Small businesses can find it difficult to reach customers, but with tips for marketing your small business with online videos, you can attract new customers that are ready to buy.

It used to be, businesses of any size or scope would put an ad in the local paper to attract new customers. Then, having a web-presence, even a single web page, became almost mandatory for a business serious about staying in business and making sales.

Advertising in the newspaper remains a “tried-and-true” method, and many businesses, large and small, have found that having web-presence does good things for their bottom line.

But online video advertising is one of the newest and most effective ways to reach potential buyers. These short commercials can generate twice the “click-throughs” of banner ads.

There are many “do it yourself” Internet sites that can provide locally-targeted, inexpensive online video ads, which are catering to small business owners.

Here are some tips for marketing your small business with online videos:

• Simplicity: Keep your ad “short and sweet.”
• Benefits: Make your promotion or discount the focus of your ad.
• Type Size: Don’t use more than two sizes in a single ad.
• Type Font: Again, don’t use more than two fonts in a single ad.
• Relevance: Use clean and simple graphics relevant to the ad.
• Testing: Methodically alter your ad to determine what achieves the best results.
• Content: Strive for authentic, personable ads with a clear message.
• Optimization: Make sure your video is “Google friendly” to get good placement in search results.
• Facebook: If you don’t have a Facebook account, make one, and add your video to your “wall.”
• Expand: Utilize the many video sites on the Internet (such as YouTube) to create maximum exposure for your ad.

These tips for marketing your small business with online videos are just the beginning, but the most important step in any project is getting started by taking that first step.

In order to generate results from your online video ads and compete with the larger organizations there are some tips you must keep in mind.

- Don’t be complicated, in other words, ‘keep it simple’.  When creating a video ad, it is important to keep it simple, and to the point.  In order for your video to be viewed and become a successful ad, it is important to be concise and remove excess text.

- Stay on topic.  It is very easy to divert from the subject but you must stay on track.  Your video ads must be specific, offer some sort of benefit such as a discount, in order to resonate to your audience.

- Incorporate visuals that are attractive.  When choosing graphics for your videos it is important that those graphics will express a relevant message.  It is wise to choose clean and simple graphics that are more appealing to the eye.

- Test and test again. It is wise to experiment and be creative with your message.  Make a video ad and test it out before investing a large portion of your budget until you know the response you will get.  Change the visuals, your text, your call to action or promotion and keep track of the visits. If you find your message is not being displayed appropriately, then you must try again.

- Monitor the length.  Although there isn’t a specific length to the best video or video ad, it is wise to keep it short and concise in order for your video ad to be successful.  Too often you are enticed by a video, only to find out in the end that it is an advertisement of some sort.  Experiment and visit several video ads on your own, take note of the items that attracted you to the particular video ad and incorporate the same into yours.