It’s no secret that video can be incredibly effective at reaching your audience and conveying your message. 61 % of businesses are currently using video as a marketing tool, and of those, nearly two-thirds of them were not using video just one year ago. It’s clear from these statistics that most businesses have on-boarded themselves to video marketing – but why? What exactly makes video such an effective marketing tool?
Video is Emotionally Engaging
Roger Ebert once described cinema as “a machine that generates empathy.” The combination of moving images and sound to tell stories is truly an art form. And though I’ll be the first to admit that there is a world of difference between La Dolce Vita and a product video, there remains something undeniably similar – the process of communicating ideas.
Your prospects and customers love watching videos for this exact reason – the seamless integration of information and engagement. A 60-second video can, through a montage of images and sound, more effectively convey the same message as a 600+ word web page through simultaneous engagement with audio and visual content.
Videos Make Great Explainers
Explainer videos are a fantastic way to explain to your audience what your business does and why they need your product or services. They’re highly-visual, memorable ways to make an impact on your prospects.
Explainers are often 2-3 minutes in length, simply designed, animated, and include voiceover narration. And as you may have noticed, they’re everywhere. When it comes to communicating your business solutions in a clear, direct way, there’s just no topping the simplicity and power of explainer videos.
Google Loves Videos
Search engines love video just as much as people do. You’re 53% more likely to show up on Page 1 of Google if you have a video embedded on your website. Google sees a page with video and considers it more relevant. For some extra SEO-juice, create your own YouTube channel that’s properly optimized, including a link back to your website.
Video is Mobile-Friendly
Most people have a smartphone, and smartphones are the best on-the-go device for watching videos online. YouTube reports that mobile video consumption rises 100% every single year, and 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others. With smartphone screens becoming larger and clearer, this trend will surely continue.
It’s Perfect for Social Media Too
In addition to being highly engaging, videos are highly shareable as well. More than 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter every minute. 87% of businesses that use video say they use it on social media, with 78% of those considering these efforts effective. And 70% of users say they’ve shared a brand’s video with a friend or on their social channels. It’s hard to ignore these results – clearly, people love video content and love sharing it.
Videos Enhance Your Email Marketing
Videos are fast becoming a must-have for your email marketing efforts. Studies show that including “video” in your email subject line increases open rates, while including a video thumbnail in the email body increases the click-through rates by 200-300%.
Videos Substantially Boost Conversions and Sales
Engaging with your audience is great (and vital), but how do videos affect your bottom line? In addition to the conversion increases outlined above, there are several ways that videos can greatly enhance your lead generation and sales.
Adding a product video on a landing page can increase your conversions by 80%, as 90% of users agree that seeing a video about a product is helpful in their decision-making process.
The benefits of video marketing are plenty. In just the past year, it has evolved from being a powerful marketing tool to an essential one. From international retailers to local B2B small businesses, video should be playing a role in your marketing strategy. With an effective video marketing strategy, you’ll be able to better engage with your customers, leading to increased leads and more sales.
