by Greg Knell | Video Marketing | Why Video Marketing is So Effective
Quick Summary of Why Video Marketing Is So Effective:
1. Boosts Brand Awareness
2. Makes You An Authority
3. Incites Action
4. Generates Engagement
5. It’s What They Want
If you haven’t noticed by now, video is king. In 2018, over 75% of all internet traffic was video content – and that percentage is still climbing. It’s estimated that over 60% of the world’s internet users watch videos online every day. Though written articles still get plenty of clicks, data shows that video traffic far surpasses all other forms. Saying video is trending up would be a gross understatement.
Needless to say, if you’re not putting marketing efforts toward the creation of video content, you are behind the times. The absence of a video marketing strategy means you’re leaving so much on the table in terms of audience engagement, social media influence, and much more.
Why is video marketing so effective? Why does it carry so much weight when it comes to modern business success?
Boosts Brand Awareness
How important is successful branding to a business owner? It’s not just important. It’s imperative. And video marketing is the BEST way to increase awareness of your brand. Through video you easily answer all the questions your demographic is asking, you can share testimonials from existing customers, and tell your story. On top of all that, the world can hear your voice and/or see your face as you’re doing all these things, making everything much more memorable for them.
Through video, you pull back the curtain, revealing the personality behind the brand. It humanizes your brand and allows them to really feel the passion you have for what you do. They get a taste of the culture inside your organization. All of this builds something you absolutely have to have with your customers: trust. Bring transparency and authenticity to your message with video.
When you upload quality video content, your brand has the potential to reach an infinite amount of people. There’s simply no better way to get in front of your audience than original videos.
Makes You An Authority
You feel like an authority in your field. But your potential customers aren’t automatically going to view you and your brand that way. You’ve got to prove to them that you are an experienced and trustworthy voice worth listening to. There’s something about well-made video content that instantly legitimizes you. When the public views your material, in their minds you have automatically entered the ring as an industry thought-leader, simply by having video content.
Now add to that video that actually educates them, solves their problems, and inspires them and you’ve got a winning recipe for being viewed as an expert.
Incites Action
When it comes to conversions, video is essential. Recent data shows that almost 70% of people are more likely to buy a product or sign up for something when they can watch a video about it first. The legitimizing nature of video content accompanying a product or service is in play here. But it also works because a call-to-action in a video is so good at being direct, compelling, quick, and memorable. Sales always get a boost with video content.
Generates Engagement
One particular aspect of video marketing that’s becoming more popular is live streaming. This is because of the great ROI companies receive when dedicating time to this. Three times as many people spend time watching live video than they did only a few years ago. Apps that allow live streaming (Periscope, Instagram, Facebook) are generating huge amounts of engagement.
By live streaming with your audience, you’re offering them real-time opportunities to interact with you which does wonders for trust-building. There are multiple reasons you might want to live stream; report breaking news, give a behind-the-scenes look at something relevant, or do a Q&A session, for example. Live streaming is a fantastic way to truly allow your customers to connect with your brand.
It’s What They Want
YouTube gets more daily visitors than Facebook. Behind Google, YouTube is the most visited website in the world. If that’s where everyone is, why wouldn’t you make an effort to be there too?
Recent polls revealed that, when thinking about buying a product, almost 5 times more people prefer viewing a video about it rather than reading about it. This shouldn’t be a surprise. A video lets them see it instead of imagining it. The benefits and features can be demonstrated right then and there. Science has also concluded that our brains understand and retain visual information faster and easier than written information. No wonder people gravitate to video more than anything else.