When YouTube came out in 2005, the concept of video marketing was quite new and even a few good years after that it stayed as more of a niche area that only large organizations dabbled in. Fast forward to 2018 and it seems that video content is simply unstoppable. The number of people who consume videos is getting higher and higher and, as a response, businesses harness their power to attract new clients. According to the latest data, a whopping 81% of business are actively using videos as a means of promotion and those few who do not plan on doing so in 2019.
If you’ve never created a video for your business before, your competitors surely have. But if this doesn’t convince you to include them in your marketing strategy, the following 15 benefits will explain why they’re so effective:
1. Boost conversions
The ultimate goal of any website isn’t just to get visitors, but also to turn visitors into paying customers – this is called conversion. There are many ways to boost conversion rates, but adding a video on your website is one of the most powerful tools you can use. According to market studies, a video on your landing page can increase your conversion rate by up to 80%, regardless of the industry where you activate. Also, more than half of people who make online purchases said that they did so after watching an explanatory video.
2. Boost sales
If you’re still relying only on cold calling or door-to-door interaction to boost sales, you’re missing out. Video content is a much simpler and more modern way to convince people to try your products and while videos are working their magic your staff can focus on more important processes. Why do videos increase sales? Because they are compelling, and in as little as 90 seconds, a video can explain why your product is amazing and convince viewers to try it.
3. Increase traffic
Like we said in the beginning, website traffic doesn’t necessarily mean profit. However, in order for people to buy your product, first you need to get them to visit your site. And videos can do that. At present, YouTube has the biggest online traffic after Google and Cisco estimates that by the end of 2020, 80% of all online buyer traffic will be video. So, apart from investing in backlinks, video marketing is a brilliant way of making sure your website gets enough monthly visitors.
4. Great return on investment
When asked why they haven’t tried video marketing so far, many business owners reply that they do not have the funds. Like all services that work, videos can have a higher price tag compared to other practices, especially if you’re using the latest technologies, but apart from cost, what matters most is return on investment. Videos may cost more to make, but they pay off. Provided that they are made by a professional agency in accordance to a well-established strategy, videos offer you a huge return on investment. What’s more, the impact of video marketing is highly measurable; this means that you won’t pay for a video and then you won’t be able to know whether it helped you or not. On the contrary, you can check data reports and see for yourself how and why clients watch your videos.
5. Engage viewers
To make the most out of your marketing strategy, it’s not enough to produce content. you also have to make sure that the content is engaging and sparks viewer interest. Unlike text, which doesn’t always manage to entertain, video actually accelerates engagement, making the viewer interact with your brand. For instance, 68% of users would rather watch an explanatory video to solve a problem instead of reading an article. To keep them interested, choose videos that are less than two minutes long.
6. Videos are good for SEO
Text content plays an important part in your SEO strategy, but video shouldn’t be neglected either, because it offers some surprising SEO benefits. First of all, videos increase your website traffic, and this is key in increasing your rankings. Secondly, videos show Google that your website produces high quality content and give you the opportunity to be featured in search engine result pages (SERPs). For example, if you make a helpful “how to” or explanatory video, it can pop up in search results in the “Videos” tab.
7. Video content is more popular than ever
From YouTube to Facebook videos, Internet users seem to love content more than ever. On average, people spend 1.5 hours watching videos and 85% of them are interested in seeing more video content from brands. What’s more, for 2019, social media experts estimate that text-based platforms like LinkedIn will lose their appeal, while video-centric ones, like Snapchat, will rise to power.
8. Videos are memorable
Sight is our predominant sense, so it comes as no surprise that visual content is easier to remember. Did you know that as much as 80% of people remember a video they watched in the past 30 days? This means that people who watch your videos will remember them and, most importantly, they will remember your brand. By aligning your video style with your branding strategy, you can become a household name and expand the reach of your business.
9. Videos have sharing power
We live in the age of social media and no other form of content is shared more than videos. And it’s not just funny cat videos. Up to 80% of users are willing to share branded videos with their friends, as long as they are entertaining, inspiring or funny in some way. Sharing the video is only part of the equation, because according to the latest data, shared video links are likelier to be opened compared to image or text links.
10. Mobile-friendly
Video content works well on all devices, but consider that we now live in the mobile age, it’s good to know that video traffic on smartphones accounted for 60 percent of total mobile data traffic (Cisco) and that mobile video is growing at a faster rate than TV. What’s more, people are two times more focused while watching a video on their phones compared to watching it on TV. People watch videos on their phones during their lunchbreak, at home and on the go, which is an amazing window of opportunity for you as a brand.
11. Go viral
Do you want a marketing campaign so big that it can reach people from all over the world? With videos, you have the best odds of achieving this. Because they are so impactful and so easy to share, videos can spread quickly and become viral. Of course, creating a branded viral video is not easy and you need to work with a top of the line agency to make something that sparks emotion and stands out from the millions of others, such as these brilliant ones.
12. Increase email open rates
Email marketing. One of the older marketing strategies that used to be very popular, but are now being used less because users no longer open promotional videos from brands. Or do they? In fact, email marketing still works, and the trick is standing out from the dozens of newsletters that users receive each day. Instead of sending generic offers, why not send your clients an email containing a personalized video? According to Lenovo, personalized videos increase email open rates by a whopping 400% and have a 4.5x higher click-through rate.
13. Videos are a valuable learning tool
Before a website visitor pays for your product or service, first they need to understand what it does and what makes it special. There are times when you can do that with an in-depth 2500-word long text guide and times when you can do that with a short, 2-minute explainer video which is much easier to follow and remember. Videos take storytelling to a new level and you can provide educative value in a creative way.
14. Videos give you limitless creative possibilities
Brilliant marketing is not about following the rules, it’s about unleashing your creative potential. With videos, you can combine music, text, sound effects, images, animations and live footages to express what makes your business special. With the technologies available nowadays, the options are limitless and you won’t be restricted in any way. There is a style of video production for each type of target audience and service you may want to promote.
15. Video ads rock
Last, but not least, if you want to promote your services through a video ad campaign, you won’t be disappointed by the results. Compared to banner ads, which have become obsolete and very frustrating for users, short, 30 second videos can be seamlessly integrated into apps and other videos and draw the client’s attention without affecting the user experience.
