Video That Works for a Small-Town Business

Small businesses ask for a promotional video and frequently want something that looks like a national advertisement. That is rarely the thing that works for them.

What actually performs locally

• **Short.** Attention on social platforms is measured in seconds and the first two decide whether the rest is watched.
• **Vertical**, because that is how the audience holds the phone.
• **Real people from the business**, not actors and not stock. Local audiences recognise the difference immediately.
• **Showing the work**, which is more persuasive than describing it.
• **Captioned**, because a large proportion of viewing is with sound off.
• **Frequent rather than perfect.** One excellent video a year does less than a dozen decent ones.

The things worth filming once

1. 1.A short introduction to who you are and what you do.
2. 2.The premises, so people know what to look for when they arrive.
3. 3.The work being done, which is the most persuasive footage there is.
4. 4.A customer saying something genuine, briefly.
5. 5.A handful of short clips that can be used across a year rather than once.

What not to spend money on

Long-form brand films that nobody watches to the end. Voiceover written in corporate language. Music that costs more than the shoot. And anything that makes a small local business look like it is pretending to be something else — the local-ness is the advantage, not the thing to hide.

Where it goes

Social platforms, the website, and the Google Business Profile, which almost nobody uses for video and which surfaces it in local search results.

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