Back in 2018, the New York Times wrote that we will soon be living in a “post-text” world. With over 3.37 billion internet users consuming video content in 2022 (according to Statista), it’s safe to say their prediction was right.
Marketing and sales are no longer all about the product, it’s about the brand and the stories we tell. Video marketing can tell a story and connect with audiences much quicker and on a more emotional level than a long page of text. You don’t have to look far for research that tells us that consumers love video. Or that search engines love video. Or that social algorithms love video. Here’s why marketers should be loving video right now too.
Video encourages engagement
What’s one thing we would all love more of from our target audience? Engagement. Without engagement, marketing can feel like shouting into the dark. Research shows that video is the most sharable content and tends to result in more engagement than its text-based counterparts. A recent survey by Sprout Social in 2022, found that 66% of consumers find short-form videos to be the most engaging type of content on social media. This is backed up by LinkedIn which says that video content on their site gets 5 x more engagement and 20 x more shares than other content.
A picture speaks a thousand words and this rings even more true for video. Our brains process visual images 60,000 times faster than text so it’s no wonder that they capture audience’s attention more quickly. Video requires minimal effort from consumers and is much more memorable. Even complex topics can be broken down into something easily digestible and the use of video is more likely to provoke an emotional response. When viewers feel this emotional connection they are much more likely to like, share or comment on content. And it’s not just engagement that video encourages – research clearly shows that video has a very positive effect on purchasing decisions with 89% of people saying that watching a video has convinced them to buy a product or service.
Video is good for SEO
YouTube is now the second most popular website for searching after Google, so it’s clear that video is what people want. But it’s great for your SEO strategy too, with a website being widely believed to be 53 x more likely to reach the first page of a Google search if the site includes video. “Videos can hugely help your SEO.” explains SEO expert Alice Widger from Milk It Digital. “They help keep people on your website longer, and this sends positive ranking signals to search engines. Happy engaged users = helpful content = higher ranking sites.”
Video marketing helps to increase sales too. “Video is also fantastic for e-com,” Alice continues. “Buyers are more likely to purchase if they can get a good visual representation of the product, that images alone can’t deliver. You can also add transcripts of your videos as page content, not only good for helpful content for search engines to understand your page, but it’s also helpful for accessibility reasons – another ranking signal.”
Socials favour video
Content creators across all social channels are increasingly finding it hard to keep up with other influencers unless their content includes a lot of video. Social channels have not been shy about the fact that their algorithms favour video content and with the meteoric rise of video-first channels like TikTok, it’s not hard to see why.
But we can’t solely blame the social channels for the push towards video content. They are only responding to what their users want to see. Ultimately, they will push the content that performs best and keeps a viewer’s attention for longer. Right now, that’s video.
Video marketing gets results
One of the main reasons video marketing is so powerful is because it gets results. Want to increase your brand awareness? Generate leads? Increase sales? Using video effectively as a key part of your strategic content plan can help you meet your targets. A study in 2019 by Cisco showed that well over half of global internet traffic came from video streaming and downloads and this has continued to grow. So, whilst video can feel like more of an investment than text-based content, it represents a more preferable method of content delivery that is likely to give you a good return on investment by reaching a much wider audience.
Is video content harder to produce?
Anyone with a smartphone and an idea can produce video content. In fact, you don’t even need an idea. But that doesn’t mean it’s good content, and it doesn’t mean it won’t damage your brand. Taking the time to have a clear strategy for your video content, making it a key part of your marketing strategy and then executing the production in a style that is right for your audience and your brand, will help to ensure that your video adds value and engages with your audience rather than just adding to the noise.
This is where working with a partner like Bigtank can help. We work with organisations to create focused campaigns that meet key needs and deliver results. We do this by taking the time to understand your organisation and the goals you want to achieve and then use our award-winning film-making skills to help you reach them.
There are lots of reasons why companies shy away from video content, but it’s clear that in a “post-text” digital world, those that avoid video could end up falling behind. Speaking to a partner like Bigtank will show you how easy it is to apply video marketing to help you to deliver on your goals. Or if you’ve tried video and found you’re not getting the results you want, we can work with you to take your video engagement to the next level.
Find out more about how we can help you engage more effectively with your audience or get in touch now.
