One of the biggest trends that continues to grow is video. You can use video to build a stronger team and generate more sales. People are consuming more and more videos. Although videos used to be difficult to record, they aren’t anymore. Most of us carry in our pockets a smartphone. We might use it to text, access Facebook, or get photos for a client’s project. But the video function on your phone is powerful and under-utilized. Learn to leverage that technology and you can see your business grow in surprising ways.
In this article, I’ll share five of the many ways to use video to grow your company — from building a stronger team to generating more leads, sales, and more.
Video strategy #1. Use more videos in your marketing. Google owns YouTube so when people are searching in Google for something, Google will display YouTube video results as well. If you record great videos regularly and upload them to YouTube, you can increase your chances of appearing in a Google search, even for highly competitive keyword terms that your competitors might have “locked up” with a website. Start by shooting a short, informal video once a week to share helpful tips and ideas for your customer. As you grow more comfortable with this format, you may expand this to more frequent videos, longer videos, or even more formal videos. Just imagine: if you’re the only contractor in your city or town with a show, who do you think people will call for contracting work?
Prior to every job, perhaps even when your sales team are on-site at a client’s location and have just closed the project, have them record a brief walk-through on video.
Bonus idea: Facebook Live is a really powerful way to use live video right now. Try mixing it up by recording some videos and uploading them to YouTube but also recording live videos on Facebook to get in front of your customers in a different way.
Video strategy #2. Training. Have each person in your company record “selfie” videos and/or “screen capture” videos (whichever is appropriate for the role) to walk the viewer through what they do. These internal videos should all be added to a video library that can then be used for training. When you grow, and a role needs to add a new person, that person can watch the first person’s videos as often as necessary to learn what they need to do. This works for just about any role, from your receptionist to your sales team, from the person who deals with permits to the techs, experts, and tradespeople on-site.
Video strategy #3. Operations. As the leader of your company, you need to get in front of your people regularly to inform them and inspire them and keep them aligned. It’s not always easy to do that, especially if you have teams that start the day on a client’s site. So, one powerful way to help is for you to record a leader’s video every day — it can even be something as simple as a two-minute video that you record in your truck. Simply make it a requirement that everyone view the video and post a comment before the end of the day. It’s a great way to eliminate a lot of unnecessary meetings while still sharing valuable information with everyone.
Video strategy #4. Project Preparation. Prior to every job, perhaps even when your sales team are on-site at a client’s location and have just closed the project, have them record a brief walk-through on video. That way, the crew that will be working on the project can review the walk-through ahead of time and will be able to bring the right equipment and will know exactly what they’re facing when they walk in the door the first time. You’ll potentially gain more hours every week because your team won’t have to go back to the office to bring equipment they didn’t realize they’d need, nor will they need to spend the first 30 minutes of the project trying to create a strategy to tackle the project — all of that can be determined ahead of time.
Video strategy #5. Sales. This one is powerful! After your sales team has finished with a prospect, the sales team should get back to the office and shoot a quick personalized video that they can send to the prospect whether or not the prospect purchased anything. The video will be a friendly touchpoint to reinforce your company’s credibility. To the prospect that purchased your company’s service, it’s a way to reinforce value and eliminate buyer’s remorse; to the prospect that didn’t purchase yet, it’s a way to help set yourself apart from any other competitors that your prospect may be talking to.
Summary
As a contractor, you need to grow your company, lead your team, and create a stronger relationship with your customers. While there isn’t a magic pill that will let you do all of those things instantly, video is probably the closest thing you’ll get! And, thanks to today’s technology, it’s never been easier for you to get in front of a camera to market your business or strengthen your team.
Mike Agugliaro is the “Business Warrior” and founder of CEO Warrior, a business consulting, training and mentoring firm, providing tested and proven methods to defeat the roadblocks that prevent small to mid-sized businesses from achieving their ultimate success. He has played a key role in building and selling Gold Medal Service, New Jersey’s largest and most respected home service company. For more information about CEO Warrior, visit www.CEOWARRIOR.com.