Like many of you, I didn’t want to do video. I like the process of writing and don’t always love myself on camera.

But, as I have written before, video is here to stay – and it can be a great marketing tool for a small business owner. I thought it might be helpful to give you some examples of how to do it easily and effectively.

Example 1: Clarity over Coffee

Clarity consultant Steve Woodruff was a long-time contributor to this blog. He is smart, focused, and snarky. All of this comes through in his very short video series he calls Clarity over Coffee.

Steve is also known as the King of Clarity, and he cuts through fuzzy language and corporate jargon with a cleaver.

Watching him do a dramatic reading of a corporate mission statement that said nothing of substance was a thing of beauty.

Note: You’ll need to unmute this with the button on the bottom right-hand side. 

Steve keeps his videos short, usually 2-3 minutes, and then he just uploads the files. Easy peasy.

You can see Steve Woodruff’s great videos on his King of Clarity page on Facebook.

Example 2: Tea With the Bee

Anna Marie Imbordino of Chicago Buzz Marketing, Inc., a full-service marketing and public relations firm, launched a fun and helpful video series called Tea With the Bee to tie in with the name of her company.

I had the pleasure of meeting Anna Marie at a networking event, and I was completely inspired by her industry knowledge and enthusiasm for getting great results for her clients.

Since she is the owner of an agency, the graphics and visual look and feel are important. However, you’ll notice that she just adds some effects on top of raw footage, and is not shooting these in a studio.

Anna Marie’s personality shines through while she provides great information for prospects and clients.

You might want to subscribe.

Example 3: Morgan Moment

In case you’re thinking that you need a beverage theme, you don’t.

My company’s branding has always been professional with a comic book feel. I carried that through in my opening sequence, which Carol says looks like a game show from the 70s.

After I got the hang of it, these Morgan Moment short videos take me half the time I spend writing blog posts. This includes uploading them natively to Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

From a marketing perspective, it’s a great use of my time. I get a lot of views on Facebook and LinkedIn, which keeps me top of mind for people who might need my services, or who might refer a colleague or partner to me.

Like Steve above, I am a solo practitioner and people are “buying me.” After watching a video, a prospect feels like they know me.

I will share that these videos have helped me get a few new clients.

Did I inspire you to try doing short videos?