Using video to promote your business can be intimidating. Most of us don’t necessarily consider ourselves to be skilled at creating video unless we work professionally in the area. Despite the new prevalence of small video cameras like the Flip, chances are if you shoot any video at all, it is more related to kids birthdays and holidays than to anything professional for your business.

 

There is good reason to consider using that small camera for more than just personal reasons.  Here are a few ideas for sixty second videos that you can use to help sell your business, and easily create with a portable camera. This is not a substitute for working with a professional video team to create more compelling videos, but in a pinch you'll be able to show that your own naturally produced videos can have a big impact.

 

1. Tell your company story. 

Though it may seem like simple advice, the story of why your company exists is a great place to start with a video. In contrast to the typically useless text on your company website’s about page, using a video gives you a chance to share the backstory of your business with authenticity and can also be a great way to introduce new customers as well as new employees to your business.

 

2. Show your products or services in action. 

Depending on your business, video can be great as a way to demo your products and show a potential customer what the experience would be like. Another great way to use this type of video is to focus on answering some of the most common questions you get from customers and potential customers. Pointing them to a video can be a great way to save yourself some time and also offer value to a customer.

 

 

3. Get a customer testimonial. 

Anytime you see a suggestion like this, it almost always sounds easier than it is in real life. Asking your customers to record a testimonial doesn’t have to be awkward, though. The key is to make it feel more like an interview than a scripted message. That means building three or four good questions to ask your customer, such as what the project was and how they evaluated who to work with and chose you. Then ask the ultimate question of whether they would recommend you to a friend or colleague and why -- you’ll probably get pretty close to 60 seconds already.

 

4. Show your location. 

If you are a business with a retail destination, showing your location can have a great impact to help customers to learn more about your business and even find it more easily if they happen to be headed your way.

 

5. Animate your powerpoint. 

Aside from the video that you create by shooting footage, there are now a host of sites like Animoto that can help you create a video out of your powerpoint presentations. This can be a great way to take content that you already have and make it more interactive and compelling for customers to engage with -- without a huge amount of additional work.

 

Rohit Bhargava is the author of the best selling marketing book Personality Not Included, a guide on using personality to create a more human business that employees love to work for and customers can’t wait to buy from.