Video continues to explode as more businesses are looking to create informative, engaging and eye-catching video content to connect with their audiences and drive sales.
Video content consumption reports show that video continues to trend in digital marketing. Research indicates that by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82 per cent of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017.
With the average time spent online increasing, video has become an essential part of the marketing and communications toolkit. A survey conducted by Biteable found 60 per cent of businesses use video as a marketing tool and “for many, video outperforms other marketing tools.”
Video content yields more engagement than other types of content and is the future of marketing. As consumers turn to YouTube and other social media platforms for information and entertainment, businesses must turn to video to meet this growing demand.
Why video content is on the rise
Video marketing is not a new phenomenon. It has been used as a marketing tool for over 50 years! In fact, the first video commercial aired on television in 1941 and featured New York-based Bulova Watch Co. Over 4,000 people watched the commercial, which revolutionized advertising as other companies quickly adapted. However, it wasn’t until after the Second World War that the use of TV commercials exploded. Spending increased from $12.3 million to $128 million. In 2019, global video ad spending was $10.35 billion, with social media accounting for 28.7 per cent of the traffic.
In 2021, digital video advertising is expected to attract US$80.1 billion in spending worldwide and is projected that the expenditure would increase to $120 billion by 2024.
Is video content more engaging in 2021?
In recent years, video has exploded in popularity, with 54 per cent of consumers demanding to see more video content from brands they love and support. A Wyzowl survey found that 96 per cent of respondents relied on explainer videos to learn about products or services.
Consumers are not just turning to videos to engage with and educate themselves about brands. They’re also watching them make purchasing decisions. Hubspot explains that 72 per cent of consumers prefer to receive marketing information in the form of a video rather than text and 84 per cent report a brand video convinced them to make a purchase.
Why video marketing is the future
More than 250 million hours of video content is consumed every day, according to YouTube. This number is expected to rise as demand for video content increases; especially by younger audiences. Today’s largest consumer audience, millennials and Generation Z, have significantly increased their video consumption on social media and mobile devices. It is reported that generation Z and millennials watch video content for more than an hour per day.
Why video is so effective in marketing
It’s clear from the data that video will play a bigger role in reaching and engaging with target audiences for all businesses going forward. It is a versatile tool that can improve a business’s marketing strategy when done right.
Here’s why:
- Viewers remember 95 per cent of a message they watch in video, as opposed to 10 per cent of text.
- Video is a great way to break down difficult concepts.
- People find personal and emotional connections with brands through clever and thoughtful marketing.
- Ninety-two per cent of users share videos with others.
- Videos are good for search engine optimization (SEO).
- Advertising platforms frequently reward video ads with lower cost per thousand impressions, higher clickthrough rate and better return on investment.
How to incorporate video into your marketing strategy
Video has taken over engagement efforts and become a cornerstone for many business strategies. With growing demands for video content, many marketers are investing in creating different types of video content.
Use video on different platforms
Video can tell your brand’s story, engage users, convert searchers into customers and help you retain those customers. Here are four ways you can use videos to do this:
- Social Media: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn all have unique audiences that have one thing in common – a preference for video content consumption.
- Website: Research suggests that by adding videos to a website helps maintain current users’ attention by increasing their browsing time and conversion rate by up to 80 per cent. Most importantly, it spikes the likelihood of being discovered by prospective users by 53 per cent.
- Newsletters: Emails with video in the subject line are opened seven per cent more often than those without.
- Webinars: Webinars can provide an easy way to handle pre-sales objectives, boost traffic, increase brand awareness, create authority and increase subscribers, as well as speed up the sales cycle.
Try different types of videos ads
It takes at least seven touches to turn a potential customer into a qualified sales lead, so you should be planning consistent video messaging across multiple channels. Paid ad placements can appear in several ways:
- Social media ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and LinkedIn. These can include ads that appear in feeds, stories, or as discovery placements or takeovers.
- Programmatic ads, on platforms like Youtube and Connected TV. These are skippable 15 seconds ads that can appear pre-roll or mid-roll. There are also five-second bumper ads that you can’t skip.
- Content ads that are produced in partnership with publishers and other channels.
What makes good video content
While it’s well understood that video marketing is a unique and valuable tactic to reach consumers effectively, marketers often are daunted by the task of creating video content.
Whatever platform is right for promoting your small or enterprise-level business, it’s important to remember that content needs to be useful, relevant, timely and well done. The best performing video ads are visually compelling from the start, tell a good story and make people want to take the next step.
Let’s break down the key elements of video content.
Tell a story
This is true for any ad, but it’s especially important for video marketing because the story is what drives viewers to watch more.
Capture attention right away
Showcase your brand early and often. Brand mentions in the first three seconds increase conversions. Lifestyle and product shots and recognizable spokespeople can create interest, as can scenes with action or vivid backgrounds.
Be clear and concise with your message. Consumers have a much stronger recall of ads that get the point across in the first three to five seconds.
Target audiences on Facebook
As a content-sharing platform, Facebook stands out from other social media platforms for in-depth targeting capabilities that allow you to select audiences for your content.
Using Facebook’s video custom audience feature, you can share video content with a specific audience segment of your choosing. Targeting your audience by interest will ensure you are optimizing your reach.
Design for sound off, delight with sound on
Recent data suggests that 85 per cent of Facebook videos are watched without sound, while 60 per cent of Instagram stories are watched with the sound on. With this in mind, you need to consider how to make your video engaging for viewers when it’s playing with the sound on and off.
There are a few ways to make sure your videos are effective without sound:
- Use captions for video. Video ads with captions are watched 12 per cent longer than non-captioned video ads.
- Highlight products, shopping pages or core functionality.
- Make sure your entire message is delivered visually. Words and symbols can make your message easier to understand when someone is watching without sound.
- Create visual surprises. What optical illusions or unexpected events can you include?
Provide a clear call to action
When creating video content, ensure you are using a call to action (CTA) to tell your audience what they should do next.
A CTA doesn’t always have to make a sale or link to a web page. A simple and clear CTA can encourage a consumer to:
- Subscribe to the channel.
- Like or leave a comment.
- Share the content with friends.
- Explore your other content.
Use a strong cover image
Select a strong cover image that will hook people into your story at a glance. Create an image that represents your brand by using brand colors, themes and imagery to help people connect with your product and service offerings.
Remember that mobile is king
According to Google, more than 70 per cent of YouTube video views are on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. To better engage this large segment of the audience, it’s important to create videos that are optimized for mobile devices.
Create with an objective in mind
When creating video content, it is important to consider your goal. If it’s awareness, remember that emotion trumps logic.
If you are working on consideration and conversion, problem solving is paramount. People buy products and services because they want to solve a problem.
When planning for video content, it is important that you understand your audience’s pain points, their content preferences and the style of message that resonates with them.
How to get started with video content
According to Hubspot Research, consumers prefer low-quality video content to high-quality content because they feel it is more authentic and relatable. Put simply, consumers connect better with video content that is “real” than with highly contrived production. Accordingly, you don’t need a big budget or fancy video equipment to start adding videos to your strategy; especially if you consider that smartphones come equipped with high-quality cameras and free editing tools.
Video content marketing is powerful and accessible for any business – no matter how big or small. In the coming year, 45 per cent of marketers plan to add YouTube to their content marketing strategy. Will you be one of them?
