Why Video Content Needs to be Part of Your Marketing Strategy
Let’s be straightforward here: Video content isn’t cheap. That fact alone prevents many businesses from investing in valuable video content. But all it takes is a quick glance at every major social media platform and media hub to know that video is absolutely everywhere.
Until recently, it was very hard to make a connection between video and ROI. Now we have solid data that makes it clear that video content boosts site performance and marketing efforts.
Need some convincing?
Video is a powerful marketing tool. Sites using video need an average of 37% fewer unique site visitors to generate a marketing response (Digital Marketing Magazine)
Video is growing big time. More than 90% of the online population will regularly watch online videos by 2017. (Forrester)
Mobile users love video. A huge chunk of web traffic browses on a mobile device. Smartphone visits are growing at a rate of 68% yearly. (Recode)
Business owners value video. 75 percent of executives watch business-related videos online at least once a week. (Insivia.)
B2B buyers want video. Buyers are looking for short, informative videos to help them make purchase decisions. (Demand Gen Report)
Facebook users crave video. Half of United States Facebook users say they watch videos on Facebook daily. Hint: That’s hundreds of millions of people. (Facebook)
Video boosts email campaign performance. Simply seeing the word “video” in an email subject increases open rates and reduces the number of opt-outs. (Brainshark)
Video has major impact. Brands that add video into their content marketing mix show a 66% higher average website conversion rate. (Rocketium Academy)
Video boosts your SEO. Video is twice as likely to rank high in organic search than plain text. And users are almost twice as likely to click through. (Brainshark)
Does this mean you should run out and make a video right away? Not really. As with any kind of content, video requires forethought and strategy.
You have a lot to think about.
What kind of story do you want to tell?
Do you want to educate your customers about a specific product? Do you want to use a creative video to build brand awareness or good will? Will your video content be highly specialized and service-oriented, or are you trying to strike gold with the ever-elusive goal of going viral?
Will you enlist the help of a video professional? An agency? Are you planning on shooting short videos with your phone and blasting them out on social media?
Video has an amazing ability to influence customer behavior, so it’s very important to know what you want a viewer’s next steps to be.
Every business needs a unique video content strategy. Video needs to speak directly to the right audience. Video needs to be crafted around specific business goals. You can’t wing it.
Video isn’t simple, but you can’t afford to ignore it. Instead of approaching video as a challenge, think of it as an incredible tool. Today’s incredibly savvy Internet users are listening. Are you ready to speak to them?
