Your Small Business YouTube Strategy: 8 Videos You Should Be Using

Sometimes the world of online video can seem like it’s in an incredible a state of turmoil. Right now Twitter is either shutting down or selling Vine. Blab is being repurposed (maybe).

Yet for your small business, YouTube is like the video Rock of Gibraltar. It was there yesterday, it will be there tomorrow, and it stands firm against all the currents that cause other video providers to spin out of control. This gives you the confidence to know that any content you create will perform for you day in and day out for as long as you want to keep it posted.

And, while videos destined for being viewed by your customers are still a mainstay, they don’t completely define small business YouTube usefulness. Let’s outline some ways you can make better use of YouTube specifically and video in general.

1. In-house employee videos. Create a private YouTube channel for your team. Use it to post training videos and important company meetings. If your employees have to perform tasks at computers, one of the best ways to train them is through screen-capture videos, which are easy to make and virtually free.
2. PowerPoint and other slide presentations. Any presentation that uses PowerPoint (or can be exported to PowerPoint) can be saved in a video format. Useful videos for both your customers and your employees can be created this way. I know a teacher who relies on PowerPoint for classroom presentations. He records his audio while going through his PowerPoint slides and then posts them as video on a website for his students. When students miss class, they can easily catch up.
3. Marketing. Almost any video you make will have some potential to boost your marketing, but also consider producing professional videos that would serve as ads. You may not be able to afford a 30-second spot on a local TV station, but you probably can produce a slick ad that you can put on YouTube and your website.
4. Branding. You’ve seen the video white board animations where someone draws an illustration or the company logo. You can get this kind of video produced very inexpensively, sometimes for as little as $5 on Fiverr. They can be very effective on the homepage of your small business website.
5. Customer service. A high percentage of small business YouTube videos fall into this category. You can show your customers how to do things with your products and demonstrate new products or services. You can answer questions. They often serve the dual purpose of customer service and marketing. They also help establish your authority in your niche.
6. Vlog. A video blog (vlog) can serve a wide range of purposes and can be approached from many different angles. For example, it could just be you talking. It could be you and one other person discussing something. You could interview someone. You could take people on a tour of your business. You could translate a written blog into a vlog. You can do all of these things at different times. Need a little technical advice to get started vlogging? Check out this article by Susan Gunelius on how to create a Vlog in 10 easy steps.
7. Testimonials. Social proof is one of the most powerful sales tools you have. Frankly, when I see a text quote on a webpage offered as social proof, sometimes I get a little suspicious. However, if you can get a short video testimonial from a customer and feature it as social proof, it will go a long way toward turning a prospect into a paying customer.
8. About you. One of the most viewed pages on any website is the “About Me” or “About Us” page and it’s the perfect candidate for a YouTube video. An “About Us” video on your site and on your YouTube channel can be the ideal way to introduce your business to prospects.

Every business can use all or nearly all of the categories of videos I’ve outlined here. Be sure they are of sufficient quality to show to your prospects. And if you aren’t the best “on-camera” person, find someone else on your team to be the star of your small business YouTube videos.