Most visitors decide where to eat, shop, and stay in Ocean City before they ever pack the car. They're scrolling reels, watching short clips, and listening to podcasts from their living rooms in Baltimore and Philadelphia — and the businesses that show up in those moments win the reservation. Video marketing has reached near-universal adoption, with 91% of businesses using it as a marketing tool and 93% of marketers calling it integral to their strategy as of 2026. For chamber members working a compressed summer season, that shift means one thing: the pre-trip decision is now made on video, not on Google.

The Format Gap You Can't Afford to Ignore

The simplest reason to prioritize video is retention. Studies show that viewers retain 95% of a message presented via video, compared to just 10% when the same information is read as text. A new menu, a grand opening announcement, a seasonal event — the format you choose determines whether anyone remembers it.

Short video doesn't require a production crew. A smartphone, a well-lit counter, and a 45-second walkthrough can carry your message further than a week of text posts. The retention advantage holds regardless of equipment.

Bottom line: The message isn't the problem — the format is deciding whether it lands.

"A Photo Does the Same Job" — And Why That Assumption Is Costly

If you've been treating photos and videos as interchangeable on social media, this one is worth sitting with. It feels logical: both are visual, both take seconds to scroll past, both require roughly similar effort to post.

The numbers don't support it. Social video draws 1,200% more shares than images and text combined, and Facebook video posts achieve 135% greater organic reach than photo posts, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's CO— resource hub. That's not a marginal difference — it means every video post is doing the promotional work of many photo posts.

The practical shift: for your highest-priority announcements — grand openings, ribbon cuttings, seasonal launches — lead with video. Save photos for texture and between-post fill.

What Happens When a Summer Visitor Can't Find You on Video

Picture two competing seafood restaurants near the inlet. The first has a Google listing, a website, and a few years of Facebook photos. The second posts two or three short reels per week — a quick look at the catch of the day, a 30-second tour of the deck, a chef explaining the day's specials. A 23-year-old planning her first Ocean City trip opens Instagram. One of these restaurants shows up in her feed. The other doesn't.

A Q2 2025 Sprout Social survey found that 41% of Gen Z now turn to social first for information, outpacing the 32% who still default to traditional search engines. A strong Google listing is still necessary — but for the demographic that fills this town every summer, it's no longer sufficient.

Audio: The Overlooked Channel for Reaching Local Business Owners

Podcasts don't get much attention in small business marketing conversations, but the audience is enormous and unusually engaged. Over 144 million Americans listen to podcasts regularly, 34% do so weekly — and 78% of business owners and founders tune in every week. That last number matters for chamber members who do B2B work: a short podcast segment or member spotlight reaches decision-makers in a format they already consume during their commute or morning walk.

A chamber-produced audio series covering seasonal tips, member features, and event previews would reach an audience that the chamber's Instagram feed can't fully serve. The barrier to entry is a quiet room and a smartphone.

In practice: Chamber members who appear in audio content reach other business owners in a format built for sustained attention — not a scrolling thumb.

Sound Without a Studio Budget

Adding professional-quality audio to a promotional video feels like a line item that requires a sound designer. It doesn't. Adobe Firefly's AI sound effect generator is a browser-based tool that creates custom, royalty-free sound effects from a simple text description — no audio expertise required. A restaurant adding ambient dining-room ambience to a menu reveal, a surf shop layering in ocean waves for a spring season post, a chamber team building audio into an event recap video — all of it is possible without a licensing fee or a post-production editor.

The audio output is trained on licensed content, which means no copyright exposure. Chamber staff producing member spotlights or Business After Hours recaps can layer sound directly into a timeline within the same tool.

"Big Brands Have This Locked Up" — What the Data Actually Shows

It's easy to assume that national chains and large brands dominate video marketing — that a family-owned shop on 52nd Street can't compete with their production budgets and distribution scale. The engagement data says otherwise.

Video plays grew 13% for small businesses in 2024, matching medium-sized businesses and significantly outpacing large businesses, which saw only 5% growth. Audiences aren't choosing polished over authentic — they're choosing relevant and local. A behind-the-scenes clip from an Ocean City institution lands differently than a sponsored post from a brand with no connection to the place.

Bottom line: Authenticity outperforms production value for local audiences — and local businesses hold that advantage by default.

Your Multimedia Starter Checklist

Not sure where to begin? Here's a practical sequence for chamber members at any stage:

• [ ] Record a 30–60 second "why we're here" video for your Google Business Profile and Facebook page

• [ ] Post one short Reel or TikTok per week during peak season — behind-the-scenes content consistently outperforms polished ads

• [ ] Repurpose event photos as a slideshow video with ambient audio for social posts

• [ ] Add sound effects or background audio to your next promotional video using a browser-based audio tool

• [ ] Share video content in the Greater Ocean City Chamber's social channels and tag the chamber for cross-promotion

• [ ] In the off-season, record several short videos to schedule for summer release

Putting It to Work in Ocean City

The Greater Ocean City Chamber already gives members a ready-made platform: social media exposure on Facebook and Instagram, directory placement on the chamber website and app, and event visibility through Business After Hours, the Chamber Awards Celebration, and the OC Chamber Job Fair. Multimedia content makes that platform work significantly harder. A 60-second video submitted ahead of the Chamber Lights Decoration Contest, a podcast clip recorded before the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, a reel shot at a ribbon cutting — each one extends your reach well past the event itself.

Ocean City's story is inherently visual: the water, the Boardwalk, the energy of a town that becomes the second-largest city in Maryland every summer. Start with one video this week. It doesn't need to be long. It just needs to show up where visitors are already looking.

Frequently Asked Questions

We already post on Facebook — does video really make that much of a difference?

Yes, specifically for reach. A photo post on Facebook reaches a fraction of the audience compared to a video post, even with the same number of followers. The platform's algorithm heavily favors native video, meaning your existing audience is far more likely to actually see video content. You don't need to post more often — just shift your format mix.

Video posts reach more of your existing audience than photos, not just new ones.

Is there a season that works better for recording video content?

The shoulder season — March through early May — is often ideal. Traffic is lighter, staff have more bandwidth, and you have time to build a content library before summer hits. Anything recorded in the off-season can be scheduled for release at peak moments without competing with daily operational demands.

Film when it's quiet; schedule for when it's busy.

What if we don't have anyone comfortable on camera?

You don't have to feature people. Product shots, location walkthroughs, event time-lapses, and ambient footage of your space all perform well. If you do want to feature staff, short, casual clips shot in one take tend to feel more authentic than scripted reads — and they're faster to produce.

B-roll and location footage work just as well as talking-head video for most small business content.

Can the chamber help members get started with video or audio content?

That's a great question for the chamber directly — reach out through the member resources at oceancity.org or attend a Business After Hours event to connect with members who are already producing content. The chamber's social platforms also offer cross-promotion opportunities once you have content ready to share.

Your fellow chamber members are often the best resource for practical, local production tips.