Video Can Attract, Sell and Retain
When was the last time you visited a website or social media channel and didn’t see a video? The fact is, video is everywhere…and with good reason.
Statistics compiled by Forbes show:
- Internet users consume up to 16 hours of digital video per week
- 66 percent of consumers prefer watching a video to reading about a product
- 71 percent of B2B marketers are using video marketing, while 81 percent of total businesses use video marketing
And, according to a report from HubSpot Research, more than 50 percent of consumers want to see videos from brands, more than any other type of content. In fact, 90 percent of consumers say videos help them make buying decisions.
Clearly, if you want to capture the attention of prospects, establish a connection and ultimately sell them on your brand, video is the most effective means of communication.
Video is a Must Have
“Video is no longer an option for your business,” states Thom VanderKlipp, Chief Strategist at Marketing Direction. “It’s a required part of the marketing mix and the expectation of your audience.”
Because they are more engaging than text, videos—when done correctly—have the ability to help drive response rates, improve information retention and make your company more memorable. Video posts attract three times the engagement of posts without video.
Similarly, videos attract people to your site and pages, keep them there longer and result in more sales:
- 87 percent of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website
- the average internet user spends 88 percent more time on a website with video
- 80 percent of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales
Furthermore, the conversion rate for websites that use video is 4.8 percent, as opposed to 2.9 percent for those that don’t.
Video can also bring more attention to your email campaign. In fact, just adding the word “video” to your email subject line can increase open rates by 19 percent.
Video content is unlike any other medium of marketing communication in its ability to form a personal connection with its audience. It feels more like a one-on-one interaction than any other form of marketing outreach, aside from actual one-on-one personal interaction.
“Video eliminates any peripheral distractions,” explains Alex Germain, Marketing Coordinator at Marketing Direction. “With a form like print or audio, there are vital human senses not being utilized in the marketer’s favor.” Additionally, video can be utilized for any subject on the majority of social media and website platforms.
What Type of Video is Best?
There are many different types of videos including:
- demo
- brand
- event
- expert interviews
- explainer
- animated
- live-action
- educational
- case study
- customer testimonial
- 360° virtual reality.
Which one you choose depends on your audience and where they are in the buying journey.
For example, a brand or demo video targets those prospects who are in the consideration phase. An explainer or expert interview can influence customers who are ready to take action and make a buying decision. If your company has a complex product or service, an educational video can provide additional insight into the value of your offering.
“Most people are either visual or audio learners, so to really get your message across, video is an invaluable tool,” VanderKlipp says.
Whatever format you select, make sure to create content that will engage and entice your audience to come back for more. Considering that 85 percent of Facebook videos are now watched without sound, you want to make sure all videos—on any platform—have closed captions. Doing so not only appeals to the majority of folks who prefer to watch videos without sound, it also shows your appreciation for viewers with hearing disabilities.
YouTube Marketing
“Active YouTube audiences are possibly the most loyal form of social media followers in all of online marketing, making them a powerful force,” Germain says. However, YouTube marketing is also a high-involvement, long-term reward system, so generating consistent and high-quality content is crucial to success.
Germain suggests the following:
- Build around a brand, not a topic. Riding one viral topic to increase viewership is fine when trying to build up the popularity of a YouTube channel, but retaining those viewers long-term is the real prize.
- Focus content around the personality of the brand or channel. Topics of certain videos will ebb and flow, but a channel associated with a certain personality or image will be able to survive changes in what topics are popular.
The YouTube algorithm on how it ranks videos is an extremely complicated and complex system of SEO so working with a professional in this arena is highly recommended in order to get the most traction.
Contact us today to find out how the video experts at Marketing Direction can put your product, service or brand front and center.
