Video marketing is the new social media. If you don’t have it and aren’t using it to market your business, you are being left behind. It’s not only naturally engaging, but it tells a much better story than words or still pictures. (It’s why I was a TV reporter for 10 years and LOVED shooting and editing my stories!) Your business needs video! So take a stab at doing it yourself or hire a professional (like me) to tell your brands story.

Here are five video marketing tips for your business:

Consider your audience. You need to make sure the video is relevant to your audience. If it’s not, you’re wasting your time.

Tell a story. This is a big one, because so many brands want to promote instead of telling a meaningful story. A great story will get you further and will make for an even better commercial. Take a look at this video I did for Doral Buick GMC. It was so much fun and I think it comes across in the video.

Promote your video. It should hit your website first, then, social media! This is where social media is key. It’s the best platform to share your video with current and potential future customers. Depending on the outlet, you may get :15, :30, etc., so keep that in mind when posting. I’ve even created a series of videos just for those outlets because of time constraints. On Facebook, I posted this video to my fan page and pinned it to the top. That ensures a wider reach. (Click here to read more on the importance of social media.)

Keep it short. I don’t think anyone has the attention span to watch something longer than two to three minutes. There is just too much for us to see online. We are at the hands of information overload, so we need to tell stories with emotion while entertaining and educating fast. (It’s why video is the best!) Here is another video I did that includes all of those things in just 30 seconds. Sidenote: The only time a video entertained me for a long period of time recently (13 minutes) was this one. Watch it. It’s too funny.

Create a call to action. Someone just watched the video, now what? Make sure your website, phone number, email address, coupon code, whatever is accessible when the video ends. If not, what was the point?

I hope now you realize why video is important for businesses and how you can use video to grow your business. For more, visit my website or even better, sign up for my FREE e-course to learn how you can promote your brand by doing PR yourself. Click here to master your PR.