“Video marketing” is one of today’s hottest industry buzzwords — and we agree that video is a priceless tool when it comes to engaging your audience, sharing stories and information, promoting products and services, piquing interest, and more.

But we also know that video in and of itself isn’t a magic bullet. You should never go into any marketing initiative assuming what’s going to work. You need to test to find out what works for your company, your audience, and your objectives.

Video also gives you the chance to go deeper. Rather than just summing up your business in a snappy tagline, films give you the space to explain who you are and what you do in a way that grabs your audience’s attention. 

Video Boosts Conversions and Sales

First things first. Videos can make you some serious money. Adding a product video on your landing page can increase conversions by 80%.

1. Your customers are watching more video. The statistics prove that your target audience is watching video, which is probably the only benefit you need to hear:

  • 92% of B2B prospects consume online video
  • 4 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day
  • About one-third of shoppers will purchase a product after viewing a video ad

2. Video ads convert sales. The biggest names in online marketplaces, including Amazon and eBay, report that adding a video ad to a product description increases the chances of a shopper buying that item by up to 35%.

3. People share video. Those who view a video ad and find it interesting or valuable will share it with their followers on social media. In fact, more than 700 videos are shared by Twitter users every minute. This phenomenon can increase your video’s exposure exponentially.

4. Video ads do well among mobile users. The number of people watching videos on mobile devices continues its upward climb. One interesting statistic for companies distributing video is that 88% of short pieces, around 30 seconds, are watched through to the end on mobile. The same isn’t true for those viewing the ad on a computer.

5. Video is an excellent format for informing and educating. Because it incorporates audio and visual elements that appeal to multiple senses, video ads perform as well as educational tools. They’re especially effective when used for product demonstrations or in as How-To guides, as viewers can actually see how certain things work or learn a new skill.

6. Search engines love video. The biggest search engine companies put a priority on video content when making tweaks to the algorithms that present certain sites higher on the rankings page. Distributing videos via social media, posting them on blogs and embedding them on your website increases the likelihood that your target audience will find you when searching for relevant information.

7. A video conveys huge amounts of information in a short time. You can say more in a shorter amount of time on video as compared to text. Video is more engaging to the senses, so it can convey more information by showing and telling at the same time.

8. Video tells your story better than other formats. The emotional impact of video ads is significant. You make a more solid personal relationship when you’re storytelling through sight and sound, connecting a viewer’s emotions to your product or service.

9. Analytics are telling. The primary video sites, including Facebook and YouTube, include features that enable you to see how your content performs. Knowing the views, shares, likes and social interactions can help you plan future campaigns, which makes your content more effective at reaching your target audience.

I can’t change the rule

You are what you are seen to be

PEOPLE LOVE VIDEO

Recent studies show that videos will account for 69% of all internet traffic by 2017. That’s huge. It means more consumers than ever before will be choosing videos over static webpages as a place to get news, information and entertainment.

And the interest in online video content is already staggering. Youtube has one billion users, with 20 million in the UK watching at least one video a week. Second only to Google, it’s the most frequently used search engine and considering Youtube is owned by Google, search results generate a high volume of video content. This shows that Google rates video content as being as important as static webpages and images. And the more video content gets shared, the higher it will rank in search engine results.