3 Reasons You Should Update Your Video Marketing

Two men shooting a video marketing ad

When it comes to video marketing, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. There are so many places consumers view video today – billboards, social media, websites, TV, search engines, apps. Plus, people are no longer watching video just on their TVs or computers. Now it’s convenient to watch on smartphones, tablets, and even e-readers. Which is all the more reason it’s important to update your video marketing for your business.

Why Should You Update Your Video Marketing?

Here are three reasons you should update your video marketing now:

1. Your Aesthetics & Content Need A Refresh

Retro TV, VCR, and soda cans displaying old video marketing
Retro TV, VCR, and soda cans

Now if your video marketing hasn’t changed since the 1990s, you don’t need us to tell you they desperately need an update. But it’s not the 2000s or even 2010s anymore either, The Internet is constantly changing, and so should your online presence, video included. Are the people, the styles, the objects, or the technology in your videos outdated? A good way to find out is to put yourself in the following fictional scenario: If you were to approach a potential customer in person wearing the same style, showing the same objects, and using the same technology in your videos, would that customer be more focused on your appearance or your message?

Perhaps it’s not the tangible items that need to change in your video marketing. Is data or information in your video current? Today’s consumers are highly intelligent. With new information readily available online, having updated, accurate information in your video marketing is vital if you want customers to take your business seriously.

Source: NG Production Films

2. Your Customer Base Has Expanded

It’s certainly good news when your customer base is expanding. But with growth comes change. Remember when we mentioned there are so many ways for people to consume video today? That means your video marketing net should widen to capture more demographics and types of people. While every business has its target demographic, limiting your video marketing to attract a narrow set of people increases your potential to lose sales and customers.

A large part of online video consumption comes from newer social media platforms. TikTok didn’t exist until 2016. Stories and Reels are newer options to share video on Facebook and Instagram. And let’s not forget about LinkedIn. As of 2019, LinkedIn is the most trusted social platform for credible content. Yet only about 1% of users shared posts then! Consider that a huge opportunity to establish your business as a trusted authority in your industry using video content.

3. Your Videos Are Getting Lost in the Shuffle

Have you heard of the term “ad fatigue”? Elevato describes it as “a phenomenon that occurs when an audience becomes desensitized to an ad set causing ad efficiency to decrease.” In simpler terms, people are tired of seeing ads. This reinforces our earlier point: video is everywhere. But as a business who wants to stand out in the crowd rather than get lost in the shuffle, your video ads need to be different. How? By telling a story. Stop selling! People have been telling stories since the beginning of time. Your video marketing might have current content and subject matter, but if you’re trying to sell rather tell, you probably need to update your videos.

Another element that can impact your videos’ reach relates to branding. Video marketing is a great way to reinforce your brand using your logo, brand colors, and even tone. Does your company have a mission? Make sure every video you put out there reflects it. Does your company sell a humorous product? Or is your company a non-profit with a serious mission? Whatever tone your business adopts, be sure to create video content that aligns with your company’s vision.

Source: The Social Shake-Up

If there’s one takeaway here, it’s that video isn’t going anywhere. Review your video marketing and ask yourself the following questions: Is the subject matter or information out of date? Are your videos failing to capture more demographics? Do your videos reflect your company’s mission and vision? Is your brand obvious in your videos?

If you’re ready to update your video marketing, consider contacting your local marketing agency today.

Why Marketing Your Startup Business Matters

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve started a business, or maybe you’ve been a small business owner for the last couple years. And you know better than anyone that starting, much less marketing your startup business, is no easy task. You can’t just perform one simple task. Owning a business means wearing a lot of hats, juggling a lot of balls, and maybe coming up with a better metaphor to express the challenges a small business owner faces.

Sometimes the to-do list of a startup business owner is so long, marketing might not seem all that important. With everything else you’re supposed to manage, could marketing your startup really make that much of a difference?

Millions of Small Businesses Are Vying for Consumers’ Attention

As of 2020, there were 31.7 million small businesses in the United States (Over 1 million were startups between 2019 and 2020 alone!) And guess what? Every one of those 31.7 million businesses want a slice of the customer pie. If you don’t want your startup business to get lost in the shuffle of 30 million other businesses, there’s something key you can do to build your brand and reach those potential customers with whom you want to share your message, service, or product. Come on, you know where we’re going with this. Let’s say it together: “Marketing!”

Number of Startup Businesses Started, 1997-2017
Marketing your startup business can be challenging in today’s incredibly competitive market with millions of new businesses starting every year.

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy

Digital Marketing Is the Primary Mode of Communication between Small Businesses and Their Customers

In a survey of over 1,000 small business owners, results clearly indicated the top two modes of communication between businesses and their customers were email at 71.8% and Facebook at 60.8%. What does that mean? If you want to communicate with your customers, utilizing digital marketing channels could significantly boost the number of potential customers your business could reach. If you’re just getting started, now is the perfect time to start marketing for your startup!

Email and Facebook marketing lead the way for marketing channels employed by small businesses.
Employing digital marketing channels, such as email and Facebook marketing, could help with marketing your startup.

Source: Campaign Monitor

Marketing Your Startup Business Creates Authenticity in a Increasingly Distrusting World

According to a Havas Group report in 2021, almost 70% of consumers do not trust advertisements they see. Even worse? Those same consumers distrust 71% of brands. So where does authenticity fit in? Businesses without an established brand, say little or no social media profiles, lack of a website, minimal or no advertising, no testimonials – nothing to point to your business’s legitimacy means that your business is hard to trust. In other words, how can customers believe your startup business can solve their problem or provide a solution when your marketing is nonexistent? The short answer: building trust with consumers starts with marketing.

Marketing helps create authenticity in today's world.
Marketing your startup can provide authenticity in an increasingly distrustful world.

Sources: Entrepreneur, MarketingDive, Havas Group

Okay, if you didn’t know before, we’re certain you understand now: marketing is essential for your startup. But let’s face it, it’s really hard to not get overwhelmed by the long marketing to-do lists. There’s web design, and print marketing, and social media, and graphic design, and PPC, and SEO, and wait, what do all these acronyms mean, and how do you learn and execute all these marketing channels AND run your business . . . ?

Whether you’re trying to stand out in a crowded market, unsure of how to connect with your target customers, or want to establish a trusted brand, talk to your local marketing agency about taking your startup marketing to the next level.

5 Reasons to Outsource Your Marketing

“Why should I hire you if I can just figure it all out myself?” This is a common question many small business owners ask when they consider outsourcing marketing.

And that’s a great question. This might not apply to EVERY business. But most small businesses that are struggling to juggle everything are going to want to hear this. So here are 5 reasons it’s time for MOST businesses to outsource their marketing.

Business owner feels overwhelmed. He should consider outsourcing his marketing.
Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe it’s time to outsource your marketing!

5 Reasons to Outsource Your Marketing

1. You’re Juggling Too Many Things

When you have to do everything yourself, two things often happen:

  • You can’t perform every task at a high level because you’re too busy trying to do everything, so often you’re unable to give the necessary attention to all aspects of your business; OR
  • You forget about or give up on trying to do everything, so things like marketing fall by the wayside because you don’t have the time to dedicate to it.

If you see yourself in either or both of those situations, you’re not alone. You’re just juggling too many things, like this business owner.

2. You’re Focused on the Short Term

Like all good things in life, marketing takes time. And that time is a commitment you make to really invest in your business. But most business owners are often just trying to get through the next day, the next week, or the next month. And when it comes to marketing, this mindset is doomed to fail. Why? Because you’re focused on just the short term. It’s time to change your focus.

How do you start thinking with a long-term perspective? Since marketing strategies need regular planning and constant attention, you can start seeing results over time. Unfortunately, it is a rare business owner who can dedicate enough time to create a long-term plan specific to marketing.

That’s why many business owners will throw ideas at the wall and hope for the best. But this rarely works, if ever. And that’s why outsourcing your marketing to a team with the time can prepare your business to be successful over the long term.

3. You’re Losing Valuable Time

We often think of most things to purchase in terms of cost. How much is this lunch going to cost me? Am I going to have enough money to spend on my daughter’s dream wedding? How many dollars did your spouse just spend on that boat?! But what about the cost of your time . . . ?

If you’ve noticed a common thread through all these points, is that in most cases, business owners don’t have the luxury of time to dedicate to marketing. Ask yourself what all you could accomplish if you didn’t have to do all or any marketing by yourself.

Or maybe you haven’t spent much time on marketing, but it’s something you wish you had time for. A great marketing plan takes time and effort to create. And we’d love to help you do that!

4. You’re Limited to Only One Person’s Knowledge

Now maybe you or someone on staff has some marketing experience. That’s awesome! But what if you could multiply that knowledge? Together at Paragon Marketing Group, we offer more than 50 years of experience covering every aspect of marketing. Imagine what you could accomplish with so much more knowledge!

Let’s say you don’t have a background in marketing, but you’re considering hiring a person in-house. Now, this isn’t a bad solution, but consider the difference between hiring a full team of marketing experts as opposed to paying a single person a salary.

5. You Could Have So Many More Services at Your Disposal

Outsourcing your marketing truly does come with its perks. Consider all the additional services you could have employed for your business:

  • Email marketing, listings, social media, online advertising, podcasts, direct mail marketing
  • Video production, video marketing, streaming services
  • Web design, web hosting, web maintenance, e-commerce functionality, and SEO
  • Branding materials, advertisements, and presentation design

That’s a lot of services! And you could have all of them at your disposal if you chose to outsource your marketing.

You now have 5 great reasons to consider outsourcing your marketing. 

Now it’s pretty natural to have doubts or uncertainties about moving forward. It’s a big step. So as you have questions, consider talking to a marketing agency that could help take your marketing to the next level, and relieve that pressure you’ve been facing to do everything yourself.

Why Is Social Media Important?

social media head bubbles

Many people have asked the question, “Why is social media important?” But it’s no longer a question of if your business should be using social media, but which social media channels your business should use and why. Let us explain. Approximately 88% of marketers say that social media has helped increase their exposure. Keep reading to find out why implementing social media into your business’ marketing strategy is important and how you can go about it.

Why Is Social Media Important?

Social media is an extremely useful tool because you can reach new and current customers. It’s a way to communicate with them and establish a better relationship with them. It’s a useful tool to post about a sale or promotion, updates about the office, or just promoting a new product! Most social media platforms now give you the ability to livestream or post a story that stays up on your profile for 24 hours which is perfect for if you have a limited-time sale or something quick to share with your audience.

Which Social Channels Should You Use for Your Business?

There are a few different things to take into consideration when picking out which social media platform to use.

1. Identify Your Audience

  • Who is your typical customer?
  • What is the age range of your customers?
  • Are they male or female?
  • What are they interested in outside of your service?

2. Define Your Goals

What do you want social media to bring to the table for your business? Do you just want to engage with your customers, use it as a way to sell your product, or use it as a way to provide customer service? Maybe it’s all three. Make sure you’re clear on what your goals are.

3. Find Your Audience

Once you have your demographic and goals defined, you can choose a platform. Which platforms are best for your demographic? Here are four of the main social media platforms and what their typical demographics are:

Facebook

The main purpose people use Facebook is to build relationships and keep in contact with friends and family. This is why it’s a great place to build relationships with current customers and provide customer service. It also offers Facebook Ads to boost your business and promote it to your targeted demographic.

Instagram

Instagram is the second largest social media after Facebook. Since it’s more visually-based, it’s great for restaurants, retail, and beauty, it relies strictly on photos and videos to communicate. However, if your business doesn’t fall into one of these categories, Instagram can be a great place for you to update your customers on what’s going on around the office, post how-to videos, and you can create engaging graphics to post.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is not only for older audiences like most people think; nearly 60% of LinkedIn users are between the ages of 25-34 years. This platform has a more narrow focus on job searching and networking. This is another great platform to let your connections know about exciting upcoming projects or that new logo you hung up in the conference room over the weekend!

TikTok

Since this platform only started in 2018, using it as a marketing tool is a fairly new concept, but a very exciting one. TikTok is solely based on videos that people create and the sky’s the limit. You can post skits, how-tos, reviews, a “day in the life”, etc. The average age of TikTok users is pretty even across the board with 25% being between the ages of 10-19 and 20% being between the ages of 40-49.

If social media marketing is something you want to tackle and become an expert on for your business, reach out to one of our team members at Paragon Marketing Group today. We’re here to help. (262)443-9092