How Can Video Marketing Help My Business?

Most business owners are aware that video should play an important part of any appropriate marketing strategy. A lot of the people I talk to and work with aren’t asking “Does video work?” anymore, instead they’re asking “Why does this feel so hard to keep up with?”

You’ve probably tried making your own videos. You’ve found a moment in time between doing everything else running the business, hit record on your phone, tried posting consistently for a while… and then watched the engagement barely move. Maybe a few likes, maybe a comment, but definitely no clear return. This makes it feel that any form of professional video can feel like a big cost - a big financial risk - especially when you’re not sure what results it will actually bring.

The problem isn’t that video doesn’t work, and it’s not that your business doesn’t have a product, service or a story worth telling. The real issue is time, strategy, and focus. Running a small business already demands your energy, expecting yourself to also be a filmmaker, marketer, editor, and content strategist is unrealistic.

This is where thoughtful, professional story-led video marketing changes everything. When video is created with intention; designed to work across platforms, reused over time, and aligned with your brand’s purpose, it stops being a drain on your schedule and starts becoming a long-term asset. Not something you create and build every week, but something that works quietly and consistently in the background, building trust, awareness, and long-term return on investment.

Video Marketing Can Make Your Business Story Memorable

Every business has a story, but not every business owner can clarify their story, and not every story is told effectively. My approach to video production services is “story first.” My first step as a Video Storyteller is to focus on uncovering the heart or spirit of your story and how it reflects you, your values and why you do what you do. Once you understand your story, we can then develop how to make it resonate emotionally, but authentically with your audience. For example, I worked with the Essex Shed Network to create a promotional video highlighting the charity’s mission and purpose; to develop and support local community workshops across Essex for men and women to promote mental wellbeing and to reduce social-issolation for men inparticular. This meant that we filmed across several different "Sheds" in Essex, capturing the community aspect of each one (each one is different), but also interviewing and allowing the 'Shedders' to tell their stories of mental health, lonliness and social issolation and the positive impact that being part of the Shed Network has had for them. The video, along with supporting photos, continues to be used today on their website and print materials. This isn’t just content, it’s a tool that builds brand trust and awareness.

Video Grows Awareness and Reputation of your Business

Well-crafted marketing videos do more than just grab attention, they also build understanding, trust, and credibility over time. Video gives viewers a genuine insight into who you are, what you stand for, and why your work matters, long before they ever pick up the phone or send an enquiry.

When I collaborated with the Chelmsford Arts and Culture Festival, the goal wasn’t to “go viral.” It was to introduce the festival, showcase the artists involved, and build confidence in something that had never existed in the city before. As Chelmsford’s first arts and culture festival, it was essential that the videos created interest while also giving the event legitimacy. Each video stood on its own, clearly communicating the festival’s identity and purpose, whether people discovered it before or after the event itself.

Those videos are still relevant today. They haven’t been lost to time or buried by algorithms. The internet is essentially an archive, and when someone searches for your business or organisation, your video content remains available (unless you remove it) as a reference point for who you are. It is amazing how many SME organisations don't do a video audit and remove old or irrelevant videos from circulation. While SEO and platforms prioritise newer content, strong, story-led videos continue to work in the background, reinforcing your reputation and supporting future marketing efforts.

It’s also worth saying this clearly: likes, shares, and viral successes may be easy to calculate, but are not reliable measures of a video’s true impact. Chasing short-term engagement often distracts from what actually matters; building long-term awareness and a reputation people can trust. The most effective video marketing isn’t about quick wins; it’s about creating assets that support your brand year after year.

You can see more examples of this approach in action in my portfolio.

Video Marketing Can Drive Action for Your Business

There’s a reason video consistently outperforms almost every other form of marketing. Studies regularly show that having video on a website can significantly improve conversions, in some cases by up to 80%. Also people retain far more information from video than from text and photos alone. Video doesn’t just get noticed; it gets remembered, and more importantly, it influences decisions.

This is partly down to how we’re wired as humans. Our eyes are naturally drawn to movement, which is why video immediately stands out on websites and in social media feeds. In crowded digital platforms and spaces, motion has a higher chance of stopping the scroll. But attention on its own isn’t enough, what matters is how that attention is used.

This is where story-led video becomes powerful. People don’t buy from faceless brands or slick slogans; people buy people. A well-crafted video creates a personal, human experience, allowing your audience to feel like they already know you before they ever make contact. Video can invite someone in, set the tone, and communicate atmosphere, values, and intent in a way no other medium can.

I saw this clearly while working with a local college. After conducting a full audit of their existing video marketing, it became clear that the variety of videos on their website weren’t connecting emotionally with prospective students or parents. We therefore shifted the focus to real learners, telling their stories honestly and without scripting. Crucially, unlike other colleges, staff weren’t on camera telling viewers how great the courses was, but instead this was done by the learners themselves, highlighting what they loved about it.

That creative decision created trust. Hearing real people speak openly about their experiences felt natural, relatable, and believable. Keeping in colloqual language, the "ums" and 'likes' make it feel natural. For viewers, it felt far less like being “sold to” and much more like being invited in, almost like a virtual tour of what life on the course was really like. The videos communicated culture and belonging, not just information. It showed pride, passion and genuine opinions.

The results spoke for themselves. Engagement increased, applications rose for the subjects featured, and the videos are now being used across social media, the college's website, and for internal marketing. By allowing real stories to lead, the videos became assets that worked across multiple platforms and stages of the decision-making process.

This is the real strength of video marketing. It connects with more human senses than any other marketing medium; combining visuals, sound, emotion, and narrative. When done with intention, video doesn’t just inform your audience; it helps them feel what it would be like to be part of your business or organisation. And that feeling is what drives meaningful action, whether that’s an enquiry, an application, or long-term trust.

Video Works Across Multiple Channels — Without Doing Everything, Everywhere

One of the biggest misconceptions about video marketing is that you need to be on every social media platform, posting constantly, to see results. You don’t. Effective video marketing isn’t about volume - it’s about relevance. The only platforms that matter are the ones your target audience actually uses and that genuinely support your business goals.

Most businesses already have a website, and this is where video should start. A high-quality promotional video on your homepage works like a personalised welcome when someone first comes round to your house. It introduces who you are, sets the tone, and gives visitors a quick sense of what to expect, almost like a guided tour. Before they read a single paragraph, they already understand your standards, your values, and whether you feel like the right fit.

Where things often become overwhelming is social media. Businesses are frequently told they must post three times a week, constantly create new videos, and keep feeding the algorithm to stay visible. The reality is far less encouraging. On many platforms, organic reach is surprisingly low, often as little as 5–10% of your followers will actually see any given post. That means even consistent posting doesn’t guarantee attention, engagement, or results.

This is why video marketing works best when it’s treated as a long-term asset, not disposable content. A strong promotional video, explainer, testimonial, or story-led piece can be shared across your website, social media, email campaigns, presentations, and in-house marketing - repeatedly and purposefully. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every week.

The key is alignment. Your wider marketing should support your video, and your video should support your marketing. Instead of chasing short-term visibility, you’re building a consistent presence that reinforces your message wherever people encounter you.

For my clients in South Essex, this approach removes pressure while increasing impact. Their videos aren’t one-off posts — they’re tools that work throughout the year, across multiple channels, telling their story clearly, authentically, and without burning them out.

Video Helps Your Brand Stand Out

Every video I create is bespoke. I work closely with each client to shape a video that reflects who they are, not what’s currently trending. A simple rule I work by is this: if your video could belong to any business, it isn’t doing much for yours.

Many businesses feel pressure to chase trends, gimmicks, and viral formats in the hope of quick likes and shares. While these can create short-term spikes in engagement, they rarely lead to meaningful, long-term growth in traffic, trust, or sales. Gimmicks don’t say anything about you and it’s incredibly difficult to build a consistent reputation when your messaging changes every time the algorithm does.

Instead, the videos that truly stand out are the ones that are confident and clear. Videos that say: this is who we are, this is what matters to us, and this is why we do what we do. When that message feels genuine and authentic, it cuts through the noise. You’re no longer competing for attention - you’re attracting the right people.

That doesn’t mean ignoring how platforms work. Understanding hooks and how to stop the scroll is still crucial, especially on social media. A strong video opens with an engaging visual, a relevant question, or a problem your audience recognises and it speaks directly to them.

“Hey parents…”

“Business owners, have you ever…”

That moment of recognition creates permission to keep watching. From there, story takes over.

By combining cinematic visuals, story-led structure, and an understanding of psychology and education, I help businesses create videos that are both strategically effective and deeply human. The result is video marketing that doesn’t just perform well in the moment — it builds a clear, consistent identity that people remember long after they’ve scrolled past.

In Summary

Video marketing doesn’t have to feel like a constant uphill struggle. When approached strategically, it becomes your most versatile, memorable, and effective marketing tool: a way to tell your story, build your reputation, and inspire real action.

If you want to explore how video marketing can help your business grow, while saving you time and stress, start by thinking about your story — because that’s where all great videos begin.