Video marketing for business: five videos you can shoot on a phone

Video marketing no longer needs a production company or a budget in the tens of thousands. A well-thought-out video shot on a phone usually works better than a polished commercial, because it blends into the feed instead of looking like an ad.

In this guide I go through what kind of videos a small business should make, how to produce them cheaply and which channels they suit.

Why video is worth it

Video conveys three things text cannot: a face, a tone and the end result in motion. For a service business that means trust before the first call. For a product it means a chance to show how the thing actually works.

The practical reason is distribution: social platforms recommend video more than other content. The same message reaches people who do not yet follow you more often as a video.

Five video types that produce

1. The answer video

One question customers often ask, one short answer. “What does a roof repair cost?” or “How long does the project take?”. These are the easiest to make and the most useful to the viewer, and the material is endless: every recurring sales question is a video.

2. Before and after

Works in every field where the end result is visible: renovation, cleaning, hairdressing, design, websites. Short, concrete and shareable. Remember to film the starting state; you cannot do that afterwards.

3. The process video

How the work is actually done. This builds trust and justifies the price better than any price list: when the customer sees everything the job involves, the price feels better founded.

4. The customer story

The customer says in their own words what the problem was and how it was solved. The most convincing content type there is, because somebody else delivers the praise. A few questions agreed in advance is enough; do not write a script.

5. The introduction video

Who you are and how you work. One video for the front page or a service page. This is the only one on the list you do not have to remake often.

Light production: what you actually need

Filming. A reasonably new phone is enough. Shoot vertical for social and horizontal for the website and YouTube. Lighting: turn towards the window, not away from it. That one thing improves quality more than a more expensive camera.

Sound. More important than the picture. A viewer forgives a grainy image but not echoing audio. The phone’s microphone is fine up close; a better option is a wireless lapel mic costing tens of euros.

Editing. CapCut or the phone’s own editor is enough: cut the pointless openings and pauses, add captions. Professionalism comes from tightness, not from effects.

Captions always. A large share watch with the sound off. Automatic captions need proofreading, because they often go wrong.

The first three seconds

The viewer decides immediately whether to continue. Start with a claim, a question or the end result. Never start with a greeting and an introduction; that is the surest way to lose the viewer.

Compare: “Hi, I’m Misa and today we’re talking about websites” always loses to “This one mistake costs your business customers every week”.

Which channels video suits

• Instagram and TikTok: short vertical videos, 10–30 seconds. Best reach to new audiences. More on the subject on the Meta advertising page.
• YouTube: longer guides and answer videos. Works as a search engine: the videos are found years later.
• LinkedIn: expert content and customer stories for a B2B audience.
• Your own site: introduction and customer story videos on service pages. Make sure autoplay does not slow the page down: load the video only on click.

The same material is worth using in several places. One filming day produces ten short videos if you plan the topics in advance.

What video marketing costs

Done yourself the costs are close to nothing: a few hours a month and possibly a microphone. Bought in, the price varies a lot: a simple social video package typically costs hundreds of euros, a professional introduction or commercial thousands.

The sensible model for many small businesses is a combination: buy one proper introduction video and customer stories for the site, and make the everyday social videos yourself. That gets you both without the costs running away.

Many videos from one shoot

The most efficient way to produce videos regularly is filming several at once. Set aside two hours, write down ten questions customers ask in advance, and answer each one separately to camera.

The result is ten short videos, enough for a month or two. Changing clothes partway through makes the videos look different, if you want the posts to look like they were filmed on different days.

The same material is also worth cutting to different lengths: a long version for YouTube, a short one for social and a still with text for email.

Using video in advertising

Video works differently as an ad than as organic content. Three differences are worth remembering.

The first seconds matter even more, because the viewer does not know you. Start with a problem the audience recognises as their own.

The call to action has to be said out loud and shown as text. In organic content raising interest is enough; in an ad you have to say what to do next.

Test several versions. The same message with a different opening can produce a very different result, and that cannot be predicted in advance. More on the subject on the Meta advertising page.

Video on a website: what to bear in mind

On a site, video is effective but also a risk for speed. Three rules: do not use autoplay with sound, load the video only on click or use a light preview image, and host the video on YouTube or Vimeo rather than on your own server.

Add a text alternative or a summary of the video to the page too. It serves people who do not watch videos, and gives search engines content they cannot read from the video.

Summary: the first ten videos

The easiest way to get going is not to plan too much. Write down ten questions customers ask you every month. Those are your first ten videos.

Set aside one afternoon, point the phone towards the window and answer each question separately, in half a minute at most. Cut the pointless openings and add captions.

Publish one video a week and look after two months at which topics collected the most views and enquiries. They tell you what to do more of, and by then you have learned the filming routine well enough that the next round no longer needs a separate decision.

Remember to use the videos somewhere other than social media too. The same customer story works in a sales meeting, as an attachment to a quote and in email. Once a video has been made, using it again costs nothing extra, and many companies leave this entirely unexploited.

The videos are also worth archiving sensibly. Name the files by subject and keep the original uncut takes. A year later the same material yields new edits without a new filming day.

Frequently asked questions

Should a small business do video marketing?

It should, if the workmanship can be shown or if trust is built on people. A video made on a phone is enough for most purposes, so the barrier is low and the cost small.

How long should a marketing video be?

On social media 10–30 seconds; on YouTube as long as the subject requires. An introduction video on a site is best kept under a minute. One thing per video works better than several almost every time.

Do videos need a professional?

Not for everyday content. A professional is worth using for the site’s introduction video and customer stories, where quality affects credibility. Social videos often work better made yourself.

What does video marketing cost?

Done yourself, essentially only your own time. Bought in, light social video packages typically cost hundreds of euros and professional introduction or advertising videos thousands, depending on scope.

How do I measure video marketing results?

Track average watch duration and how many moved on from the video: to the site, to an enquiry or to a purchase. View count alone says nothing about the business.