How to Make an Advertisement for a Small Business (Without Losing Your Soul)
- Curious Spirit Pictures
- Aug 3
- 5 min read
When you think of a small business "advertisement", what usually comes to mind?
Do you picture a slick, high-gloss, slightly desperate commercial? The kind that feels like it’s shouting at you about limited-time availability, with large bright text to emphasise key features, generic claims with mystical buzzwords, and staged footage to support what is being said - all practically begging you to hit "Buy Now"? It’s transactional, it’s noisy, and quite honestly, for me, it feels a little bit soulless.
In today’s online culture, we’ve been tricked into believing that the ultimate measure of a video's success is how many likes, shares, and trending views it racks up. I was chatting recently with a local business manager whose marketing team hit the jackpot on social media - over a million views and likes on a single video. Sounds amazing, right? Except when they reviewed this three months later, they hadn't seen a single increase in actual customer numbers or bookings.
The problem is that online audiences are quick and generous with a tap of a button; some don’t even finish the video before they click, swipe, and move on. Likes, hearts, and thumbs-up don't pay the bills, and they certainly don't build a loyal community.
So, how do we step away from this endless treadmill of jumping onto trends, gimmick-mimicking, and competitor-style copying just to chase empty metrics? How do we make a video for your small business that actually matters?
Let’s explore a better way.
1. Stop Being a Zombie in Business
For me, one of the biggest traps small business owners fall into is looking at what similar businesses are doing and simply duplicating their structure, style, and script. They try to play it safe - and why not, when a promotional video can be a significant investment?
Those who know my thinking and have read my blogs before will know that I often talk about the zombie effect. This is what happens when we put out soulless promotional videos that aren’t authentically meaningful, that fade into the background because they look and sound just like everyone else, and that fail to emotionally connect on a deeper level.
When you copy your competitors, you blend into the grey. Recently, I gave a careers talk at a local college, and part of my presentation covered the top 10 pieces of advice I have learnt on my creative journey. The final piece of advice I gave was: be proud of your story. This applies to businesses, too. Because your experiences, your journey, and your perspective are not "nothing special" - they are uniquely yours. Your service and your products might not be unique, but you as a person are. Your story means you have skills, approaches, ideas, and perspectives that no one else can replicate exactly. Celebrate your story. Shout about your differences.
2. Ditch the Hard Business Sell and Invite People In
There is an immense amount of pressure in the business world to manipulate, push, and manufacture a "fear of missing out".
I learnt this the hard way at an intense business training camp last year. For three days, this organisation of coaches gave enthusiastic presentations, pushing me to embrace financial debt, manipulate customers into buying, and use high-pressure tactics to force a sale. I hated it. That was not how I wanted to conduct business. I walked away feeling like I wasn’t cut out to run a business, with a thoroughly bad taste in my mouth for the organisation.
It reinforced a vital truth: people buy people, and people invest in people's stories.
You don't need to push a sale. Instead, invite your audience in. Share the heartbeat of what you do, and chances are, if they like your story, they’ll stay for a chat and want to know more.
3. Creative Business Stories Lead the Way
Throw out the tired feature-and-benefit checklist script and instead use an approach that is relatable for your target audience - one that addresses their problems and offers real benefits.
Here are three organisations I’ve recently worked with to create video stories that build a genuine connection:
Rochford Hundred Rugby Club
The club were looking for a video story that sets out a clear vision for the future, promoting the club to local investors and the community. Rather than just listing available facilities like other sports clubs, I wrote and wove an original poem (drawing on my background in writing children's books) to capture the emotional history, community spirit, and future vision of the club.
Chelmsford College
Research into other local colleges showed that most presented their subject videos as a repetition of prospectus information (here is the subject, this is what you will do, here are the skills you will develop, and here is the career you can pursue). Instead, we gave the microphone directly to the learners, allowing them the freedom to share their own real experiences and ambitions - personal stories completely unlike standard prospectus copy. This created a relatable connection with future students and their parents alike.
Crafty Kids UK
This project leaned completely into Hayley’s personal story, communicating her profound love for art and education, alongside her perspective as a parent wanting to give children the exact creative space and play sessions she wished she’d had for her own kids. It was deeply relatable to her target audience of mums.
In each of these projects, focusing on a real human story beats a generic, pushy, "look-at-me" sales pitch hands down. None of these projects was about collecting thumbs-up, hearts, and likes. Instead, they invited their target audience in, leading to genuine success and growth because they stood out, remained authentic, and drew in a naturally interested audience rather than trying to appeal broadly.
Where Can You Begin?
As a video storyteller, I would say you need to know three things:
What is your story?
What problem do you genuinely solve?
How can that unique difference impact and change another person's world?
These three things will help focus your promotional marketing. And remember - we aren't making "content" here. We are making video stories and films that matter.
Partnering with a professional video storyteller when you simply don't have the time to juggle cameras and scripts, or when you're still squinting at a blank page trying to find the beating heart of your business, isn't just about outsourcing a task or ticking a box for a cinematic finish. It’s about working alongside a story architect who takes the weight off your shoulders, untangles your ideas, and shapes them into a film that is unmistakably, wonderfully you.
When you invest in a true video story rather than a quick, transactional advertisement, you get something built to last; a timeless piece that stays relevant, cuts through the noise, and invites your ideal clients in for the long run.
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