Video is arguably the king of the internet. The fact that one billion hours of video is watched daily on YouTube demonstrates people’s insatiable demand for this form of media. More businesses than ever are incorporating video content into their marketing strategies due to its unparalleled ability to captivate an audience online.
What is video content?
Video content is a form of content which incorporates video. To be considered video content, video is usually the dominant element of the content, but content which includes video as an accompanying feature can also be referred to using this term. Common examples of video content include live video streaming, customer testimonials, webinars, recorded presentations, webinars, advertisements, vlogs and animated GIFs.
How is video used by businesses?
Video is used by many businesses as part of their content marketing strategy. It is used to entertain an audience, convey information, advertise products and services and engage with customers and prospects online.
Why is video important?
When it comes to digital marketing, visual content really packs a punch. These are the top reasons why video content is important as part of your digital marketing strategy:
Visual impact
Video trumps both image and text posts when it comes to impacting the audience because it provides both visual and audio stimuli, providing a complete package that captivates people much faster, and for longer, than other formats. Video allows you to really get your message across in a creative way, using sounds, images, text, colour and body language. These elements combined create an unparalleled experience for your audience which can help you draw in prospects and convert them to customers.
High engagement
Video is much more likely to be shared and go viral than other forms of content. Consider how many times you see the same videos popping up in your feeds and compare this to blog posts. Video wins hands down when it comes to engagement. Whilst people may not have the time or patience to read an article, video is easy to view and digest which means it will reach a wider audience and gain higher engagement levels.
Tell a story
Video gives businesses the opportunity to tell a story. Framing your communication in this way helps you to build an emotional connection with your audience, which helps to boost sales and customer retention as well as build brand loyalty.
Great return on investment
Evidence clearly shows that video content works well for businesses. According to recent Hubspot research, 88% of video marketers reported a positive return on investment from their video marketing campaigns. This was up 5% on the previous year and 55% from 2015. This shows enormous growth for this content format in a short space of time.
Helps to build trust
Video allows businesses to convey who they are and what their values are better than any other medium. It really allows your brand personality to shine through as a platform which captures emotion, tone and style far better than a picture or words alone ever could. This helps to convey authenticity and build trust with the audience.
Data capture
Using video on your social media platforms allows you to capture valuable marketing data. The video viewing habits of your audience can be used to target your follow-up marketing. You can target viewers based on whether they have watched all, some or part of your video. You can also play around with your videos, trying different styles and tones and analyse what works best over time.
Drives traffic
It is estimated that by 2021, over 80% of all consumer internet traffic will come from video. Embedding video content into your website helps your SEO which, in turn, drives more traffic to your site. Sharing great video content on your social media platforms also helps to bring more traffic to your site because, as previously mentioned, video garners more engagement than other forms of content.
If you’re not already creating content in the form of videos, now is a great time to get started. There are many ways you can incorporate video; consider live streaming with customer Q&A’s, product demonstrations or event coverage. You can also create video advertisements, film customer or product reviews, hold webinars or record informational videos to help your customers learn or solve issues they may face.
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