Video is integral to marketing. It’s even arguable that video rules the social media space—not only is it more attention-grabbing, people retain information from visual content better than they do textual. Video is your chance to tell a chapter of your business’s story from beginning to end. We are not explicitly referring to advertisements, either; there are endless possibilities regarding what kind of content you can produce.
According to Social Media Today, brands that use video increase their revenue 49 percent faster than those that don’t use video. Likewise, 52 percent of surveyed marketing professionals state that video is the medium with the best return on investment. Consumers appreciate a good video, and your competitors are leveraging it as well. Here are a few reasons to step up your video marketing strategy:
People prefer it over reading text
Text will always have its place, but when it comes to learning about products and services, video can be more effective. Video content consultant Lisa Lubin says:
“The amount of information contained in one single frame can take three pages to describe. It is a known fact that people engage more when they watch a video and tend to stay watching it. They are also happy to pass it along. Video informs and entertains people and, good or bad, today most people prefer to watch a video rather than read a page of text.”
If you want to capture consumers’ attention and tell them why you are someone they should do business with, don’t make them work for it. Reading a brief tweet is fine, but no one wants to read walls of text if they do not have an emotional investment in your products just yet.
You can inform while entertaining
You want your products to provide your customers with value, so your content should do the same. How can you educate your audience about how your products work while making it amusing? Companies like Dollar Shave Club blend comedy and information cleverly, talking to their audience in such a way that they are never bored.
Video is not only an excellent medium to inform consumers about your products; it is an opportunity to convey your brand’s voice. What do you want your message to be? Sure, going into detail about how your products work is necessary, but how do you want people to think of you once the clip is over? With both audio and visuals, you can present yourself as friendly, authoritative, knowledgeable, sarcastic, or whatever you think will appeal to your audience the most.
It’s easier to make than ever
You shouldn’t shy away from creating video content because you think it will be too difficult or that it’s beyond your skill range. Nowadays, there are online tools that make producing videos easier than ever, such as Lightworks and Animoto. Without the need for special (and expensive) equipment, you can still compete with big-budget brands. Research online the best video editing software available so that you can produce high-quality video content for your website, Instagram stories, YouTube channel, and more. It doesn’t have to be Hollywood-level, but you have enough resources available to not look like an amateur.
Video incites action more often
Video is growing increasingly popular. Hubspot reports that 81 percent of businesses now use video for marketing, and Cisco says that video will account for more than 80 percent of all traffic by 2021. With mobile devices and the amount of time people spend on them, video is more accessible than ever. Just because it’s accessible, though, does not mean it’s more effective than text and still images—so why do marketing professionals favor it so drastically?
It’s due to evidence that video is more effective for converting viewers into customers. Social Media Today notes that 90 percent of surveyed consumers believe that a video will help them decide whether or not to purchase something, and EyeView claims that incorporating a video into a landing page can increase conversion by 80 percent. When people can see a product in action, they can better imagine how they would use it and if they need for it (which is particularly helpful for e-commerce, which lacks the potential to physically touch a product in a brick-and-mortar store).
People can watch them when they need to
Besides being attention-grabbing, videos are also something people can return to. Many people will avoid contacting customer service if they can, so it makes sense that DreamGrow reports that 68 percent of consumers would rather watch an explainer video to solve a product-related problem. This way, they can rewatch the tutorial as many times as they need.
Explainer videos are also examples of how diverse video content can be. It does not exclusively refer to advertisements or content meant to entice people; your strategy should include evergreen material that is useful to new and old customers alike even after they have purchased a product from you.
Video content is crucial to marketing in the digital age, and the process does not have to be as difficult as you may expect. What are your ideas for the next video you will create?
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