In the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, people are doing a few things online. We are all either researching the news surrounding what is going on, we are taking to the internet for a source of entertainment, or we are working from home.
Needless to say, we’re online more than ever. That’s why this is the best time for your home services business to get going on social media—and there’s no more engaging format to use on social media than video. With the right video content, you can be a helpful resource to your consumers while ensuring your business stays visible and more likely to capture business now and in the future.
But to get started, you first need to answer this question: “What should my business be talking about right now?” Here are a few ideas and methods to approach social video marketing...
Which topics are most important to consumers during this time?
In our current state of the world, it’s more important than ever to highlight all the safety precautions you business is conducting. From how you’re treating your employees to how you’re interacting with customers, be transparent about your business.
What are you doing to protect your staff? What are you doing to make sure your customers aren’t feeling worried about your staff entering their homes? What precautions are you taking overall?
These are the questions you need to be thinking about before you start creating any content for your social media pages.
How should I share that information?
Once you know which of your business’ safety protocols you want to highlight, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are the perfect place to raise awareness about these tactics and procedures. And social video content can be especially engaging, considering that it gives people a clear visual, and it can also tends to feel more personal.
All you need is a smartphone to shoot a quick video for social media, though there are also plenty of affordable options if you want to invest in video recording equipment. And if you want to kick it up a notch with editing, you can edit on your phone with programs like Adobe Premiere Rush.
In your videos, explain what you’re doing to protect customers’ and employees’ safety in today’s health crisis, and you can even provide visuals by showing the protective equipment your staff is using and demonstrating special methods for interacting with customers and their homes.
How can I make my video content relevant to my target customers?
Because people are at home using all their amenities more than ever, it’s time to hone in on the services that are being requested the most in the current climate. Keep in mind that your prospective customers are searching online for content that will answer their questions.
For example, to capture the attention of people going into Google and searching “how to replace my air filter?” you should consider creating a “how to” on this topic. You can shoot the video in your own home or in a customer’s home (with their permission). If you notice a certain question is asked over and over again by your customers, chances are this information is not common knowledge and people could benefit from content on this topic.
These frequently asked questions are great for using in FAQ videos. If you love documenting things with your phone, such as a day in your life or what you’re currently up to, you’re actually doing something called video blogging, or “vlogging,” which is another video resource to host on your social media page.
What will make my videos more visible and impactful?
Having an advertising budget to promote your videos is essential. When you invest in video advertising, you can get your videos seen by more people, and more importantly, you can show them to specific audiences (meaning the right people are seeing your videos). We always advise our clients to create an advertising campaign to maximize exposure for their videos, as social media sites are what we call “pay-to-play” platforms where you get the best exposure with paid ads.
However, if this is not an option for your business at this time, the next best thing is to focus on your organic (or unpaid) presence on social media. This involves building an audience and engagement with that audience (via likes, shares, and comments) on social media by generating original content, whether that’s in the forms of text, image, or video posts.
Facebook has had an increase of 53% of users in March (considering how much more time people are spending at home right now), so your audience is definitely there. Now it’s up to you to share valuable content that gets your business in front of potential customers on social media.
Measuring which social media platforms work best for your content is also a must. This is a great time to begin posting and measuring which social media outlets lead to the best performance. If you decide to post videos on Tik-Tok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube and then find that Facebook is the only place you receive any views or engagements, then you know Facebook needs to be where you focus most of your energy.
What else do I need to know for my video marketing strategy?
Keep in mind, video marketing on social media is a marathon, not a sprint. Taking this on is a commitment, but it’s a fantastic tactic to connect with potential customers and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Video content creation takes time to master, but once you’ve nailed your ideal format and you have an idea of what your target audience is actually responding to, it really is a fantastic resource to add to your company’s home services digital marketing tool belt.
With so much uncertainty going on in the world right now, the best thing you can do is make sure your business is there to answer important questions and provide helpful information when it matters most. Video marketing is just one way to do that.
If you want to learn more about how to best adjust your business’ strategy in the wake of COVID-19, make sure to visit our resource page. Or, you can always contact us if you have specific questions, and we would be happy to assist you.
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