What Is a Video-Centric Business? Where to Use Video

A video-centric business leads with video wherever a customer meets it: the enquiry reply, the follow-up, the proposal, even the out-of-office message. Start with the challenge you need to solve, such as too few enquiries or prospects going quiet, then put a short video at that touch point. None of them needs to be polished.

This post is drawn from a 2024 lunch n' learn hosted by Chris Schwager, the replay on this page. Some of the tools he mentioned have moved on since, and those parts are marked below.

What does it mean for a business to be video-centric?

It means putting video first in your interactions instead of making the odd video for its own sake. Chris is blunt about video for video's sake: he calls it old school, costly and wasteful. The point is to line each video up with something you are trying to fix in the business.

The reason it works is that people decide about your business without you in the room, and they do it quickly. They read your face, your eyes and your expression, and video gives them that before they have met you. It is also a differentiator. If your business looks the same as the next one, being on video when your competitors aren't puts you apart.

Where should a business start with video?

With the challenge. Before any video, ask what problem it is solving. Chris lists the questions worth asking all the time:

• Is it a lack of leads?
• Is it a lack of enquiries?
• Do people not know who we do it for?

The answer tells you which video to make first. For many businesses it is a company profile video: under 90 seconds, explaining who the company is, why it exists and how it helps. Chris calls it the most popular product Ridge Films sold at the time, and says it can give you three to five years of use as long as the business doesn't change too much. For the wider picture, see why video matters for your business.

How can you use video in your sales process?

Chris shared, for the first time publicly, the journey an enquiry takes at Ridge Films. You can copy the shape of it:

1. Reply to the enquiry with a video. Personalised, using their name, when the lead is a good fit, or a generic intro when enquiries are hit and miss. Follow the steps to record a personalised video reply.
2. Reuse it the next day. If you don't hear back, send the same video again by SMS. You don't have to record anything new.
3. Send a voicemail follow-up video. If another day passes, send a short video saying you left a voicemail and are following up on their enquiry. In email, use an image of your face with a play button, so they recognise who it is from.
4. Confirm the booking with a video. Once they book, send a video thanking them and telling them what to prepare.
5. Keep the videos working. If someone goes cold, the same videos can be dropped into LinkedIn messages, email or SMS.

That is about 10 to 12 touch points carried by two to four videos. Chris's view on persistence is simple: people who reply late are often just flat chat or dealing with something at home, so you have nothing to lose by keeping in touch.

Should you put a video in your proposals?

Yes, especially when the person you met isn't the one who signs. A PDF gets flicked straight to the price. A short video walking through the proposal explains why it is priced the way it is, what value is in it and why they should choose you. Chris describes sending one to a contact who wasn't the decision maker, asking that the decision maker see it. The decision maker signed, and the team then showed it to the ten other people on the project, because it worked as a briefing. Follow the steps to build a proposal walkthrough video in minutes.

Where else can a business use video?

• Your out-of-office reply. A short, creative video in place of the usual text adds some culture back in. Turn your out-of-office reply into a video people remember.
• Your website's error page. Ridge Films' 404 page has carried a video of Chris for years, one more chance for people to see him.
• A video brochure in the post. A printed card with a screen that plays a video when opened, personalised with the recipient's name. Chris says it gets opened and shared around the office, and that he has done deals worth tens of thousands of dollars from one landing on the right desk, as long as you research who it goes to and follow up.

What about AI video tools?

In mid-2024 Chris tried an AI presenter and an automatic clipping tool and judged both not there yet: the AI presenter gave him no way to make the read more emotional or passionate, and the clipping tool framed a woman in the audience who wasn't even looking at the stage. His advice then was to let others work out the mistakes first. The tools have changed since, so treat that as a 2024 view and test them for yourself. What still holds is his last point: video does not take hold because you bought a ring light and a camera. It takes knowledge, education and getting your team organised.

Video-centric business questions we get asked

What is a video-centric business?

One that leads with video wherever customers meet it, from the first enquiry reply to the proposal and the follow-up, and lines each video up with a specific business challenge.

What video should a business make first?

Usually a company profile video of under 90 seconds that explains who you are, why you exist and how you help. It can be reused across your website, email signature and social channels for three to five years.

Do business videos need to be professionally produced?

Not all of them. Reply videos, follow-ups and proposal walkthroughs can be recorded quickly without a script. Chris says you can pick up a webcam or a phone today. The ones that work best are clear, so people can see and hear you properly.

How many follow-up videos should you send after an enquiry?

Ridge Films' own process uses two to four videos across about 10 to 12 touch points before a meeting, reusing the same video by email, SMS and LinkedIn instead of recording new ones.

Want video to be the easy part?

Chris can record these videos whenever he needs them because his gear is set up and ready at the click of a button. If you'd like the same at your desk, book a call.