Do you have a healthy blog for your business website? You might want to start investing in video content, too.
How fast is video marketing growing? Do you really need it? Today, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and 84% of consumers say they want to see more videos from brands (Wyzowl, 2026). If you’re trying to get the most out of your marketing strategy and haven’t looked into video marketing yet, it’s time to start.
No matter what your business is, whether you own a restaurant or another small business, video marketing can help. Our team of marketing experts put together the top benefits of video marketing, how to use digital video ads, and how to optimize your videos for local SEO so the right people actually find them.
What We’ll Cover
- Increase Brand Awareness
- Increase Online Presence and Search Visibility
- Increase Brand Personality
- Increase Social Media Engagement
- Increase Trust and Authority
- Increase Leads and Sales
- Reach Customers on Mobile
- What Are Digital Video Ads?
- Where to Share Your Videos
- Video SEO: How to Optimize Video for Local SEO
- How to Measure Your Video Marketing Results
1. Increase Brand Awareness
Video marketing is one of the best ways for people to discover your brand. Videos help your business stand out instead of fading into the background, and they let you share your business’s core values in a visually appealing way. It’s no surprise that 93% of video marketers say video has helped them increase brand awareness (Wyzowl, 2026).
When you offer potential customers entertaining and educational clips, you reach more of them. These videos help people learn about your company and remember your brand.
2. Increase Online Presence and Search Visibility
You need to use as many channels as you can to reach your ideal customers. Video gives you access to some of the biggest audiences online. YouTube reaches 2.65 billion users every month, and Facebook’s advertising audience is 2.39 billion (DataReportal, 2026). YouTube is also often called the world’s second-largest search engine, which makes it a powerful place for people to find your business.
Video can help your website, too. Adding a video doesn’t automatically boost your rankings, but it can help in other ways. Videos can appear in Google’s video results, and they give visitors a reason to stay on your page longer. In fact, 82% of video marketers say video has increased their web traffic, and 82% say it keeps visitors on their website longer (Wyzowl, 2026). When you make the experience better for searchers, search engines are more likely to send people your way. We’ll show you exactly how to optimize your videos in the Video SEO section (#10) below.
3. Increase Brand Personality
Many successful small businesses reach their ideal customers by showing what makes their brand unique. You don’t need an overly clever or complicated marketing tactic to do this. Businesses that stay true to their brand tend to have more successful marketing campaigns.
It’s hard to get a real sense of a brand through text alone. Simple videos show people what your brand is all about, who the people behind it are, and what you stand for. They put a face, a personality, and a name to your business.
4. Increase Social Media Engagement
Have you looked at your social media feed lately? If you’re like most people, you’re seeing a ton of video. That’s because people’s tastes have shifted toward visual content, and platforms like Facebook and Instagram prioritize video in their feeds, from Reels to Live videos.
Videos are made to be shared. Video content tends to earn more impressions than text, and if people like what they see, they’re more likely to share it. That means free additional views and a wider reach for your business.
5. Increase Trust and Authority
Building customer interaction helps build long-term relationships with your clients. Customers love face-to-face interactions, but that’s not always realistic from a business standpoint. Video content is the closest you can get, and it’s available 24/7.
With so much content online, the more ways you give people to understand who you are, the more likely they are to trust you. In an online world where building connections is key to success, video helps you come across as the authority in your field and helps your business get ahead.
6. Increase Leads and Sales
When you add video to your marketing strategy, expect people to be more likely to take action after watching than after reading web copy. In fact, 85% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video. On the business side, 85% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads, and 83% say it has directly increased sales (Wyzowl, 2026).
There are a few reasons for this. Videos get more views and shares, so more people see your message. Video also makes difficult concepts simple to understand. 93% of video marketers say video has helped people better understand their product or service, which means more viewers get what you’re offering and become customers.
7. Reach Customers on Mobile
Reading long blocks of text on a phone can be hard on the eyes, which is a problem for businesses that rely only on text-based marketing. Videos, on the other hand, are easy to watch on any device, and most social media and video viewing now happens on phones.
People want video, too. When it comes to learning about a product or service, 63% of people say they’d most like to watch a short video (Wyzowl, 2026). Because videos work on any platform or device, they’ll keep working as the ways people go online continue to change.
8. What Are Digital Video Ads?
Digital video ads are the short commercials you see while you’re online: before or during a YouTube video, in your Facebook and Instagram feeds, between Reels and Stories, and on websites you visit. For local small businesses, they’re one of the most affordable ways to put your business in front of people in your area, because you can target by location and only reach the people most likely to become customers.
The good news? You don’t need a Hollywood budget. A clear, well-planned 30-second video shot on a smartphone can work just as well as an expensive production.
How to Plan a 30-Second Video Ad
It’s not just the story. It’s how you show and tell the story through the voiceover, the text on screen, the images, and the music. Before you film, sketch out a simple storyboard of about 6 frames:
- Hook: Grab attention in the first few seconds with the problem your customer has.
- Problem: Show what that problem feels like for them.
- Your business: Introduce yourself as the one who can help.
- Proof: Share a quick customer review, result, or before-and-after.
- Offer: Give them a reason to act, like a special offer or free estimate.
- Call to action: Tell them exactly what to do next, with your name, phone number, or website on screen.
Add captions, too. Many people watch videos on their phones with the sound off, so on-screen text makes sure your message still lands.
3 Videos to Put on Your Homepage
Your website is the first place your videos should live. Most visitors leave without calling or filling out a form, so use video to give them a reason to reach out. Here are 3 videos local small businesses are putting on their homepage:
1. A 5-Star Review Video
Turn your best customer reviews into a short video, or better yet, film a happy customer telling their story in their own words.
2. An Education Video That Shows You’re the Expert
A 30- to 90-second video answering a common customer question shows people you know your stuff before they ever pick up the phone.
3. An Offer Video
A 30-second video with a great offer gives website visitors a reason to call today instead of “someday.”
9. Where to Share Your Videos
Just putting your video up on YouTube usually won’t bring in many views unless you already have a big following. Share it from several angles, and you’ll have more people watching, clicking, and ultimately calling your business.
- Your website: Embed videos on your homepage, service pages, and location pages. More on this in the Video SEO section (#10) below.
- YouTube: Great for showing up on both YouTube and Google. Optimize each video using the Video SEO steps in #10 below.
- Social media: Share your videos on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X. Short vertical videos work especially well as Reels and Shorts.
- Google Business Profile: Upload short videos to your Google Business Profile so they show up when people find you on Search and Maps. Google accepts videos up to 30 seconds long.
- Local directories: Some local business directories, like Yelp, let you add videos to your listing.
- Retargeting ads: Most website visitors leave without converting. Set up retargeting on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram so your video ad shows up for people who already visited your site, keeping your business top of mind until they’re ready to call.
Action Step: Always include a link to your website and your contact info in the video description to drive traffic and calls.
10. Video SEO: How to Optimize Video for Local SEO
Many small business owners are using video, but one powerful tactic is often overlooked: local video SEO. Local video SEO is the process of optimizing your videos so they show up for people searching in your area. While general video SEO helps your videos rank on YouTube or Google, local video SEO makes sure they reach people in your service area.
Think of it this way: if you’re a bakery in Austin, TX, you don’t want your video showing up in New York search results. You want it in front of people searching for “best cupcakes in Austin.” And when people search with words like “near me,” “in [city],” or “open now,” they’re usually ready to buy, book, or visit.
You don’t need to be a video expert or SEO pro to get started. Follow these steps to make your videos work harder for your local business.
1. Use Location-Specific Keywords
Just like you would for a blog post or service page, use location-based keywords that reflect your local area. If your customers speak a language other than English, consider creating videos or captions in that language, too.
Where to use local keywords:
- Video title: For example, “How Our Austin Bakery Makes the Best Cupcakes”
- Description: Mention your business name, city, neighborhood, and services, plus a link to your website.
- Tags: Include variations like “[service] in [city]” or “[neighborhood] [business type].” Tags play a small role, so focus most of your effort on the title and description.
- Captions and transcript: Upload captions or a transcript. They make your video accessible and help search engines understand what it’s about.
Pro Tip: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or even YouTube’s search bar to find popular local search terms.
2. Add Your Business Details
Help search engines connect your video to your business and your area:
- Business name and location: Include your business name, city, and contact info in the description, and make sure they match your Google Business Profile.
- Recording location: If YouTube Studio shows a “Recording date and location” option for your video, fill it in with your city.
- Service area: Mention the cities or neighborhoods you serve.
- Custom thumbnail: Use a clear, eye-catching thumbnail that makes people want to click.
3. Create Local-Focused Video Content
Now let’s talk about what kind of videos work best for local audiences.
Local video content ideas:
- Behind-the-scenes tours of your shop or workspace
- Customer testimonials from local clients
- Event highlights from community events you’ve taken part in
- How-to videos specific to your industry and location
- Promos or sales tied to a local holiday or event (for example, “Valentine’s Day Specials in Charlotte”)
Example: A wedding planner in Denver could post a video titled “Top 5 Wedding Venues in Denver: Tips from a Local Planner.”
4. Embed Videos on Your Local Pages
Don’t just upload your videos to YouTube. Embed them on your website, too, especially on location-specific landing pages. Good places to add video:
- Your homepage
- Your “About Us” page, with a welcome video
- Service pages (for example, “Custom Cakes in San Diego”)
- Blog posts about local topics
Here’s something many people don’t know: Google will only show a page in its video results if the video is the main content of that page. A video tucked at the bottom of a service page still helps visitors, but it probably won’t appear in video results. If you want a video to rank on its own, give it its own page with a title, description, and transcript. You can also add video structured data (behind-the-scenes code that describes your video to Google). Many SEO plugins, like Rank Math, can add it for you.
5. Encourage Local Engagement
Engagement matters. YouTube and social platforms look at how people interact with your videos when deciding who else to show them to.
Ways to boost engagement:
- Ask viewers to like, comment, and share your video.
- Respond to comments to show activity and build community.
- Mention or tag local influencers, businesses, or events.
Local Hack: Partner with other local businesses to create video content together and cross-promote to reach new audiences.
Quick Video SEO Checklist
- Use city-specific keywords in your titles and descriptions.
- Add your business name, location, and website link to every description.
- Add captions or a transcript.
- Upload videos to YouTube, your Google Business Profile, and social media.
- Focus on local storytelling and community.
- Embed videos on your website’s local pages, and give your most important videos their own page.
- Monitor your results and adjust as you go.
11. How to Measure Your Video Marketing Results
It’s important to track how your video marketing is performing. It gives you the insights you need to make better videos and grow your business.
Here are the key SEO metrics to watch:
- Views from your geographic area
- Click-through rate (CTR) from search results and thumbnails
- Watch time and retention
- Referral traffic from video platforms to your website
- Conversions like calls, bookings, and purchases
Use tools like:
- YouTube Analytics to track video-specific data.
- Google Search Console to see how your video pages show up in search.
- Google Analytics (GA4) to see how videos impact website traffic and conversions.
Get the Benefits of Video Marketing Today!
Video marketing can help your business stand out from the competition. Whether you want more engagement, mobile-friendly marketing, more leads, or better visibility in search, video can help you get there. With a smartphone, a bit of creativity, and the tips above, you can start reaching more local customers. Remember, it’s not just about making videos. It’s about making videos that work for your business.
RebelFish Local helps brick-and-mortar businesses burst through today’s online clutter and get the most out of their digital marketing. Want to find out how video marketing can work for your business? Schedule a call with us today, and we’ll help you get started!
Robert & Liz, RebelFish Local CoFounders, doing local volunteer work.
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