Many online businesses use video to engage prospects and customers. But it can also be very effective at driving customers and sales at local brick-and-mortar businesses.

 

“With a brick-and-mortar store, if they put out video content that viewers feel drawn to, the viewer naturally will want to come in and experience that more,” says Genieva Davidson, owner of Genieva Bliss Media, a San Diego-based video editing and strategy firm.

 

Here are three key ways businesses can use video to reel in foot traffic and generate more sales:

 

  1. Give customers something engaging to watch—and bide their time.

 

Whether you own a restaurant, a fitness center, a medical clinic or an accounting firm, chances are your guests have to wait, and sometimes for long periods. Wait times will feel breezier, less bothersome and more enjoyable by giving them something to watch.

 

The type of video that makes that most sense for your business will depend on what it does. At a bar or restaurant, for example, customers may appreciate watching a live sporting event—or their choice of sporting event. At a medical clinic or accounting firm, guests may be interested in news-related content.

 

You can access an array of programming by getting a TV package with channels your visitors will appreciate. Spectrum Business offers a variety of TV packages that can be customized to your business needs. ​​Bars and restaurants with select Spectrum Business TV packages, for example, can now stream NFL Thursday Night Football—an exclusive offer for those customers.

 

  1. Create fun social media videos to drive people to your store.

 

For local retailers, getting people in the door is more than half the battle. How do you compete against all the ecommerce retailers who will ship things directly to customers’ doorstep?

 

Physical retailers can use video to showcase their store offerings and their products in various ways. They can post videos on their website and social media channels to drum up interest in visiting their location. For example, a retail store might create a video announcing a new limited-supply “product drop” or a special promotion that people have to visit the store to redeem.

 

But when creating video for social media, it’s important to focus on making the videos fun and engaging—not too long and informative, says Tyler Garns, CEO of Box Out Marketing in Carlsbad, California. “Make it enjoyable so users won’t scroll up when they watch it,” he says.

 

Moriarty’s Gem Art, a family-owned custom jewelry store in Crown Point, Indiana, started doing monthly livestreams on YouTube and Facebook last year to feature their products. Not only have those online events helped generate sales—sometimes $20,000 in one event—but they also create more interest for visiting the physical store, says Jeff Moriarty, the store’s marketing manager.

 

  1. Create video customer testimonials

 

Featuring clients or customers in videos can be an effective way for many local businesses to drive interest in what they do—and encourage more people to do business with them.

 

Testimonial videos can be put your website and social media, as well as shared via email.

 

Paul Kistler, founder of Kistler Law Firm in Palmdale, California, publishes short client testimonial videos that it puts on its social media pages. Cloud-based such as Boast.io, VideoPeel and Vouch make it easy to email your customers and ask them to self-record testimonials that your business can use.

 

“In this day and age, it’s often difficult to distinguish legitimate businesses from ones that are just good marketing,” Kistler says. “By showing authentic testimonials, we can show our business is genuine, which helps us attract new potential clients.”

Learn more about Spectrum Business TV packages, including the new Thursday Night Football offering for bars and restaurants, by contacting us at 855-299-9353.

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