What marketing videos should a small business make?
A small business should start with six videos: who we are, what we do, answers to customer questions, behind the scenes, a current offer and proof from real customers. Together they cover the questions a buyer asks before getting in touch. Post one or two a week, keep each under a minute, and film real footage wherever the video depends on seeing your actual people, work or premises.
- Veedio renders videos at 30s, 60s, 90s or 180s in 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9, and publishes to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
- A five-scene video with still images costs 13 Veedio credits, so six of them cost 78; the Starter plan includes 600 credits a month for $19.
- Every full Veedio video needs a paid plan, and the first payment has a 7-day money-back guarantee.
- The US FTC final rule bans fake reviews and testimonials, so a proof video may only use feedback from real customers.
- YouTube asks creators to disclose realistic altered or synthetic content when they upload.
Think in a mix, not a single viral video
Most small businesses ask for marketing video ideas and get a list of trends. A better question is which questions a stranger needs answered before they trust you. Who are you, what exactly do you do, is it for someone like me, what happens next, and is there a reason to act now. Six simple videos answer those, and each one stays useful for months.
None of these depend on a big budget or an on-camera personality. They are short, narrated, captioned videos that you can make from a written brief and a handful of real facts about your business: your name, your town, your services, your opening hours and the questions customers actually ask you.
This page covers the mix, not the ad formats. If you want paid-ad styles such as product demos and limited offers, see the separate page of AI video ad examples. Here the goal is a steady, honest presence on the channels where your local customers already look.
The six videos to make first
| Video | Question it answers | Length | Style | Voice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Who we are | Who am I dealing with? | 60s | Documentary (documentary) | Chris (chris) |
| 2. What we do | What exactly do you offer? | 60s | Cinematic (cinematic) | Matilda (matilda) |
| 3. Customer question | Is this right for me? | 30s | Watercolor (watercolor) | Alice (alice) |
| 4. Behind the scenes | How is the work done? | 30s | Documentary (documentary) | River (river) |
| 5. Offer or season | Why act now? | 30s | Comic (comic) | Jessica (jessica) |
| 6. Proof | Do real people vouch for you? | 30s | Cinematic (cinematic) | Eric (eric) |
What goes in each of the six
- Who we are: your name, your town, how long you have run the business and one thing you care about. Keep it to facts you could say to a customer at the counter.
- What we do: your two or three main services in plain words, who they are for, the area you cover and how to book. This is the video people share when a friend asks for a recommendation.
- Customer question: pick a question you were asked this month, such as how long a job takes or what to bring, and answer it in under a minute. Make a series of these over time.
- Behind the scenes: a typical morning, how a job goes from start to finish, or how something is prepared. Use real footage of your team if you can, and see the trade-offs below.
- Offer or season: one current reason to get in touch, with the real dates and terms. Retire the video the day the offer ends.
- Proof: a short video built from reviews your customers wrote about you, quoted accurately, with their permission where the platform or law needs it. If you have none yet, skip this one and ask for reviews instead.
How often to post
Pick a rhythm you can keep for three months, not one you can keep for three weeks. For most small businesses that is one or two videos a week. A week with one good video beats a week with five rushed ones followed by a month of silence.
Make the videos in batches. One sitting once a month can produce enough finished videos to cover the whole month, then you spend a few minutes each week scheduling and replying to comments. The replies matter as much as the posts: a question under your video is a free idea for the next customer-question video.
Choose one main channel first, the one your customers already use, and repost to a second only when the first is running smoothly. A restaurant may start on Instagram Reels, a trade on YouTube Shorts and a salon on TikTok. Use 9:16 for all three.
A simple 4-week plan
| Week | Video A | Video B | Also do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Who we are | What we do | Pin the what-we-do video to your profile |
| Week 2 | Customer question 1 | Behind the scenes | Reply to every comment within a day |
| Week 3 | Offer or season | Customer question 2 | Add the offer end date to your calendar |
| Week 4 | Proof from real reviews | Behind the scenes 2 | Note which video drew the most questions, and make more like it |
Full example: a who-we-are video for a fictional bike repair shop (60 seconds)
6 scenes · about 60 seconds
Scene 1
Hi, we are Tern Street Cycles, a small repair shop on Alder Road. If your bike is making a noise, you are in the right place.
Visual: Documentary style: a narrow shopfront with a hand-painted sign, a bike hanging in the window, early morning light.
On screen: Tern Street Cycles
Scene 2
Mara opened the shop eight years ago after fixing bikes in her garage for the neighbours.
Visual: Documentary style: a woman in a canvas apron truing a wheel on a workshop stand, tools on a pegboard behind her.
On screen: Open for eight years
Scene 3
We repair every kind of bike, from school bikes to commuter bikes, and we explain what we find before we touch anything.
Visual: Documentary style: Mara pointing at a worn chain on a bike while a customer leans in to look.
On screen: Repairs, honest advice
Scene 4
Most repairs are ready within two days, and we will tell you the price before we start.
Visual: Documentary style: a paper repair tag being clipped to a handlebar, a wall of bikes waiting in a tidy row.
On screen: Price first
Scene 5
We are open Tuesday to Saturday, and you can walk in or book a time by message.
Visual: Documentary style: the door sign flipped to open, a bell above the door, sunlight on the floor.
On screen: Tue to Sat
Scene 6
Tern Street Cycles, Alder Road. Bring the bike, and we will take a look.
Visual: Documentary style: the storefront from across the street, a rider wheeling a bike toward the door.
On screen: Alder Road. Message to book.
When to film real footage instead of AI visuals
AI visuals suit the parts of a video that illustrate an idea: a process, a before-and-after concept, a seasonal scene or a clear explainer. They are a good way to start when you have no footage, no time or no wish to be on camera.
Use real footage when the video depends on trust in a specific person, place or result. Your face in a who-we-are video, your actual kitchen, your real completed jobs and your real before-and-after photos should be exactly that, not an AI approximation. A customer who visits and finds a different shop from the one on screen will notice.
A sensible blend is to film the people and places yourself and use AI visuals for the explanatory scenes between them. Veedio generates the visuals, so splice your own clips in with a separate video editor. In the bike shop script above, you could film Mara and her shopfront for the first two scenes and keep the rest generated.
Before you post: Never invent a review, testimonial or customer name. The US Federal Trade Commission's final rule bans fake reviews and testimonials, including ones written by AI. A proof video must quote real feedback from real customers, accurately and without edits that change the meaning.
Note: Platforms ask you to label realistic AI-altered or synthetic content. YouTube has an upload setting for it, and TikTok and Instagram have their own labels (check their help centres). If a video shows a realistic scene that did not happen, turn the label on. Illustrative or stylised visuals are lower risk, but read each platform's current rules before you post.
How to make your first batch in Veedio in one sitting
- 1
Write down your real facts
In a note, list your business name, town, years open, services, opening hours, booking method and the five questions customers ask most. Everything the videos say will come from this list, so check it is accurate before you start.
- 2
Open the small business video maker
Open the Small Business Video Maker in Veedio and choose 9:16. Pick 30s for the five shorter videos and 60s for the what-we-do video, using the Length setting in the generator.
- 3
Paste the brief for video one
Paste the facts for the who-we-are video as a short brief, or write the script yourself if you prefer. Choose the Documentary style and the Chris voice, and read the generated script aloud once to check every statement is true.
- 4
Choose captions and music
Pick the Bold caption style so words are readable with the sound off, and an Uplifting or Lo-fi music bed, or no music for the proof video. Keep the same caption style across all six so the videos look like one brand.
- 5
Generate with stills first
Generate with still images and a slow pan. A five-scene video costs 13 credits, so all six cost 78 credits, which fits easily inside the Starter plan's 600 monthly credits. Add AI motion only where it helps, since it costs 68 credits for a five-scene video.
- 6
Repeat for the other five
Repeat steps three to five for what we do, a customer question, behind the scenes, the offer and the proof video. For the proof video, paste only reviews you have received, word for word.
- 7
Check, label and schedule
Watch each video once for wrong facts or visuals that do not look like your business, edit anything that needs real photos in your own editor, then publish or schedule directly to TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. Turn on the AI label where the video shows realistic synthetic scenes.
Common mistakes with small business video
- Starting with an offer video before anyone knows who you are or what you do.
- Making ten videos in a burst and then stopping. A slower rhythm you can keep is better.
- Showing a generic AI shopfront or team in place of your real one in a video about trust.
- Leaving an expired offer video up with old dates or prices.
- Writing testimonials yourself because you have no reviews yet. Ask real customers instead.
- Ignoring comments. They are the best source of next month's customer-question videos.
FAQ
Questions people ask next
How many marketing videos should a small business make?
Start with six, one for each type above, then add a new customer-question or behind-the-scenes video every week or two. The first six cover most of what a new customer needs to know. After that the question list from your own customers decides what you make next.
How long should a small business marketing video be?
Keep most videos at 30 seconds, and let the what-we-do video run to a minute. Veedio offers 30s, 60s, 90s and 180s. Longer lengths suit a detailed explainer or a walkthrough, but a short video you finish is better than a long one you skip.
Do I need to be on camera to market my business with video?
No. Narrated, captioned videos with generated or photo-based visuals work without you on screen. If trust in you personally is the reason customers choose you, such as a coach or a tradesperson, consider filming a short real clip for the who-we-are video and using generated visuals for the rest.
Can I make a testimonial video if I have no reviews yet?
Not an honest one. The FTC rule bans fake reviews and testimonials, and an invented customer quote is exactly that. Ask recent customers for a review, then build the proof video from what they actually write, with their permission. Until then, make more customer-question videos.
Which platform should I post on first?
Pick the one your customers already use and that you can keep up. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts all take vertical video, so one 9:16 video works on each. Start on one, get a steady rhythm, then post the same video on a second platform.
Do I have to label AI-made marketing videos?
YouTube asks creators to disclose realistic altered or synthetic content, and TikTok and Instagram have their own AI labels. If your video shows a realistic scene that did not happen, such as a fake customer or a place that does not exist, use the label. Check each platform's current help page before publishing.
Is it worth paying for a tool when I could film on my phone?
Phone footage is a good choice for real people and real places, and costs nothing extra. A video tool earns its cost where filming is a bottleneck, such as explainers, seasonal offers and customer-question answers you want to make in one batch. Many businesses do both, using real clips where trust matters and generated scenes elsewhere.
Sources, checked 3 November 2026:
- FTC: Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024)
- YouTube Help: Disclosing use of altered or synthetic content
Platforms change their rules, so check them before you rely on them.
Keep going
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