A year ago, Local Search Association’s (LSA’s) Greg Sterling discussed the big marketing opportunity most small and medium-sized business (SMBs) and marketing vendors miss: video. At that time Google released data stating that “how-to” searches on YouTube had grown 70% vs. 2014. The idea was that videos, specifically those that provide helpful “how-to” information, were a powerful content marketing strategy for SMBs.
Beyond just “how-to” videos, SMBs have been challenged by the cost and/or the know-how needed for creating and publishing promotional videos online. To accommodate the smaller budget advertiser, just last week Google released the YouTube Director for Business app for the iPhone. The app “provides shot-by-shot guidance—so you can create a high-quality video ad and upload it right from the app.”
Google released this accompanying video.
Online video is an increasingly powerful promotional tool for SMBs. Last August, LSA released a report documenting the impact online video has been having on consumer behavior when it comes to engaging with local businesses. According to the report, of consumers that use online video during the search process, 71% end up making a purchase with 51% doing so within the same day.
With U.S. smartphone penetration approaching 80%, and the majority of these phones having adequate video recording capabilities, most SMBs are armed with what they need to develop promotional video content. The Google/YouTube app simply helps these businesses make more effective videos, handling the majority of the planning, creative, editing, and publishing effort required.
The app provides SMBs with over 100 video templates to use. The templates allow SMBs to focus on a product, service or testimonials from customers and span a broad range of use cases and industries. The step-by-step instructions explain how to frame the shot, what to discuss in the video and when.
Google posted one of the final videos made within the app from a barber shop in Los Angeles (below). The video was promoted via AdWords and according to a Google study, the video ad drove a 73 percent increase in ad recall among target customers on YouTube, and a 56 percent lift in brand awareness.
Google clearly wants more SMBs to buy video ads. According to AdWeek’s coverage of the news, larger businesses with larger budgets are engaged with YouTube ads, but the app is intended to grow the number of smaller businesses who advertise on the platform.
