Should You Provide Videos That Teach What Your Business Does?

Have you noticed these days that everyone seems to have a course, or at least a YouTube video, showing how they do what they do? Teaching has become a secondary (and sometimes primary) revenue stream for the small business professional.

Videos can enhance your brand, generate additional revenue, and establish you as an authority in your field. But it’s not always the best strategy for every business. Let’s weigh the benefits and challenges to instructional content creation and see why people are creating educational videos for their business.

Benefits:

• Money: Courses and other educational components can provide a new revenue stream. Will people pay to watch your videos?
  
• Brand Authority and Exclusivity: This can position you as an expert in your industry and enhance your credibility.
  
• Customer Engagement: Your relationships can deepen with your customers because you are providing them with additional value. As they become engaged, they are more likely to become repeat buyers and be advocates for your business.
  
• Lead Generation: Free or low-cost courses, eBooks, etc. attract potential customers.
  

But there are challenges, as well:

• First and foremost, do you have the time to develop and continue developing educational materials and videos? It can be very time- and labor-intensive.
  
• You can’t just create the videos. You must also be able to market them effectively.
  
• Your content must stay current and relevant.
  

You also need to consider if you have enough expertise and unique insights to offer courses. You need to understand your audience – who are you trying to reach? You need to evaluate your goals and choose the right platform to host on. Do your research up front and this can be a valuable addition to your marketing strategies.

For more information, please contact:

Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce : 25 E Jackson Street : Oswego, IL 60543 : 630.554.3505 : http://www.oswegochamber.org/