Everything you need to know about video marketing

A third of our time spent online is dedicated to watching videos, says Forbes, and according to YouTube, mobile video consumption rises by 100% every single year. These eye-popping stats leave little space for any other marketing format – and give us no choice but to jump on the bandwagon.

But aren’t videos much harder and time-consuming to create? How does a video camera work, and who’s going to add in all those special effects? The truth is that you don’t need to worry too much about quality. The simpler and more personal a video, the better.

Just like consumers don’t want every article to read the same, they don’t want every video to look like it was created by a professional production house. Don’t be afraid to pick up the camera yourself, start filming and, with some basic editing skills, create something that truly comes from the heart of your company. But first…

What does video marketing entail?

Companies adopting a video marketing strategy use videos to promote their product or services. These will then be used on social media, websites and external platforms to increase engagement levels and educate potential consumers.

One of the most exciting elements of video marketing is that it allows you to tell a relatively complex story in a creative, compelling and persuasive way, ultimately making it much easier for your audience to understand what you’re about.

Not convinced yet? Then let’s take a look at some of the most exciting benefits of video marketing:

Benefits of video marketing

Say more in less time

While they say social copy should be short and snappy, videos for social use can be up to 15 seconds long without losing the user’s attention. In those 15 seconds, a combination of visuals and text can tell a much more impactful story than a caption ever could.

The same goes for many other content types, such as case studies. While they’re often a lengthy read, a 5-minute video could offer a very comprehensive insight into how your company managed to solve a certain problem. Not to mention that, according to this study, viewers retain up to 95% of the information they learn about in a video, compared to a tiny 10% when reading the same content in text form.

Higher engagement

This 2016 research claims that social videos generated 1200% more shares than text and images combined, and posting a video on a landing page can increase conversions by no less than 80%!

Therefore, using video is an organic way of building trust amongst your target audience. The more they see your brand being shared by people in their network, the more likely it is that they will start engaging with your brand.

This video content will also put a face to your brand and 90% of consumers have admitted to being heavily influenced by video when making a buying decision. No surprise it is, then, that marketers using video content grow their revenue 49% faster than those who don’t.

Attract a larger audience

Where in the past, brands might have mostly created video content to grow their YouTube channel, video content is now the most popular format across all social media platforms. It’s simply how users prefer to consume information.

A study by Wyzowl showed that 68% of consumers preferred to learn about new products or services through video, while only 15% would rather see it in an article. A solid video marketing strategy also makes it easier and more organic for a brand to work with influencers, as it is how most of them communicate with their fans.

It’s easy to measure

The way in which your audience engages with your video content can be tracked and measured in great detail. Depending on what host you’re using, metrics include watch time, impressions, unique views, view-through rate, view date, country, and even entire heat maps to help you make sense of collected data. These insights can then be used to identify what content is most effective for your specific audience and will eventually save you time, energy and money.

It’s versatile

The opportunities for creating original video content are endless. Do you want to help your customers make better use of your products? Launch a how-to series. Is there a campaign you’re particularly proud of? Tell the world about it in a visual case study.

Bringing a new product on the market? How about a demo! Whatever the aim of your story, there will be a video format out there that’s perfect for the job.

So, yes, we’re pretty big fans of video marketing. It’s fun, engaging and, above all, incredibly effective in driving sales. Want to learn more? Have any questions you’d like to ask the experts? Why not attend our Video Marketing Workshop on the 13th November? 

Is your company already invested in it? Then why not have a look at this article on promoting your videos, or these 5 tips to increase retention on your YouTube channel? Good luck!