They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but today videos are worth more than a billion words. Yes, that’s right, today, more than one billion hours of videos are watched daily on YouTube.
And more than 500 million people watch videos on Facebook every day, ten billion watch on Snapchat, and more than half a billion people watch Instagram Stories each day.
Video has become a critical component of our daily lives, and even more essential to brands looking to grow their audience, connect with customers to market and promote their products or services.
It’s not hard to see why. The combination of visual imagery, exciting sound effects, animated graphics ad texts makes video a compelling part of any marketing strategy.
One creative decided to capitalize on this growing video marketing trend to start a boutique marketing agency. Meet Shanice Linton, a self-professed visual marketing guru and founder of Visual Vybz Studios.
Related: 30 free tools to start an online business in 2020
Shanice studied film and video production in college and worked on several indie films and commercials. She spent most of my college career working in marketing, but shortly after relocating to Atlanta, she decided to launch her agency.
Inspiration
Shanice combines her eye for design and creativity to capture moments on camera to promote and market brands. Building on years of experience with video marketing, she launched Visual Vybz Studios in 2018 to help healthcare brands market and promote their products and services through video and content marketing services.
I wanted to create an opportunity for creatives like myself, to use our skills to create impactful visual experiences that would increase customer revenue for healthcare brands.
Using a story first visual marketing approach, Shanice works alongside her clients to tell their brand’s stories in a meaningful and impactful way. From conceptualization to execution, Shanice creates well-produced edited videos for her customers. Including:
- Demo videos
- Testimonials
- Educational
- Video ads
We handle everything by giving our clients the best medical video content centered around their brand’s story.
Challenges
Like many entrepreneurs, one of the biggest challenges to starting any new venture is fear. Especially when you are moving from working for a company that comes with stability and benefits.
I was comfortable and felt secure. I had job security, and it’s easier to work for someone else. You don’t have to worry about the business expenses or cashflow or anything.
For Shanice overcoming the fear of launching her business was one of her biggest challenges. But as with anything, you have to jump in and get started, and that’s what she advises any new up and coming entrepreneur to do.
It’s a lot of trial and error, but it’s worth it.
Finding the perfect balance between running her business and other personal commitments has also been a challenge for Shanice, but it’s still a work in progress.
I’m trying to be more aware of my health and lifestyle but still, put the level of work required to grow my business.
First Client
Most business owners always remember their first client, because that first sale helps to solidify your reasons for starting your business. Shanice took a thoughtful approach to her business by deciding to target medical and healthcare brands specifically.
Healthcare needs better content and better branding. So I decided to focus my efforts there, more specifically with cosmetic brands, because of the ability to visually capture what they do a lot better.
This targeted approach to her marketing led to her first client, and for her, it was the only motivation she needed to keep going.
After my first client, I got the confirmation that I needed. My services were valuable, much needed, and that people were willing to pay for them. It pushed me to keep going and to believe in what I did more.
Marketing
To market and promote her video marketing business Shanice uses a combination of digital, content, email, and social strategies. But one unique way she promotes her business is through her very own podcast.
Podcast
Her unique approach to marketing included the creation of a podcast called The Art of Visual Marketing. Podcasts are one of the latest media and entertainment trends that are taking off around the world. Today there are more than 73 million podcast listeners in the U.S. alone, and that number is expected to continue to rise.
Starting a podcast can be an effective way to grow an audience and to market your product or service. On her podcast, Shanice tackles questions like:
- How do I tell my brand’s story through visuals?
- How do I make my brand more impactful on social media?
- How do I create more impactful and actionable visual content?
Producing a podcast not only positions Shanice as an expert and thought leader in her area, but it also helps her to attract customers while sharing valuable content to help others.
Expenses
Luckily for Shanice, she had acquired most of her tools and equipment needed for her video marketing agency throughout college. However, she had to pay for trademarking and registering her business.
Tools
Other tools Shanice used to start a video marketing agency include:
- Wix
- ConverKit
- Libsyn
Advice
Although it’s tough starting a video marketing agency, it’s a creative endeavor that allows Shanice to show off her creative and business skills. Shanice continues to focus on her goal of being “the go-to medical marketing agency for cosmetic healthcare brands like plastic surgery, dental, and dermatology. She strives for continuous growth, both in product and service.
Her advice to anyone looking to start a video marketing agency is simply to:
Take the leap. It’s definitely worth it.
Learn more about Shanice on Youtube, Instagram, and on her website.
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