As a small business owner, you understand very well that every little thing you can do for your customers could mean a big payoff in loyalty. Customer experience, known as CX, describes how customers experience your business. This accumulation of every interaction between you and your customers, whether live, online, on social media, by mail, or through email, is top of mind for everybody.

Why is CX so important for a small business?

Successful CX creates consistency across all interactions. For small business, much of this interaction happens face to face. These stats from a PwC survey about customer experience show why it matters.

• One in three customers (32%) will walk away from a brand they previously loved based on one bad experience
• Among US consumers, 65% say a positive experience with a brand holds more influence than great advertising
• More than half (54%) of US consumers say most companies need to improve their CX, showing the wide gap between customer expectations and reality

Keeping customers loyal is a key ingredient to small business success. If CX achieves this, then it makes sense to focus on ways to improve it.

Video can improve customer experience

Video is all about that important live, onsite CX. Here are four ways to add this high performance tool your CX kit.

1. Entertain and inform people while they wait

Yes, waiting happens, but your waiting room doesn’t have to be boring, exasperating or a waste of time. Entertaining people while they wait makes the time pass faster, even offers a chance to learn something about important topics. For example, health care providers can feature medical education videos and auto repair shops can show videos about great destinations a road trip away. Choose videos that match well with your customers to get the most benefit.

Pro tip: Of course, the loops run on repeat, so ensure there’s enough content so that people waiting don’t watch the same videos over and over. Too short, and you risk annoying customers rather than entertaining them.

2. Keep staff available for high-level customer needs

Do you get a lot of the same easy-to-answer questions from your customers? Use video to answer common customer questions, and free your staff to manage more difficult tasks by creating explainer videos. If you’re a retail store, play a video explaining return policies or have a video of your shop’s history or talk about new products coming to your shelves soon. Custom video content is great for showcasing your brand.

Pro tip: Regularly look for more questions that could be answered and topics that could be enhanced by video. Feel free to ask your customers what they’d like to see, too. What’s more, you can repurpose these videos on your website and social media, then encourage your customers to share.

3. Notify customers of new services and offers

The success of video streaming is no accident. Human brains are wired for visuals, and some studies found visuals communicate information 60,000 times faster than text. A HubSpot consumer survey found 54% of consumers said video was the top content they wanted to see from brands or businesses they support. If you’re a food store or home goods retailer, consider adding screens near product displays. Create special offers, then broadcast quick meal ideas, cooking demos, and include products that are on sale. Promote gift ideas and suggest items that pair well together. Be sure to include upcoming special events, too.
Pro tip: Plan your video production and events in tandem so that your content can be produced more economically. Many resources are available online to help you do this onsite marketing for your business.

4. Cross-promote complementary services in your neighborhood

Small businesses need to stick together. Look for partners that provide services that pair well with your own, then arrange to use video to cross-promote those services at your business. For instance, attorneys and financial planners pair well. Hair salons and clothing boutiques make another smart pairing.

Pro tip: Partner with other companies as committed to CX as you are. You risk eroding customer trust if you recommend less than stellar partners, and you want to share the responsibilities.

Video is a great way to capture your point of view and your aesthetic while you reach out to your customers with dynamic, engaging messaging. These days, video marketing can go a long way in helping you promote your business. Dig in to ways you can showcase video onsite, in your social media, on your YouTube channel and more. The possibilities are enormous.