How Raleigh Brands Are Winning With Local Video Marketing
From neighborhood coffee shops to trendy barbershops, local brands are using short, eye-catching videos on social media to engage their community. In neighborhoods like the Warehouse District, North Hills, and Glenwood South, these videos make a splash – showcasing familiar faces and places that Raleigh locals love. Burt’s has helped brands like 321 Coffee and Arrow Haircuts excel with creative local video marketing on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
THE POWER OF LOCAL VIDEO MARKETING IN RALEIGH
Video content is one of the most powerful tools for local businesses today. In fact, Google reported a 500% spike in “near me” video searches over the past two years, meaning consumers are increasingly seeking out local video content. For Raleigh’s entrepreneurs, this presents a huge opportunity. Simply put, tailoring your video content to local audiences can be the difference between thriving and fading into irrelevance. When a video reflects the sights, sounds, and culture of Raleigh, viewers notice. People naturally respond when they see their daily life mirrored on screen. Locally focused videos build connection, trust, and community precisely because of this emotional relevance.
In practice, localized video marketing offers several advantages for small businesses:
Authenticity that builds trust: Featuring real people (employees, customers) and recognizable Raleigh landmarks helps humanize your brand, making it more relatable.
Hyper-local engagement: Social platforms often surface geo-tagged and locally relevant videos to nearby users, so a clip tagged in Raleigh’s Warehouse District is more likely to be seen by people in Raleigh.
Driving foot traffic: A great local video doesn’t just get likes – it can literally bring people through the door. In fact, 76% of people who search for something nearby on their smartphone visit a business within a day. Engaging videos about your shop or event can convert online viewers into real-world customers.
Community loyalty: By celebrating local culture and neighborhoods, your videos show you’re invested in the community. That inspires loyalty and word-of-mouth as locals rally around “one of their own.”
When executed thoughtfully, local video marketing grabs attention and turns it into action, loyalty and long-term growth
SHORT-FORM VIDEO: INSTANT ENGAGEMENT FOR LOCAL AUDIENCES
Platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok have made it easier than ever to reach people in a matter of seconds. In a world of shrinking attention spans, bite-sized videos (typically under 60 seconds) are perfect for on-the-go viewers, delivering quick, impactful messages. And importantly, short clips often spark higher engagement – they tend to get more views, likes, and shares than longer videos.
For local businesses, this format is a natural fit. A 30-second montage of the morning rush at a Warehouse District café or a fun timelapse of a haircut transformation at a North Hills barbershop can tell a story faster (and more vividly) than any text post. These quick hits of content keep your brand in your audience’s social feed regularly without requiring huge time commitments from viewers. They’re also highly shareable – a funny or heartwarming Raleigh-themed clip can spread among local circles and even go viral in the community.
By focusing on authentic, relatable moments, Raleigh brands are using Reels and TikToks to showcase their personality. Whether it’s behind-the-scenes latte art at 321 Coffee or a day-in-the-life of an Arrow Haircuts barber, short videos give followers an intimate peek into the business. That transparency and humor makes viewers feel like insiders, strengthening their connection to the brand.
COLLABORATING ON SOCIAL PLATFORMS TO BOOST REACH
Another ingredient in these local success stories is smart content distribution – especially collaborations on social platforms. Social media collaboration features (like Instagram’s Collab posts) enable Raleigh brands to tap into each other’s audiences in creative ways. The Instagram Collab feature, for example, allows up to 5 accounts to co-author a post or Reel so that it appears on both profiles and is shown to both sets of followers. In practice, that means a local business can team up with a partner or influencer and instantly scale the reach of a piece of content, without spending a dime on ads.
Raleigh companies are embracing this. 321 Coffee, for instance, might partner with a local supplier or another small business in a Collab Instagram Reel, exposing their story to a new crowd of local viewers. Arrow Haircuts could invite a neighborhood theme page to co-create a trendy video; by collaborating, the video hits both the barbershop’s followers and the theme page’s fans – driving new people to discover Arrow. These joint efforts offer an authentic co-sign and social proof: when people see two of their favorite local accounts creating content together, it amplifies credibility and buzz.
Importantly, all the engagement (likes, comments, shares) is pooled into one post for maximum impact. Instead of each account posting separately and splitting the attention, a Collab or shared video centralizes the social energy – often triggering the algorithms to boost the content even further. This strategy has been a game-changer for many small brands, allowing them to punch above their weight in terms of visibility. It’s a clever way to get the word out across a specific area.
321 COFFEE: BREWING COMMUNITY THROUGH CONTENT
Members of the 321 Coffee team celebrate their launch at Whole Foods Market in Raleigh. 321 Coffee is a prime example of local video marketing in action. This Raleigh-based coffee shop and roaster (which employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities) has built a devoted following by sharing its story through video. When 321 Coffee launched its products in Whole Foods Market stores across the Triangle, Burt Media helped capture the moment in a video that local viewers loved. That short launch video racked up over 21,000 views, along with 170 shares, 119 comments, and nearly a thousand likes. Clear proof that a genuine hometown success story can strike a chord online.
By focusing on real people and celebratory moments, 321 Coffee’s content makes viewers feel like part of the journey. This brand also isn’t shy about collaboration. Burt Media worked alongside the 321 team to plan the launch of their NC State University coffee blend, “Greater Good”– blending school spirit with the 321 story. By leveraging video, 321 Coffee has strengthened its connection with the community while spreading an inclusive message that goes far beyond the coffee cup.
ARROW HAIRCUTS: TURNING LOCAL STYLE INTO SOCIAL CONTENT
Arrow Haircuts, a homegrown barbershop chain, shows how a strong social media strategy can rejuvenate a brand. With multiple locations around the city (from downtown to North Hills), Arrow wanted its online presence to reflect the vibrant, quirky spirit you feel when you walk into their shops. They tapped Burt’s Media for end-to-end help – from social strategy and video content production to day-to-day social media management. The result? “100s of pieces of content created, growing social channels, and a successful hiring spree.” In other words, a flood of fresh content, rapidly growing follower counts, and even a surge of new job applicants eager to join the fun team as they opened new locations.
Arrow’s videos range from quick clips of stylists doing edgy new cuts to behind-the-scenes peeks at barbershop banter. By highlighting the shop’s personality and its Raleigh roots, these posts make viewers feel like they’re hanging out with friends rather than watching an ad. It’s a great example of how short-form content can simultaneously boost a brand’s image and achieve real business goals (like hiring).
Crucially, Arrow’s social content doesn’t feel generic; it feels local. You might catch glimpses of familiar street scenes or shout-outs to a local brewery. That local flair makes followers more likely to tag their friends, leave a comment, or stop by for a trim – because they see Arrow as part of the community. In a saturated market, Arrow Haircuts has stood out by blending style, personality, and North Carolina pride in its videos – and it’s paying off with both online engagement + in-store traffic.
CONCLUSION: CONNECTING COMMUNITY THROUGH VIDEO
These success stories underscore why short-form video and strong visual content are especially powerful for Raleigh-based businesses. Local video marketing isn’t just about making ads – it’s about telling stories that people recognize as their own. Thanks to platforms like Instagram and TikTok, even a small local shop can engage 10s of thousands of nearby viewers in an authentic, personal way. A well-shot clip or creative collaboration can spark massive buzz within the Raleigh community, practically overnight.
For business owners, the takeaway is clear: investing in professional content production and strategy can amplify your reach in the local market. When you showcase your brand’s personality and community ties on video, you invite customers to form a genuine connection – and that translates into real growth. If you’re ready to start winning with local video marketing, consider partnering with experts like Burt Media to help tell your Raleigh story. With the right strategy and creative support, your business could be the next local success everyone in town is talking about.
