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Most small business owners are terrified to press the red button.
Not because it’s going to initiate some catastrophic event or set off the emergency alarm, but because they are paralyzed by the camera.
Small business owners that can’t make videos are like sprinters trying to win a race with shackles around their ankles
Facebook is a film to play platform.
Businesses need videos to share their story and amplify word of mouth, but it’s like pulling teeth to get most small business owners to create high-quality video which is half the battle.
We say that all ads are a combination of content and targeting and that optimizing ads means improving on one of those two elements, usually content.
Targeting is like choosing snacks from a vending machine. You can press 7 for the Snickers or 3 for the Goldfish. If you’re a healthier eater, press 8 for peanuts.
If you want to target dentists, press 2 for the American Dental Association, press 5 for “General Dentist,” press 9 for a 1% lookalike audience of website visitors.
Content and video are not like vending machines. They require knowledge, delivery, and storytelling.
The catch-22 is that those with delivery won’t press the red button while those that are trigger happy struggle dearly to produce quality video.
Plus, many small businesses have been burned by these fraudulent marketers who are either scammers or on a kick after buying, not completing, the latest digital marketing course.
This creates a negative feedback loop where those who need help are increasingly reluctant to accept it.
Good luck persuading them to create original video content.
The three solutions – people, process, platform
We can try to make the video process more like the vending machine, where we press not one but multiple buttons in a specific order to get our bag of Doritos from the top shelf.
One minute videos are effective for sharing stories and sequencing content.
We coach all our clients through the four-step process for one-minute videos which we have outlined.
But let’s say the template is not enough.
Despite our best efforts, holding their hand through the process, the client consistently fails to create quality video and results suffer as a consequence.
We can try taking the video out of their hands and use word of mouth, video testimonials from customers, to amplify and build trust in the brand.
Here’s an example of Phil Merson from Social Media Examiner talking about our courses.
This works so long as customers are ready and willing to create one-minute testimonial videos, but not everyone is as natural on camera as Phil.
Just like the business owners, their customers are either afraid of talking to the camera or the video is poor quality, (bad lighting, sound, and delivery).
We still can bring the video process one step closer to the vending machine model with a tool like Promo. They don’t just templatize the process but the videos themselves too.
Finding videos on Promo is simple. Just search for a relevant topic. They have videos for everything.
We chose a vending machine to keep with our example.
Select a video and trim it to use only the parts you want or to keep it the right length for different ad placements. If you want to use all placements, keep your videos under 15 seconds long.
We added captions and music to tell a short story and bring life to the situation or the actors in the video.
Add a branded outro to the video and provide a call to action.
And you’re done!
Here’s our finished vending machine video.
Promo lets us create video funnels in minutes.
Small business owners don’t have to step in front of the camera, and agencies save all the hand holding, editing, and communication delays that come with client management.
The platform skips straight past fear, doubt, and uncertainty which are the main reasons people fail.
Just look at how our friend Ken Moskowitz at AdZombies used Promo to generate 122X ROAS (return on ad spend) for his business.
There are over 25 million small businesses in the U.S. alone, most of which need help with their video and their marketing.
We can coach them through a process, put other people on camera, or use a platform like Promo that provides a simple and effective solution to the market.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.