Let’s face it – a business without videos today is like a dinosaur around 65 million years ago – on the verge of extinction. While that may sound like an exaggeration today, it may just be the case for several businesses in the coming decade.
How did we get to this point? Ever since the visual medium was invented, it has always attracted the masses more than simple texts. And the advent of smarter devices, phones, laptops, and other digital devices triggered the mass demand of videos that can now be seen on the internet.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But studies today suggest that a video is worth more than a million words! That’s a lot of words out there, considering more than one billion hours of YouTube content is accessed every single day! From cute cat videos to entertaining content to informative how-to videos and marketing content, videos make up the bulk of the trillions of terabytes of internet traffic.
But why and how does video marketing work, you may ask. The answer lies in these few simple, but salient points.
1) Videos engage your audience
Every time you look at the stagnant, or even dwindling number of hits on your business’ website, you might be wondering what secret ingredient you might be missing to get those visits up to your desired numbers. The answer may very well lie in creating smart videos.
A study by Forbes recently concluded that websites which include videos see a 260% increase in time spent on the site compared to those without videos. This becomes an extremely important metric for you, if your website generates ad revenues for you. Besides, an engaged user is more likely to understand and need your product more, and is even more likely to click that call-to-action button!
2) Videos help you say it right
The power of clear communication today lies in videos. In fact, 95% of consumers remember a message from a video compared to just a measly 10% who remember messages from a text. Videos help you crystallize your communication to your target consumer in a simple manner, which leads to better understanding of your business, which in turn leads to sales and increase in revenue.
3) Videos help you reach your audience
If you already know the impact that smartphones have made in today’s world, then you must know that 90% of consumers watch videos on their phones. Which makes it an extremely important playing field for your business, as the number of smartphone users is going only one way – UP!
Besides, according to Google, mobile users are 1.4 times more likely to watch a video ad compared to their counterparts who use laptops or television. But here’s the most important part – they’re also more likely to share your video. Which brings us to…
4) Videos help you build your social reach
Every major social network today has deployed a large number of resources to ensure newer feature roll outs for videos – from Facebook and Instagram’s Live video features to Tik Tok’s short video platform. And why wouldn’t they? The average user spends around 2 and half hours per day on social media, and most of that time is spent on consuming videos.
Creating fun, engaging video content on social media will give your business the chance to develop a loyal following of trusted customers, as well as increase your reach to new ones. Besides, if your content is relatable to the consumers, they end up sharing it as well, thereby acting as individual brand ambassadors for your business on social media!
5) Videos increase your return on investment
Marketers agree that videos will increase a business’ return on investment, or at least 89% of them do! Not only do videos pay off in the long run by boosting conversions and sales, they also make an immediate impact on your discoverability and engagement rate. We have already discussed the impact videos can have on your website and social media. Now let’s talk numbers!
Even when it comes to something as basic as email marketing, videos play a huge role in the growth of your business. Emails containing videos see their click-through rates increase by up to 300%! You can even increase email opening rates by 19% by simply mentioning the word ‘video’ in your subject line.
For new businesses, explainer videos work the best. They open a window for consumers to understand your product or service. And what happens after that? As many as 74% of consumers said that they actually made a purchase of a product after watching an explainer video! That number says it all!
6) Videos increase your visibility
What is in sight, is always on mind. And you would always want your business to be on the minds of your consumers. With well-optimized videos, your business will have a 53x higher chance of appearing on a Google search front page! Apart from Google, you also have the chance to be discoverable on the 2nd biggest search engine on the internet – YouTube.
To achieve this however, ensure your videos are optimized for SEO with appropriate titles and descriptions – they make the pivotal difference when it comes to the right audience discovering your business.
7) A video is not just one video, it is a bundle of multiple assets
While you may think twice about the cost before creating a video, it is important for you to keep in mind that a single video is not just one video – you can create a lot of assets out of it! For example, you can make a teaser video out of your existing footage, building anticipation among the target audience. You can also use parts of your video to create static creatives, relatable memes, GIFs etc. You can even rehash an old video to create a new one – the possibilities are endless!
In conclusion, creating smart strategies that strategically deploy appropriate videos can ensure your business stands tall among the rest. Videos add the touch of a personal connection by talking to the consumers and not at them in a clear, concise and simple manner. They also help build a modicum of trust between you and the potential consumers, which can translate to successful business transactions for you.
So, the next step for you should be to ensure you have a video marketing strategy in place and to get hold of a smart production company, like the global tech company Shootsta, that can help you create the videos that you desire in an exceptionally cost-friendly and efficient manner.
Find out more information on video production in San Francisco!
Happy shooting!