Don’t be afraid to tell your story, even if it’s in short and simple videos. The more you share your story in video format, the more your startup will stand out from the competition. Video content is a powerful tool for startups looking to gain more exposure and make their business memorable for their target audience.
When you build and nurture this connection with potential customers, the more your business grows in terms of not just exposure, but credibility, trust and loyal customers that care about what you have to say.