If you’re finding it harder to capture attention and turn visitors into customers, you’re not alone. Today’s buyers expect more than static images and text—they want to see how a product works before committing. That’s where product videos come in.

Product videos don’t just showcase features; they tell a story, build trust, and reduce uncertainty. When done well, they can significantly improve engagement and drive more conversions. The good news is, you don’t need a massive budget to get started—just a clear strategy and a focus on what your audience truly needs.

Let’s explore how product videos can elevate your sales and what you can do to make them work effectively.

Why Product Videos Matter More Than Ever

Customers are making faster decisions, but they’re also more cautious. They want clarity and confidence before they buy.

Product videos help by:

• Demonstrating how a product works in real life
• Answering common questions upfront
• Reducing hesitation and doubt
• Creating a stronger emotional connection

Instead of imagining how something might work, your audience can see it in action. That shift alone can make a big difference in conversion rates.

How Product Videos Increase Conversions

1. They Build Trust Quickly

Trust is often the biggest barrier to purchase. A well-made video shows transparency and authenticity.

For example, a short demo showing the product being used in everyday situations helps customers feel reassured. They’re not just reading claims—they’re seeing proof.

Practical tip:

Keep your videos honest and realistic. Over-polished content can feel less genuine.

2. They Simplify Complex Information

Some products are difficult to explain through text alone. Videos make it easier to break down features into simple, visual steps.

Instead of long descriptions, you can:

• Show how to use the product
• Highlight key benefits in seconds
• Demonstrate results clearly

Practical tip:

Focus on the top 2–3 benefits that matter most to your audience. Don’t overload the viewer.

3. They Keep Visitors Engaged Longer

When someone stays longer on your page, they’re more likely to convert.

Videos naturally:

• Capture attention quickly
• Encourage viewers to stay and watch
• Reduce bounce rates

This increased engagement signals that your content is valuable and worth exploring.

Practical tip:

Hook your viewer in the first 5 seconds. Start with a problem they recognize or a strong visual.

4. They Address Customer Pain Points Directly

Your audience has specific frustrations—and your video is a chance to speak directly to them.

For instance:

• Show how your product saves time
• Demonstrate how it solves a common issue
• Compare before-and-after scenarios

Mini case example:

A small online store introduced a 30-second product demo showing how their item solved a daily inconvenience. Within weeks, they noticed more add-to-cart actions because customers could instantly see the value.

Practical tip:

Frame your video around a problem-solution format. It keeps the message clear and relatable.

5. They Improve Purchase Confidence

Uncertainty often leads to abandoned carts. Product videos reduce that uncertainty.

Customers feel more confident when they:

• See the product from multiple angles
• Understand how it works
• Know what to expect

Practical tip:

Include close-ups, real usage, and scale references so viewers know exactly what they’re getting.

Types of Product Videos That Work Best

Not all videos serve the same purpose. Choosing the right type can make your efforts more effective.

1. Demonstration Videos

Show the product in action and highlight its key features.

2. Explainer Videos

Break down how the product solves a specific problem.

3. Customer Testimonials

Real experiences build credibility and trust.

4. Short Social Clips

Quick, engaging videos designed to capture attention fast.

Practical tip:
Start with one format that aligns with your audience’s biggest need, then expand from there.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even a good idea can fall flat if execution isn’t right. Watch out for these common pitfalls:

• Making videos too long or unfocused
• Ignoring the viewer’s main concerns
• Focusing only on features instead of benefits
• Using poor lighting or unclear audio

Constructive note:

If your videos aren’t converting, don’t scrap them entirely. Review what’s missing—clarity, focus, or relevance—and refine from there.

How to Get Started Without Overcomplicating It

You don’t need a full production team to see results

Start simple:

1. Use a clear script focused on one key message
2. Film in good natural lighting
3. Keep videos under 60–90 seconds
4. Add captions for accessibility and clarity

Consistency matters more than perfection. Each video is an opportunity to learn and improve.

Conclusion

Product videos aren’t just a nice addition—they’re a powerful tool for increasing sales and conversions. By showing your product in action, simplifying information, and addressing real customer concerns, you create a more confident and engaged buyer.

What’s encouraging is that you don’t need to get everything perfect from the start. Progress comes from testing, refining, and staying focused on your audience’s needs. Every video you create is a step towards stronger connection and better results.

Keep building, keep experimenting, and trust that your efforts are moving you in the right direction.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your Preview (opens in a new tab)details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post How Product Videos Increase Sales and Conversions appeared first on Online Crowd.

Short-form video has rapidly become one of the most effective ways to capture attention online. Platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok have transformed how people consume content—quickly, visually, and on the go. For businesses, this shift isn’t just a passing trend. It’s a signal that audience behavior is evolving, and marketing strategies need to evolve too. If you’ve been wondering whether your business should be embracing short-form video, now’s the time to seriously consider it. It’s not just about dancing or going viral—it’s about visibility, storytelling, and connection.

In this post, we’ll explore how Reels and TikTok are shaping digital marketing, the potential benefits for your business, and whether it's the right fit for your brand. Let’s break it down so you can make an informed move with confidence.

Why Short-Form Video Works

People want content that’s engaging, fast-paced, and easy to digest. That’s exactly what short-form videos deliver. They typically run anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds, packing in value without demanding too much time from viewers. This format suits today’s audience perfectly—whether they’re scrolling during a lunch break or commuting.

Reels and TikTok both use algorithms that favor content with high engagement. So, if your video strikes a chord, it can gain significant traction, even from a small account. Unlike traditional ads, short-form videos allow your business to showcase personality, build trust, and encourage interaction—all at a relatively low cost

Benefits for Your Business

Short-form video can benefit businesses across industries. Here’s how:

• Increased Visibility: Videos have higher engagement rates than text or images. A single well-performing video can introduce your brand to thousands of new viewers.
• Humanizing Your Brand: People connect with people. Showing behind-the-scenes moments, real voices, or quick tips helps make your business feel relatable and trustworthy.
• Boosting Conversions: Viewers are more likely to take action after watching a video. Whether it's visiting your site, signing up, or making a purchase—videos help drive results.
• Staying Current: Being active on modern platforms sends a clear message—you’re in tune with your audience and open to innovation.

Common Concerns (And Why They’re Solvable)

“We don’t have time or budget for video.”
You don’t need a production team. Many businesses create effective content using just a smartphone and good lighting. Start small and build as you go.

“We’re not sure what to post.”
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Think about FAQs, product demonstrations, testimonials, or a day in the life. Content ideas are everywhere in your day-to-day operations.

“It’s not right for our industry.”
Short-form video isn’t limited to one type of business. Whether you’re in retail, professional services, or trades—there’s always a way to showcase your value creatively.

Tips to Get Started

• Keep it simple: Start with short clips—15 to 30 seconds—with one clear message.
• Use captions: Many people watch without sound.
• Be authentic: Don’t aim for perfection; aim for realness.
• Post regularly: Consistency helps with algorithm reach and audience trust.
• Engage with comments: Build a community, not just a following.

Conclusion

Short-form video isn’t just a trend—it’s a powerful tool reshaping digital marketing. Platforms like Reels and TikTok offer businesses a unique way to connect with audiences, build trust, and grow their reach. If you’ve been hesitant, now’s the perfect time to start experimenting. With a bit of planning, a creative mindset, and a willingness to adapt, your business can thrive in this fast-moving, visually driven landscape.

Embrace the progress, celebrate your creativity, and start showing up where your audience already is.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your Preview (opens in a new tab)details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post TikTok or Reels: Is Your Business Missing Out? appeared first on Online Crowd.

Why Explainer Videos Work

1. Simplify Complex Ideas

Explainer videos turn intricate information into simple, digestible content. They use visual storytelling and narration to make things relatable, even when the topic is complex. That approach helps visitors grasp your offering right away.

2. Engage and Retain

Because people remember around 95% of a message in video form, compared to just 10% from text, explainer videos greatly improve how long people stay on your page. That increased time signals value and can boost how your site performs in search results too.

3. Drive Conversions

Sites with a video on a landing page can see conversion rates jump by up to 80%. Real examples include Dropbox, which grew rapidly with a simple video on its homepage, and Crazy Egg, which boosted revenue by US$21,000 a month after using a video to explain its service.

4. Build Trust and Brand Recognition

When your explainer video uses visual branding that matches your voice and values, it reinforces trust and credibility. That familiarity makes people more likely to remember and engage with your brand later.

5. Encourage Sharing and SEO Benefits

Explainer videos are twice as likely to be shared compared to text content. Plus, by reducing bounce rates and boosting dwell time, they improve search engine rankings — websites with video are far likelier to appear on page one.

How to Make Your Explainer Video Effective

• Know your goal: Is it to explain a feature, onboard users or address FAQs? Tailor your video accordingly.
• Use the problem–solution–benefit structure: Open with a pain point your audience relates to, introduce your offering as the solution, then highlight key benefits. Keep it tight and focused.
• Keep it short: Around 60–90 seconds keeps attention high and prevents.
• Add a strong CTA: End with a clear, actionable prompt—“Sign up now”, “Learn more”, or “Try it free”—so viewers know exactly what to do next.

• Test and optimize: Try different versions—scripts, visuals or CTAs—and track what resonates best with your audience.

Acknowledging Progress & Creativity

You’ve already taken a creative step by exploring explainer videos, and that’s terrific. That initiative shows you’re committed to clarity and engagement. Now, enhancing your video with refined scripting and aesthetic polish can bring even greater results.

Conclusion

Explainer videos are a proven way to turn passive visits into active engagement. By breaking down complex ideas with simple visuals and narrative, they help visitors quickly understand and trust your message. That clarity fosters retention, boosts time on your site, and can raise conversion rates by up to 80%. Real world stories like Dropbox and Crazy Egg illustrate just how powerful a well crafted explainer video can be. You’re already showing creativity—keep building on that. Focus on a clean script, strong branding, and a compelling CTA. With testing and iteration, your video can become a standout asset, helping your website convert more visitors and strengthen your brand. You've made impressive progress; just fine tune a few elements and you’ll see even more impact.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your Preview (opens in a new tab)details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post Explainer Videos: The Secret to Higher Website Engagement appeared first on Online Crowd.

Why Video Testimonials Work So Well

People connect with people—not polished ads. A genuine video testimonial shows your product or service in action, through the voice of someone who's experienced it. That authenticity creates trust, boosts credibility, and can often tip a potential client over the line.

Example:A local trades business started sharing short client videos on their website and social media. Within weeks, enquiries increased, and customers mentioned the videos when booking.

Video also captures tone, emotion, and facial expressions—things that plain text just can’t. It feels real. It builds a story. And it helps your brand feel human.

Good to know: Even short, unscripted clips can have a huge impact. It’s about sincerity, not polish.

How to Collect Great Video Testimonials

You don’t need a film crew or fancy equipment. Most smartphones today record high-quality video. What matters more is how you ask—and how comfortable you make your client feel.

1. Choose the right time to ask

The best moment is right after you’ve delivered a great result—while the experience is still fresh and positive.

2. Keep it simple

Don’t script it. Just guide them with easy questions like:

• What problem were you trying to solve?
• How did we help?
• What would you say to someone thinking about working with us?

3. Make it easy

Offer to record it for them, or allow them to send a clip in their own time. Reassure them it doesn’t need to be perfect.

4. Be respectful

Always ask permission before sharing their video, and thank them sincerely. A little appreciation goes a long way.

Using Testimonials Effectively

Collecting the video is just the start—now it’s time to put it to work.

Post snippets on your website’s homepage, product pages, or quote forms. Share them on social media to build familiarity. Use them in email follow-ups to nurture trust before a sale.

Example: A consultant used a client video in a proposal email and noticed a big lift in conversions. Prospects felt more confident after hearing real feedback from someone just like them.

Tip: Add subtitles for accessibility and to make sure viewers can still engage with your video, even on mute.

Conclusion

Video testimonials aren’t just nice to have—they’re one of the most effective tools for building trust and converting leads. They let your happy clients share their genuine experience, adding warmth and credibility to your brand.

By making it easy and natural for customers to speak on camera, you’ll unlock stories that showcase your value better than any sales pitch ever could. You’re already doing great work—now let that work speak for itself. With each video, you’ll connect more deeply with your audience and grow your business the smart, authentic way.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your Preview (opens in a new tab)details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post Video Testimonials: How to Collect Them and Why They Matter appeared first on Online Crowd.

Here are five actionable strategies to use video marketing to boost your small business sales.

1. Showcase Your Products or Services in Action

Customers are more likely to purchase when they see products or services in real-life scenarios. Videos allow you to demonstrate how your offerings solve a problem or fulfill a need, helping potential customers envision themselves using your product.

How to Implement:

• Create How-To Videos: Show step-by-step instructions for using your product or service.
• Product Demonstrations: Highlight key features and benefits in a concise, visually appealing format.
• Customer Testimonials: Include satisfied customers talking about their positive experiences with your offerings.

Pro Tip: Keep these videos short (under 2 minutes) to retain viewer attention, especially on social media.

2. Leverage Social Media for Video Distribution

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube are perfect for sharing engaging video content. These platforms’ algorithms often favor video, meaning your content is more likely to be seen.

How to Implement:

• Post Stories and Reels: Use Instagram and Facebook Stories or Reels to share quick updates, promotions, or behind-the-scenes content.
• Go Live: Host live Q&A sessions, product launches, or tutorials to interact directly with your audience.
•  Leverage TikTok Trends: Create short, creative videos aligned with trending challenges to boost visibility.

Pro Tip: Use subtitles in your videos since many users watch without sound.

3. Optimize Videos for Your Website

Embedding videos on your website can increase engagement and improve conversion rates. Customers are more likely to make a purchase after watching a video on a product or service page.

How to Implement:

• Add Videos to Product Pages: Include explainer or demo videos to showcase the benefits of your product.
• Use Video on Your Homepage: Feature a welcome video to introduce your brand and highlight your unique selling proposition.
• Create an FAQ Video Section: Answer common questions in a video format to enhance user experience.

Pro Tip: Optimize your videos for fast loading speeds and use engaging thumbnails to attract clicks.

4. Run Video Ads

Video ads are a powerful tool for reaching new audiences and driving sales. Platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and YouTube offer robust targeting options to ensure your videos reach the right people.

How to Implement:

• Create Retargeting Ads: Show ads to users who have visited your website but haven’t made a purchase.
• Use Call-to-Action (CTA): Include a clear CTA like “Shop Now” or “Learn More” in your ads.
• Highlight Discounts and Promotions: Use video ads to showcase limited-time offers or sales events.

Pro Tip: Use analytics to track ad performance and refine your targeting for better results.

5. Engage with Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful way to connect emotionally with your audience and inspire them to take action. A compelling story can make your brand memorable and relatable.

How to Implement:

• Share Your Brand Story: Create a video about your journey, mission, and values.
• Feature Customer Stories: Showcase real customers sharing how your product or service has positively impacted their lives.
• Inspire with Behind-the-Scenes Content: Let viewers see the people, processes, or passion behind your brand.

Pro Tip: Focus on authenticity and emotional appeal to create a lasting impression.

Bonus Tips for Successful Video Marketing

• Keep It Short: Attention spans are shrinking, so aim for videos under 2 minutes.
• Invest in Quality: Use good lighting, sound, and editing tools to make your videos professional, even on a budget.
• Include CTAs: Always guide viewers on what to do next, whether it’s visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase.

Conclusion

Video marketing is a versatile and impactful tool for boosting small business sales. By showcasing your products, leveraging social media, optimizing your website, running targeted ads, and engaging through storytelling, you can connect with your audience in meaningful ways. Start small, measure results, and refine your strategies to make video marketing an integral part of your sales strategy.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your Preview (opens in a new tab)details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post 5 Strategies for Using Video Marketing to Boost Small Business Sales appeared first on Online Crowd.

Benefits of Live Q&As

Before getting into tips to run a live Q&A successfully on social media, it’s important to understand why they matter. A live Q&A can deliver the following benefits for your small business:

•  Boost engagement
• Expand your reach
• Improve your online presence

Choose the Platform Carefully

The first thing to do is decide what platform to host your live Q&A on. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch are all popular options, but they are far from the only choices. Remember to use a channel that will let your audience interact with you via chats.

The key to making the right decision is to choose the social media channel that your customers are on. If you want to maximize engagement during the Q&A, opt for the platform where you have the most followers and where your audience is most active. Still, you could also try using a Q&A livestream to grow your audience on a lesser-used channel. In that case, you will need to make sure to advertise heavily on the channels your audience spends more time on.

Promote the Q&A

Speaking of promotion, make sure you announce and market your Q&A. Otherwise, potential and current clients may not even know you are hosting the online event. They may even find out about it when it’s too late and not be able to attend. Aside from informing your current customers, promoting the livestream also helps generate additional interest, growing your number of attendees.

Promote at Least a Few Weeks Early

Ideally, you want to announce your small business’s Q&A sessions at least a few weeks ahead of time. At the very least, aim for a week before the event. For the best results, you want to treat the Q&A like you would an actual onsite event, which merits announcing it earlier.

Highlight the Benefits

As you promote your Q&A, do so in a way that highlights how it benefits attendees. By providing value, you will move attendees along the customer journey. You will also find yourself better able to attract attendees.

Encourage Setting Up Notifications

As part of advertising your live Q&A, consider encouraging your audience to set up notifications. At the very least, you can instruct them to set up notifications for your livestream. But ideally, activating notifications for all of your activity is the best way for them to stay engaged in your brand.

Prepare for the Q&A

While there is a time and place for impromptu business live streams, being prepared for a Q&A communicates that you value your customers’ time. Of course, you want to be prepared without appearing too stiff and rehearsed. You need to be prepared enough to answer questions and control the conversation yet natural enough to sound authentic and keep the conversation flowing.

Make an Outline

Start by drafting an outline or a list of the primary points you want to cover. This ensures that all vital information is included in the Q&A.

Ask for Questions and Prepare Answers

When advertising your upcoming Q&A, encourage people to submit questions to you. This saves you the stress of having to choose a question and answer it on the fly. It also lets you choose questions to answer based on your goals. Preselecting questions to answer will also help you address the most common queries of your customer base.

Once you have your list of questions, you can adequately prepare answers. It’s best to prepare your answers in bullet points and not sentences. Doing so will make your responses sound natural and not rehearsed, and you will ensure that all important points are covered since they are listed down.

Come Up with Additional Questions

If your audience doesn’t submit a substantial number of questions before the Q&A, come up with a few yourself. If you need inspiration, think about the most common questions thrown at your customer support team. Once you identify potential questions, you can prepare your responses in advance.

By preparing for this, you ensure that you have enough content to fill your planned livestream. With an adequate amount of questions and answers, you decrease the chances of lulls or dead air in your live online event.

Choose a Moderator

While you don’t need a moderator for a successful livestream, it can be incredibly helpful for a Q&A. This is especially important if you plan on answering questions that your audience submits during the livestream. In that case, the moderator will be responsible for deciding which questions get answered.

Even if you have your audience submit questions ahead of time, the moderator can help ensure that multiple people don’t start talking at once. Moderators help you run your event smoothly.

Interact With Your Audience

While you want to prepare some answers to questions before the Q&A session, you also want to give the audience opportunities to interact with you. Without the interaction, you might as well show a pre-recorded video instead of doing a livestream.

A good method to keep your audience engaged is to interact with users as they join. You can mention specific names as you welcome them. When you answer questions asked by users, make your responses personalized and sincere.

Do a Tech Run

One of the worst things that can happen is for you to experience technical difficulties while you are live. This will reflect poorly on your brand. By testing your equipment and technical setup ahead of time, you avoid this kind of problem. Most social media platforms let you set livestreams to private, enabling you to test your live event without any viewers. During this tech run, confirm that all your equipment works properly, especially your camera and microphone. Doing so also lets you confirm that the lighting is good and that your internet connection is stable.

Record It

Don’t forget to record your livestream. This is a good practice for any livestream your small business does, as it lets you save the video onto your YouTube or social media page. The video can then turn into a reference for people who have common questions. You can even edit the video to shorter versions posted on social media, each addressing one question at a time.

Conclusion

A livestream Q&A will let you engage with your customers and create a sense of community. To maximize your chances of success, choose the channel that your audience prefers and promote the Q&A across all other channels. Prepare some questions and topics to cover ahead of time, but encourage interaction from the audience as well. Finally, be sure to record your livestream for valuable content you can reuse.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post Live Q&As on Social Media: Tips for Small Businesses appeared first on Online Crowd.

There's no shortage of community-building tools available to businesses. Whether you’re just a startup with a limited marketing budget or a well-established organization, there are plenty of tools that make it much easier to launch community-building initiatives that help elevate the status of your brand.

5 top tools to use for online communities

1. Community forums

Some of the largest brands in the world, across multiple industries, operate their own community forums. The forums serve as a sort of meeting place for fans of the company, who can learn from the experiences of others and ask any questions that they may have about the products.

Community forums are also great for troubleshooting, since members often help each other out and provide tips on how to extract the most value out of the products. Discussion forums also happen to be one of the oldest community-building tools. Back in the day, forums were only text-based, without any multimedia functionality. Now, you can choose from a wide variety of discussion forum tools that provide excellent usability with the option to add videos, emojis, GIFs, and more.

2. Live streaming on social networks

Live streaming has become an incredibly popular tool for building communities and keeping members engaged. Video content tends to perform very well online and customers are now increasingly making purchase decisions based off of livestreams. The numbers speak for themselves. Live streaming as a format saw over 8.2 billion hours of content being consumed in the third quarter of 2021. This number is only set to grow even more.

The great thing about this platform is that it doesn’t require any investment in additional tools. The largest social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube, are free to use and they’re also the leading live streaming service providers. Simply set up a free page for your brand on any of these services and start live streaming.

3. Email marketing tools

It's easy to believe that perhaps email marketing doesn't have the relevance in 2022 that it did before but this couldn't be further from the truth. Email marketing remains one of the most popular ways to build a loyal community. The ROI on email marketing is also considerably higher compared to other methods.

There are popular tools like MailChimp and ConvertKit that can supercharge a brand's email marketing efforts. They make it possible to capture emails through opt-in and lead generation pages, which is a great way to grow the email list. Similar tools also make it possible to segment and tag subscribers, set up automations for email campaigns while also providing detailed stats to help you get the best out of email marketing.

4. Facebook Groups

This is another great option for businesses who may not be able to spend a lot of money on their marketing efforts. Facebook is free to use, even if you’re a business, and Facebook Groups are a powerful tool for creating communities of highly engaged members. Since this happens to be the world’s largest social media network, the groups on Facebook tend to see a flurry of activity. Recent figures have shown that over 1.8 billion people use Facebook Groups every month. The potential here is endless.

Make the loyal fans and customers who join your group feel valued. They will be the most vocal advocates for your products. Use the group to provide them with exclusive access to the company, whether that's true interactive sessions with key decision makers or sneak peeks at new products. Businesses can get far more reach for their posts in groups that they can get for their pages.

5. Dedicated app

While this may be better suited to more established businesses, given the costs involved in creating a full-fledged app, a dedicated app is one of the greatest community tools with an incredible growth potential. There’s far more control over the user experience in your own app compared to that of a social network.

The business can provide features and functionality that it deems most appropriate for its community. For example, the app can also be used to provide exclusive deals and discounts on products not available anywhere else. This ensures that customers always purchase directly through mediums provided by the company, instead of going through a third-party. A separate app can only include more social commerce features that fully tie the customer into the brand’s ecosystem.

Why every business should build a community

There are benefits to communities beyond customer retention and increased sales. People inherently want to be part of a community, of a tribe. They appreciate the feelings that it evokes. In the case of businesses, it makes them feel that they have a voice and can influence how the company they love to patronize operates.

This provides exceptional growth potential for a business, as long as it’s able to effectively tap into the community. It’s not just about increasing sales or keeping customers coming back for more. Businesses must also listen to what their community is saying. Whether it’s push back for a marketing campaign that wasn’t well received or feedback that can genuinely help make their products better.

It’s supposed to be a two-way street. Take the guidance and criticism that you receive from community members in your stride. Ensure that they feel heard and that their legitimate concerns are addressed. Learn from their experiences to see how your products and services can be improved. Keep communicating with them so that they remain engaged and feel product of supporting a company that they feel emotionally invested in. Such potential is difficult to replicate through any other medium.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post 5 Tools to Build Your Own Online Community, and Why Every Business Should appeared first on Online Crowd.

The stats don't lie. There were over 1.8 billion YouTube users across the globe in 2021. Approximately 30,000 hours of video is uploaded to the platform every hour. Over 60% of marketers say that they would increase their ad spend on YouTube.

That’s not surprising. YouTube provides businesses with an incredible opportunity to tap into a massive audience. They can also tap into YouTube’s vibrant creator community to forge partnerships and collaborations that enable them to get their message out to the right audience.

YouTube is a great social media channel for brands. Most now have their own channel where they can share everything from behind-the-scenes content to marketing videos and product reviews. Views may be easy to come across, but how do brands turn those views into customers?

How to increase conversions on YouTube

1. Capture viewers’ ‘next click’

People have a very short attention span online. They jump quickly from one website to the other, and in the case of YouTube, from one video to the other. As a brand, you want viewers to complete an action once they’re done with the video, and not just move on.

This requires influencing viewers on what their “next click” should be. The video should nudge them to complete a specific task. For example, this could be as simple as asking them to subscribe to your channel. If you want to drive them to a landing page, the video should tell them that they should visit the page for more information, an incentive, etc.

This strategy is tied to the production of your videos. They should be created in such a way that incentivizes viewers to take that next step once the video is done. Guiding them through this journey will bring a noticeable increase in conversions.

2. Using SEO to your advantage

Now this might have you confused. Isn’t SEO more about search engines than YouTube? When you think about it, YouTube is actually one of the biggest search engines after Google. People are literally searching for the content they want to view on the platform.

The idea with YouTube SEO is much the same as conventional SEO. You want your videos to appear at the top positions on the front page. The basics hold true here. Carefully construct the titles of your videos to include the keywords and phrases you want the video to rank for. Go one step further, include it in the description and even in the video's file name when it's uploaded to YouTube.

These steps are crucial to improving the ranking of your videos. A video on the front page is likely to get a lot more views than one that doesn’t even appear on page number five. Improving the traffic coming in for your videos is one of the simplest ways to increase YouTube conversions.

3. Design eye-catching thumbnails

A simple search on YouTube brings up a sea of videos that most viewers would just scroll through without a second thought. Usually, it’s either the title or the video’s thumbnail that catches their eye and makes them want to watch it.

Brands can’t go for outright clickbait titles that seem to be so common on the video platform. They have to exercise a level of restraint. However, that doesn’t prevent them from using the thumbnails to their advantage in order to increase the click-through rate.

There should be consistency in the video thumbnails that you use, as it helps with elevating the brand and familiarizing it with viewers. The thumbnails should be eye-catching and instantly recognizable as being related to your brand.

4. Boost engagement through live content

Live content is king on the internet and that holds true for YouTube as well. Brands have an incredible opportunity to increase engagement with their audience by going live on the platform. It provides viewers with an opportunity to interact and have a conversation with the brand in real time.

Viewers tend to appreciate live content because it appears more authentic. This helps the brand build trust, a vital element in getting viewers to convert. It's up to you whether you want your live content to have a more casual or professional appeal.

For the latter, you could prepare scripts in advance and invest in a professional set. This would result in a much higher quality of video production, further elevating the brand's position in the eyes of the viewer.

5. Don’t sleep on collaborations

Collabs are the name of the game on YouTube. Working together with other known YouTube personalities is a big trend these days. It allows for instant amplification of your videos since the YouTuber the brand collabs with brings their already established audience to the table.

Brands can work together with influencers on YouTube that are related to their niche in order to push their content to a significantly wider audience. The collabs not only increase the brand’s visibility but also effectively pitch it to the influencer’s audience that’s already quite receptive to their recommendations.

Being featured on a prominent YouTuber's channel or even getting a shout out from them can result in a bump in conversions, simply by piggybacking on their audience.

YouTube’s eCommerce features are great for conversions, too

If your brand sells products online, it could benefit from YouTube's ecommerce features. For channels that meet the eligibility requirements, YouTube allows them to have a merch shelf on their channel that's displayed on each video and also gets a separate Store tab on the channel.

Once it's set up, the merch shelf can also be promoted by pinning items during a live stream. Viewers can instantly purchase any of the listed products, and thus it's a great way of getting them to purchase your swag.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post Best Ways To Increase Conversions Through Your YouTube Channel appeared first on Online Crowd.

Start With What You Have – It’s Enough

Video marketing is one of the more intimidating areas of marketing for many small businesses. You may think you need to spend a lot to create high-quality videos, but this is not the case.

You can start producing quality videos and take advantage of this type of marketing on a very low budget. After all, most smartphones today have great cameras, and there are plenty of free or highly affordable video editing software options available.

Start your video marketing wherever you can, but make sure that you focus on learning new skills and improving this type of marketing.

Do Your Research

Your priority when creating video content for your marketing campaign should always be on quality, not quantity. You will notice much better results if you deliver just a few high-quality videos that people enjoy watching than if you create numerous low-quality videos.

But what is a quality video? Quality videos result from market research and a good understanding of your customers. They feature compelling content that appeals to your audience and genuinely interests them.

That means you need to do your research to make sure you know the topics your audience want to hear about.

Two good places to start: keyword research on Google and Youtube, and also visit online forums and communities where your customers ‘hang out’, and study the video topics that are already getting great attention and response from your audience on Youtube.

Provide Educational Content

One of the easiest ways to make compelling video content is to make it educational to your audience. Remember that you don’t need to have a high video budget to create quality videos; the content is more important.

How-to videos are a particularly great option for any small business. You can also create videos sharing tips and tricks, explaining features in more detail, or serving as buying guides.

Try Live Video

Try doing live video on your favorite social platforms. This is a good opportunity to connect directly with your audience and boost engagement.

What kind of videos are good for live?

Behind-the-scenes videos are incredibly popular. These are a great way to introduce your team, your story, and your products. They can also be ideal for making announcements.

Simply turn on the camera and start broadcasting, introducing members of your team and telling your audience what’s happening with your day. People love the candid connection!

Start With an Attention Grabber

There are so many videos online, so you need to create videos that stand out. One of the best ways of doing this is to ensure that your video catches the attention of viewers within the first few seconds.

Most experts agree that you need to catch the viewer’s attention within the first three seconds. If you don’t, people are likely to turn away.

Don’t Forget About Keywords

You are hopefully used to incorporating keywords into your written content, but you may not realize you should be doing this with video content as well. YouTube will automatically transcribe your video. This means that Google can use that transcription for search results.

There are a few things to do with this knowledge. Start by making sure you include your keywords early on in the video. Then, keep incorporating them naturally through the video. As a bonus, consider checking the automatically generated transcript for accuracy.

Remember There Are Multiple Platforms for Video Marketing

When it comes to video marketing, it is easy to just focus on YouTube and forget about everything else. However, you need to remember that other social media platforms also host videos. You will want to post your videos on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and other relevant channels, depending on where your audience is.

For the best results, do more than just post the same video everywhere. You also want to take a few minutes to optimize the video for each platform before sharing it.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post 7 Tips to Do More (and Better) Video Marketing for Your Business appeared first on Online Crowd.

But how can you use TikTok in your marketing? Should you pay for ads? Should you create content? We’ll outline just some of the ways to use this platform in your marketing.

What Is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media platform that lets people share short videos. Videos can use music in the background or just use the voice. There are also numerous memes and challenges on TikTok contributing to its popularity.

Experts estimate that as of February 2021, there were more than 1.1 billion monthly active users. In other words, a sizable proportion of your target audience is on TikTok.

With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to use TikTok in your marketing.

#1 Pay for Ads

The most obvious option is to pay for ads on TikTok. The ads will appear before and after videos on the application. You can choose from several ad formats. You also get to choose the audience that you want to target. This prevents you from wasting your marketing budget.

Common Advertising Formats

The ad formats you can choose from on TikTok include:

• In-feed videos on the “For You” page of your audience.
• Hashtag challenges that show up on the discovery page.
• Sponsored AR content, such as stickers, lenses, and filters for your audience to feature in their videos.
• Brand takeovers that show full-screen video ads when your audience opens the app.
• Custom influencer packages that connect you with influencers.

You’ll notice that we’ll talk about some of these in more detail below.

#2 Create Content to Share

The other main method to use TikTok is creating a channel for your small business then sharing your content on it. This gives you a great deal of versatility and leaves you open to following many of the other methods and tips on this list.

#3 Work with Influencers

Yet another option is to work with some of the influencers on TikTok. Just like on any other social media platform, influencers on TikTok are people with large followings. They can promote your business in exchange for money or free products or services.

Of course, working with influencers will be slightly different for small businesses than for large, global companies. You would want to find local influencers, so they can reach your target audience. It will not do you any good if you advertise a product or service you can’t deliver to an audience across the country. The exception would be if you sell a product online and can ship it.

#4 Create a Hashtag Challenge

TikTok is known for its hashtag challenges. These involve people posting content that meets a specific goal or is of a certain type, such as a dance routine, and using the hashtag. You can take advantage of this by creating a hashtag challenge that is relevant to your brand.

For example, if you sell clothing, consider a hashtag challenge that has people showing off different stylings of your pieces. The challenge doesn’t even have to feature your products or services directly. You could create a food-related challenge if you are a restaurant or an exercise-related challenge if you are a gym or sell sports gear.

#5 Make How-to Videos

One of the sub-methods of using TikTok to create marketing content is developing how-to videos. Keep them relevant to your products or services, and you should gain views and brand awareness.

Some ideas include:

• Food companies sharing recipes.
• Food companies sharing cooking tips.
• Craft companies sharing craft ideas.
• Craft companies sharing basic clothing repairs.
• Makeup companies sharing specific looks.
• Gyms or fitness companies sharing workout tips or exercises.

Get creative and think about what your target audience would like.

#6 Create Behind-the-Scenes or Introduction Videos

You may also want to create behind-the-scenes content. This could be a look at what various team members in your small business do daily. Or it could be a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making your products.

Consider including introductions to the team members, as well.

This type of content helps your audience relate and feel more connected to you.

#7 Incorporate Pets When Possible

Pets are a surefire way for your videos to get attention. If you can somehow incorporate animals into your videos, go for it. Maybe you’ll share videos of your “office dog.” Or maybe you’ll record your dog or cat “using” the product you sell.

#8 Create Product Demonstration Videos

Yet another type of video to create is a product demonstration. Use these videos to show how easy your products are to use or the positive impact they have on buyers’ lives. Depending on your product or service, these may take the form of before and after videos.

#9 Join Popular Challenges

Take a look at the popular challenges on TikTok, whether they are related to your business. See if your company should take part in any of them. For example, some of your staff could participate in a dance challenge.

#10 Use Hashtags in Your Content

No matter the type of content you create, be sure to use hashtags. Choosing the right hashtags will help make your video more “discoverable.” Stick to hashtags that are relevant to the video and your company. Of course, if you participate in a TikTok challenge, use the related hashtag.

#11 Use Analytical Data in TikTok Pro

As with any other type of marketing, you need to have analytics or metrics to follow to confirm that your efforts are paying off. The good news is that TikTok offers analytics to “pro” accounts, and upgrading to a pro account is free. All you have to do is go to the “Manage my account” section when signed in, and you can upgrade with a click.

Once you do this, pay attention to the analytics to see if you need to make changes or what’s working well. You should also look at “Followers Analytics,” which will help you better target your audience.

If you need help generating leads, please call us. We have an excellent lead generation program where we pay for all your advertising expenses and take all the risk for you. You only pay when you get results. This is a massive undertaking and understandably we're limited in how many companies we can help at any one time. If you're interested and find the program paused or not available, just leave your details and we'll let you know when it re-opens.

The post 11 Ways Small Businesses Can Use TikTok in Their Marketing appeared first on Online Crowd.