Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Are Losing Money on Video
I see it every week. A local business owner—maybe a builder in Coorparoo or a law firm in the CBD—spends $5,000 on a 'fancy' promotional video. They hire a crew, spend all day filming, and wait three weeks for the edit. Then they put it on Facebook or YouTube, spend another few grand on ads, and... nothing. No phone calls. No new enquiries. Just a few 'likes' from their mum and their staff.
Most of what you hear about video marketing is rubbish. You don't need a cinematic masterpiece to grow your business. In fact, the more 'polished' a video looks, the more likely people are to scroll right past it because it looks like a boring commercial.
If you want video to actually make you money, you need to stop guessing and start testing. But I'm not talking about technical 'split testing' that requires a degree in statistics. I’m talking about a common-sense approach to finding out which message makes your phone ring.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to test different video ideas without losing your shirt, so you can spend your budget on the ads that actually work.
The Two Ways to Approach Video Ads (And Which One Wins)
There are generally two ways to go about this. One will cost you a fortune and likely fail. The other is how the smartest small businesses in Brisbane are scaling up right now.
Approach 1: The "Big Production" Gamble
This is where you put all your eggs in one basket. You create one high-quality video and hope for the best.The Cost: $3,000 - $10,000+ for production. The Risk: If the message doesn't resonate with your customers, you’ve wasted the lot. The Result: Usually a very expensive 'about us' video that sits on a dead YouTube channel.
Approach 2: The "Rapid Response" Method
This is what we recommend at Local Marketing Group. You create 3 or 4 very simple, short videos using different 'hooks' or offers. You run them with a small budget ($10-$20 a day) for a week. You see which one gets people to click or call, and then you put your real money behind the winner.The Cost: Practically $0 if you use your phone. The Risk: Very low. You only spend big when you know it works. The Result: More leads for less money.
What Should You Actually Test?
You don't need to change the whole video to see a difference in results. Often, changing just the first three seconds or the offer at the end is enough to double your enquiries. Here is exactly what you should be testing.
1. The "Hook" (The First 3 Seconds)
If you don't grab them immediately, they are gone. People have the attention span of a goldfish when they are scrolling through their phones at lunch.Try testing these three different openings: The Problem: "Is your leaking tap driving you crazy and costing you money?" The Result: "How we saved a Northside homeowner $400 a year on their water bill." The Fear: "The one mistake most Brisbane homeowners make when hiring a plumber."
You’ll find that one of these will naturally get way more people to stop scrolling. That is your winner.
2. The Environment
I’ve seen this work for dozens of Brisbane businesses: testing where the video is filmed. Does a solicitor get more enquiries when filming in a fancy office, or standing outside the courthouse? Usually, the courthouse wins because it looks 'real'.You can easily get more customers with simple videos shot right on your job site or in your shop. It feels authentic, and in 2024, authenticity sells better than a suit and a green screen.
3. The Offer
Sometimes it’s not the video; it’s what you’re selling. Test two different 'calls to action': "Call us today for a free quote." "Download our price guide for 2024."You might find that people aren't ready to talk to a human yet, but they’d love to see your prices. That simple change can be the difference between a failing ad and a calendar full of bookings.
Stop Over-Engineering Your Videos
One of the biggest mistakes I see is business owners thinking they need a studio. They think they need professional lighting, microphones, and a script.
Look, I get it—you want your business to look professional. But there is a massive difference between 'professional' and 'stiff'. If you look like you’re reading from a teleprompter, people won't trust you. They want to see the person they are actually going to deal with.
I’ve told mates of mine who run tradie businesses: stop trying to be a TV presenter. Just talk to the camera like you’re talking to a customer on-site. If you want to see why raw video sells better than those polished corporate videos, just look at your own social media feed. You click on things that look like real life, not ads.
How to Read the Results (Without Jargon)
When you run these tests, don't get bogged down in technical reports. You only need to care about three things:
1. Stop Rate: Are people actually watching the first few seconds? If not, your 'hook' is boring. 2. Engagement: Are people commenting or sharing? (This is a good sign, but doesn't always mean money). 3. Action: The only metric that truly matters. Did they click the button? Did they call the number? Did they fill out the form?
If Video A got 10,000 views but 0 calls, and Video B got 500 views but 3 calls, Video B is the winner. Period. Don't let anyone tell you 'brand awareness' is a good substitute for sales. You can't pay your staff with brand awareness.
The "Local Brisbane" Advantage
If you are a local business, use that to your advantage in your testing. Mentioning specific suburbs like Chermside, Indooroopilly, or Carindale in your video can make a massive difference. People want to deal with someone 'just down the road'. Testing a 'generic' video against a 'local' video is one of the easiest ways to lower your cost per customer.
What is a Waste of Money?
Expensive Graphics: Nobody cares about your logo spinning in 3D at the start of the video. It actually makes people skip faster. Stock Footage: Using generic clips of people shaking hands in an office. Everyone knows it's fake. It kills trust instantly. Over-editing: You don't need fancy transitions. In fact, unfiltered logic and simple edits usually perform better because they don't feel like a sales pitch.Your Action Plan
If you want to start seeing results from video ads in the next 30 days, here is what I’d do:
1. Grab your phone: Don't buy a camera. 2. Film 3 different hooks: Spend 30 seconds on each. Talk about a problem, a result, or a local tip. 3. Run them as ads: Spend $10 a day on Facebook or Instagram targeting your local area. 4. Wait 7 days: See which one actually generated an enquiry. 5. Double down: Turn off the losers and put your budget into the winner.
Need Help Getting More Customers?
Testing video ads can be a bit of a minefield if you’ve never done it before. You don't want to spend your weekends staring at an ad manager when you could be on the tools or with your family.
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane business owners cut through the noise. we don't care about 'viral' videos; we care about making your phone ring. If you want a marketing partner who talks straight and focuses on your profit, let’s have a chat.
Ready to grow? Contact us at Local Marketing Group and let's get your business in front of the right people.