Most business owners know they should be making videos. They've seen the stats, watched competitors post Reels, and heard a client mention something they saw online. But when it actually comes time to hit record, they freeze.
Maybe the lighting doesn't look right. Maybe the script isn't polished enough. Maybe the camera feels like it's judging them.
We run into this all the time at EDGE. And it's why we brought Stuart Reece, a Lacombe-based photographer and videographer, onto the Marketing Minute podcast for a straight-talk conversation about video for small businesses. Stuart picked up a camera nine years ago purely for the joy of it, eventually got paid for it, and then about four years ago noticed the market shifting hard toward video. He leaned in, and today video makes up 60% of his business. That wasn't a calculated pivot, but rather a response to a signal the market was sending. Your customers are sending you the same one.
Why Video Is Winning
The easy explanation for the rise of video is shorter attention spans, but it goes deeper than that. It's about how much effort the viewer has to put in.
People are dealing with more information than ever, coming at them constantly across every screen they own. Reading a long caption takes cognitive effort. Video hands them the answer. Think about the last time you Googled something. You probably didn't go to page two, and you didn't want to read a wall of text when a short video could show you the same thing in half the time. That shift is happening across social media, websites, and paid advertising, and it's not slowing down. Businesses that ignore it are quietly making things harder for their audience.
Start With These Videos First
You don't need a full content strategy before you make your first video. There's a natural progression any business can follow, starting broad and getting more specific as you go.
Your first video should cover the big picture, including what your business does and who it serves. Everything else builds from there. From that foundation, break your business down into individual services and give each one its own short video. This works especially well for service-based businesses where there's nothing dramatic to film. You don't need to show the work. Just look at the camera and explain what you do and how it helps.
Behind-the-scenes content is a natural next step. People are curious about process, and showing the work in progress builds a kind of trust that polished promotional content rarely does. Past work and portfolio highlights round out the mix.
And then there are customer testimonials. Arguably the most powerful video type on this list. A real client talking honestly about their experience is more convincing than almost any ad you could run. These don't need to be produced professionally. The rawness of a phone-recorded testimonial often makes it more believable, not less.
Three Things That Actually Make a Video Look Good
Quality DIY video comes down to three things, none of which require spending much money.
Lighting
Your single biggest lever. Find a window, position yourself so the light is hitting your face directly, and you've already solved the most common problem with homemade video. Natural light is free and works better than most people expect.
Audio
Audio is arguably more important than the camera itself. Viewers will tolerate an average-looking video far more readily than one with muffled sound or background noise. A basic external microphone is a cheap, high-impact purchase — get one before anything else.
Camera Stability
Shaky footage is hard to watch. A tripod fixes this completely and costs very little. Not every video needs movement. Sometimes a static, well-framed shot is more effective than one full of transitions. Set the tripod up, say what you need to say, and let the frame carry the message.
What About Vertical vs. Horizontal?
From a production standpoint, horizontal video captures more of the frame and looks best on a website or large screen. But most video is now watched on a phone held vertically, and vertical content fills that screen in a way horizontal simply can't. For Reels, TikTok, and Stories, it's the right call.
The practical takeaway: if content is going to live on social platforms, plan for vertical from the beginning. Cropping a horizontal video after the fact is a compromise, not a solution. Make the format decision before you hit record.
Organic Social and Paid Ads Serve Different Audiences
One of the quieter mistakes businesses make is treating all video the same — producing one piece and pushing it everywhere. On social media, most of your audience already knows who you are. That's the place to be looser, show personality, and experiment. The bar for polish is lower because the relationship already exists.
Paid advertising and website video are a different story. When someone finds your business through an ad or lands on your homepage for the first time, they're forming an impression fast. A useful question before producing any video: what does this need to do, and where is it going to live? For first-impression content — website videos, primary ad campaigns — it's worth bringing in a professional. These are trust-building assets and should be treated that way.
Stop Waiting for the Perfect Conditions
The most common reason businesses don't have video isn't budget or gear. It's the feeling that they're not quite ready — that the script needs more work, or this just isn't the right time. That feeling doesn't go away on its own. The only thing that moves it is starting anyway.
The first few videos will probably be rough. That's fine. Every person who's good at this made bad ones before they made good ones. The goal at the beginning is to build momentum. The gap between where you are and where you want to be closes through repetition.
Where to Actually Start
Start with one video — a simple, straight-to-camera explanation of what your business does and who you help. Film it near a window, prop your phone on something steady, and speak like you're talking to a client you already know. That's version one.
From there, add a testimonial. Then a behind-the-scenes clip. Let the library build over time.
The businesses winning with video right now aren't the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest gear. They're the ones who started before they felt ready and kept going while everyone else was waiting for the right moment. That window is still open.
If you want help building a video strategy that actually fits your business, reach out to EDGE today. We're happy to help you figure out where to start and what will make the biggest difference.
April 23, 2026
Posted By Peter DeWit
Owner & Account Manager
With over 25 years of business experience, Peter’s focus is to deliver strategic marketing solutions to a wide range of businesses and not-for-profit organizations. He has worked in the Information Technology sector and in a variety of marketing roles, largely with Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s). His extensive knowledge of business and marketing allows him to oversee projects from a strategic perspective while being pragmatic about the most effective solutions for clients.
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