In part one of this two-part piece, we looked at how painting companies can use image-based social media to show off their work to encourage new business. But if a picture paints a thousand words, a short video can create a book’s worth of promotional value. Videos are huge right now. The originator and still reigning king of web video, YouTube, sees one billion unique visitors each month and 100 hours of video uploaded every minute.

Promotional ideas for commercial painters
Image source: Let’s Colour via Flickr Creative Commons

And these billion visitors aren’t just looking for videos of skateboarders crashing into each other. Many are looking for informative videos or information about companies they’re considering doing business with. And videos aren’t just for YouTube or the other sites we’ll discuss below. Increasingly, companies are embedding video to their websites to deepen engagement and this makes sense. 52% of consumers that watch videos about products or services are more confident about their purchase.

The sites we’ll discuss below allow you to not just upload video, but also to embed it within your webpages, as well. You should know that video doesn’t have to be a substantial investment. You don’t need to hire a lighting crew and expensive cameras. The HD capabilities of most smart phones will do to shoot a short video. A quick video tour when your project is complete or a video testimonial from a satisfied client can be persuasive. If you offer faux techniques, videos are a perfect place to demonstrate your skills.

Instagram Video vs Vine
Image source: Melenita2012 via Flickr Creative Commons

Instagram

Instagram recently added video capabilities. You can shoot and share 15 second videos to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare and more. This short video format can display a time lapse that demonstrates a whole job within seconds and demonstrate what potential clients can expect. Short video testimonials from customers would also be great. In addition to posting it on Instagram and sharing it, you can embed these on your blog or website. See more here about using Instagram video to promote your business.

Vine

Vines are über-short at just six and a half seconds on a repeat loop, so they can be quick and easy to prepare and then share via Twitter (the company that owns Vine). These can be funny, informative or clever, as long as they’re appealing. You can create Vines around holidays, special occasions or company promotions. Show a close-up of some recently painted molding or trim, a quick shot of a trending paint color, or briefly survey a recently painted room. Stop motion is a frequently used effect that’s simple to use. Be sure to hashtag your video as relevantly as possible and you can embed your Vines on your website if you want. For more info and tips, check out Vine’s brand blog.

Keek

Keek is a newcomer to the online video market. It’s also a short format outlet and caps videos at 36 seconds. This newer format hasn’t been embraced yet by most businesses and is largely an outlet for teens and young adults. Until this site becomes more sophisticated and embraced by the mainstream, don’t make it your focus, but feel free to use it as a supplement to the other video sites.

YouTube

YouTube videos have no time limits, but that doesn’t mean you should feel compelled to create lengthy videos. Most potential customers will want concise videos that they can watch in just a few minutes. 40% of YouTube viewers watch on mobile devices, so you’ll want them to be compelling and easy to view on the smaller screen. This is a great place to offer up short how-to videos for wall prep, paint selection, brush selection or painting techniques, as well as shots of projects, employees at work and customer testimonials. Check out this blog on inexpensive ways to leverage YouTube for business.

These video-driven social media sites are a great way to promote your painting business. If you’re not experimenting in video marketing, you’re missing out. Video is a perfect promotional tool for painting professionals and doesn’t have to be costly. Also, check out this recent blog on other low cost business marketing ideas