By Rachel Doherty
Research carried out in 2018 has shown that 63% of businesses are currently using video marketing, and out of those, 82% feel it is an important element of their overall marketing strategy.
Video is developing rapidly, and it is being used more frequently by businesses as a means of communicating with and targeting customers. As it becomes the norm, those who don’t add video marketing to their arsenal will be left behind.
If you are one of the 37% of businesses who haven’t started using video marketing yet, here are seven reasons why you should:
- Video marketing grabs attention.
Whether your target market are the Baby Boomers, Generation Z, or Millennials, there’s no denying that modern technology has resulted in a shorter attention span among customers, and a massive increase in the consumption of video content via websites such as YouTube.
Top Tip – If you want to grab attention, use short, sharp, and succinct videos, and include subtitles in an easy to read font.
- Video marketing increases customer spend.
If your business is ecommerce, adding a product video on your landing page can increase sales conversions by as much as 80%, and studies show that 74% of individuals who watched an explainer video about a product or service subsequently bought it. Vision is our more dominant sense, and most information we process is from a visual source, this makes video marketing highly impactful.
Top Tip – There are a range of video types available, at different price points, and some may be more suited to your product, service, or brand than others. Live action video, animated videos, whiteboard videos, and even simple slideshow style videos are all worth looking into.
- Video marketing doesn’t have to be expensive.
The budget for video marketing can be as much or as little as you want it to be. Obviously, the more budget you have available the more polished the finished piece will be, but decent quality videos can even be created on a smartphone today if you are tech savvy.
Top Tip – Research shows users are put off videos that don’t explain the product or service well enough. Lower quality or poorer design don’t matter as much as you would think, but sound quality can’t be compromised.
- Video marketing builds trust.
Modern marketing techniques are all about content, providing value, and offering free advice and guidance, not pushing a hard sell. This is one of the many reasons YouTubers and Social Media Influencers have become so huge – they offer advice, support, entertainment value, and more to their audiences, and any sponsored or promoted items or sales pitch elements are included as an afterthought.
Top Tip – Think about who your target market is and check out what big brands in your industry are already doing online. No matter what industry you are in, you can have conversations with your customers online, provide free advice and information, and give them quality content that will make your business a voice of authority that they can trust.
- Video marketing boosts your website (and SEO).
Good video marketing will increase the amount of time visitors spend on your website, signalling to search engines that your website has good content, which will give you a boost in search engine rankings. Research shows you are 53 times more likely to show up first on Google if you have a video embedded in your website.
Top Tip – If you are hosting your videos on YouTube (which is owned by Google), make sure and include interesting titles and descriptions using keywords, and always include a link to your website, product, or service, to act as a “call to action” and give people who want to find out more somewhere to go.
- Video marketing is great for mobile users.
In the UK, around 96% of 16 to 34-year olds own a smartphone, with the figures decreasing slightly to 88% of 35 to 54-year olds, and 47% of 55 to 64-year olds. In addition, 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile phone, and Google tells us that smartphone users are twice as likely than TV viewers, and 1.4 time more likely than desktop users, to feel a personal connection to brands that show video content or ads on their devices.
Top Tip – If you are still relying on traditional marketing methods to connect and communicate with your target market, consider re-allocating your marketing budget for a six to 12-month period, and monitor the performance of your marketing. We think you will be surprised by the results!
- Video marketing increases your reach.
Social media is responding to the significant increase in video consumption by consumers. Facebook have launched 360 Video, Live Video and Facebook Stories, Instagram have 60 Second Videos, and Instagram Stories, and YouTube has become the second most popular social network in the world. The use of smart video marketing can put you in front of a lot more people.
Top Tip – Video marketing on its own is not enough to make significant impact. Decide on the tone of your video marketing and consider how that will impact your reach. Information videos are great for difficult to understand concepts, breaking news style videos are great if you have something noteworthy to share but remember that 76% of social media users said they would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining.
Still not convinced?
The latest research shows one in four customers tend to lose interest in a company if it doesn’t feature videos on its website, and nearly two-thirds of consumers say companies that don’t use video, don’t know how to reach their customers. This means consumers view businesses that use video marketing to be more savvy and interesting than those who don’t.
For our last Top Tip…
If you are going to invest in video marketing, make sure your website hosting and loading is up to speed, as videos that are slow to load or take longer to buffer will damage your reputation with consumers overall, potentially even more than if you didn’t use video marketing at all.
Journalist specialising in showbiz, entertainment, business, trade, human interest and lifestyle.
