“We are living in a world where one good video can lead to a massive social following” - Mike Henrey, American actor and comedian.
Such is the power of visual media, where video marketing has become a potent tool for brand growth and business expansion. Businesses are using online video to sell their goods and services, tell their brand story, and establish more immersive and compelling connections with their target audience, thanks to the medium’s explosive growth in popularity. The Rise of Video Content has not only revolutionized digital marketing but also changed the whole outdated traditional marketing strategies.
In this article, we will discuss the importance of video marketing and its role in engaging audiences in the digital sphere
Why is video content on the rise?
In today’s digital era, finding your niche and rising above the noise is becoming a difficult task. With so much competition in the market, traditional marketing tactics are unable to provide the personal touch that is needed to form a special connection with customers. This is where video marketing enters the arena. What is the fundamental principle of any marketing strategy? To establish relationships and engage the audience, right? In any form of connection, be it physical or mental, feelings are a big part of what makes those vital connections. Videos are an important channel through which the emotions and feelings can be invoked. Videos elicit strong feelings in viewers and improve the understanding and motivation of potential customers. Compared to traditional marketing techniques, this is the reason video marketing is becoming more and more popular and will continue to do so in the distant future as well.
What makes video marketing so effective?
Video marketing is a versatile tool that can put your brand or business on the global map if executed perfectly. Videos leave a lasting impression on one’s mind and, hence, play a bigger role in reaching your audience and steering the business forward.
Following are some of the reasons why video marketing is effective in making lasting connections and driving conversion rates.
Video creates more waves than text.
Recent studies show that people retain 95% of a message when it is conveyed through a video rather than a text, where only 10% of the content is retained. This marketing statistic demonstrates the effectiveness of internet video in capturing viewers’ attention and maintaining your brand's awareness. Such retention is always going to be a huge competitive advantage in such a congested business.
Videos have a strong online presence.
The powerful marketing tool that social media can be for your messaging is nothing new. Even in the sea of digital marketing, it is practical, affordable, and the quickest way to grab the audience's attention by far.
Dominance of mobiles and social media platforms
Reports suggest that 92% of social media users on mobile devices share video content with others. Simply put, people like to watch videos more rather than simple photos. This is another area where text marketing is no match for video content marketing. In fact, videos can make huge waves in online media by creating a staggering 1200% more shares than all text-based and image posts combined.
Videos leave an impression on audience's mind
Visual information is innately processed by our minds. Up until now, scientists have discovered that the human brain processes images 60,000 times quicker than text. Consequently, video content not only establishes a stronger connection with your audience than text, but it also does so much more quickly. Video is a perfect fit for today's fast-paced world, where people's attention spans are getting shorter.
Strategies for increasing engagement through video marketing
As we know by now, videos garner far more attention and engagement than a simple social media post. Whether it is YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, TikTok videos, or even Facebook stories, videos are more effective in communicating the message to the audience than traditional marketing tools. In short, video marketing is essential in creating brand visibility and exposure. However, creating content without a proper strategy can be overwhelming and time-consuming. It is important to have a correct idea of the type of video content you intend to make.
1. Use the various video formats to make engaging content.
There are different kinds of video content you can produce to promote your brand. For instance, Explainer videos are short films, which are among the most popular formats of video content used by businesses for promoting their goods and services. Video testimonials, video ads, tutorials, live videos, product reviews, product demonstrations, vlogs (video blogs), interview/Q&A videos, Short-form social media videos, etc., are other common forms of video content.
2. Use different types of video ads
Video ads are advertisements that are played before, during, or after a video. A few examples include bumper ds, pre-rolls ads, masthead ads, social media ads, linear ads, overlay ads, and more. These video ads are created to capture the audience's attention and to promote a product or a service. It is said that it takes at least seven interactions to convert a prospective client into a qualified sales lead. Hence, you should schedule regular video messaging for a variety of platforms. Advertisements on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter can include ads that appear in feeds, or stories or as takeovers or discovery placements.
Programmatic advertisements are 15-second ads that can be skipped and can run either before or during the roll on platforms such as YouTube and Connected TV.
3. Video marketing on social media platforms attracts audiences
Social media is an excellent platform for attracting audiences from all walks of life. According to the latest video marketing statistics, YouTube is the most popular social media platform for businesses, with 89% of marketers considering it as a first choice for video marketing. This is followed by Facebook with 70/%. Although the audiences on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn are all different, they all have a penchant for consuming video content.
Another popular platform is websites with reports suggesting that including videos on a website can help keep users’ attention by up to 80% in terms of browsing time and conversion rate. It also increases the probability of being found by potential users by 53%.
In the case of Newsletters, emails with video subject lines are opened 7% more frequently.
Lastly, managing pre-sales goals, increasing online traffic, raising brand awareness, growing subscribers, and shortening the sales cycle can be accomplished easily through webinars.
4. Content is king
As Bill Gates rightly said, “Content is king.” In today’s social media era, a video with interesting content has the potential to go viral and reach millions of people around the world. Whatever the platform of choice for marketing your small or large business, it is critical to keep in mind that content must be timely, relevant, and well-written. The most effective video advertisements captivate viewers right away, tell a compelling tale, and compel them to act. This is where the power of good story telling comes in, where a well-crafted story combined with effective audio, visuals, and narrative elements serves to evoke powerful emotions, convey important messages, and create priceless memories.
5. Recipe for creating a compelling video
To create a compelling video, the utmost preparation goes into the content script, filming, editing, posting, and writing. Promote your brand frequently and early. Conversion rates rise when a brand is mentioned in the first three seconds. It is also important that the video is concise and clear, as the first three to five seconds are pivotal in attracting the audience. Also, the video should be interesting enough to keep the viewers engaged, both when the sound is on and off. Data says that 60% of Instagram stories are viewed with sound on, but 85% of Facebook videos are viewed silently.
Conclusion
In short, video marketing has transformed the whole digital marketing landscape. Through compelling stories, stunning visuals, social media impact, relatability, and increased popularity on social media platforms, Videos are now a potent tool for grabbing viewers’ attention, spreading messages, and increasing brand loyalty.