What comes to your mind when you hear “marketing content”?
Social media posts, blog articles, Facebook updates, e-books, newsletters? Yes, that’s right. All of these are excellent examples of content that you can include in your marketing strategy.
However, there is one type that has recently become more crucial than all of the above and it is video.
Video is the new king of content.
In the last four years, businesses that use video as part of their marketing have increased by 24%, rising from 61% in 2016 to 85% in 2020. This spike is not hard to explain. Videos have come to play a central role in marketing campaigns because they are an excellent investment and keep your audience engaged and connected to your brand. Therefore, if there is one type of content you want to keep in your marketing strategy in 2021, it is video.
Video has a great Return on Investment (ROI)
At the end of 2020, 93% of marketers, an all-time high, indicate that video is an integral part of their marketing strategies and almost 90% of them say that video content gives them a good overall return on investment.
How come the numbers are so impressive? Video content has a few aces up its sleeve. All major social media channels use, and optimise, for video with YouTube and TikTok being exclusively video platforms. Facebook and Instagram also push video content to their users. In the last few years, the popularity of video has been growing so much that 68% of marketers share that it has a better return on investment than Google Ads.
Video generates leads, and sales
One of the reasons why video has such a high ROI is because it generates leads. It is well-known that video content increases conversion rates. It also plays an important part in the shopping experience. Videos that explain how a product or service help satisfy customers’ needs, or that show features of products and services, can convert a fan into a buyer. In fact, 70% of consumers who have watched an explainer video about a product have ended up purchasing it.
Video is easy to consume
The secret to why video generates leads that convert to sales lies in one of its characteristic features – it is very easy to consume. While it takes effort and time to get information out of lengthy blog posts, presentations and printed marketing materials, videos can be enjoyed with a minimum investment of energy. Videos are the perfect means to engage the so-called lazy consumers. As a matter of fact, 66% of people prefer to watch a video about a product than to read about it. These statistics are also supported by marketers who say that video content generates better leads compared to blogging. In addition, videos can be accessed anytime and anywhere, as long as an Internet connection is present, making this type of content easy to find and easy to consume.
Video is the most shareable type of content
Sharable content is entertaining, helpful, interesting, and most importantly – emotional. Video can be all of these. Its ability to capture and convey feelings and emotions is one of the reasons why it is shared so much. If you want to generate positive word of mouth for your brand, video content is an investment worth making as nearly 50% of people say they are more likely to share video on social media than any posts or images. Furthermore, 89% of millennials trust recommendations by their close circle more than what a brand says about its products and services.
Video content helps build trust
One of the most important feelings that you can generate with video content is trust, which is becoming more difficult to create (84% of millennials distrust traditional advertising) even though it is an integral part of your relationship with your customer. One way to foster this connection is by channelling a feeling of authenticity and humanity about your brand. Video content can be used to communicate the brand’s vision and show how it is applied to every part of your business. Combine storytelling and video content to tell an inspiring story about your company. Through this type of content, fans and customers can meet your team, see how products and services are brought to life and get a sense of your company’s culture and values, and thus, become more likely to trust your brand.
Video turns your brand into an experience
Apart from communicating emotions and feelings, videos have the power to visualise complex concepts and abstract ideas. They can give an online service a physical shape in the mind of the viewer. Furthermore, video can present your brand in ways written content simply cannot. By adding sound, movement and colours you can turn your brand into an experience. Additionally, video can improve the way customers interact with your business. Explainer videos, for example, can be used to create a better experience during the purchasing process and replace time-consuming customer service calls.
Video helps connect with and attract potential customers
Do you know that the average person spends around 16 hours watching online videos per week? If you have a blog and are wondering where your readers are, the answer is simple. They are watching YouTube, scrolling Instagram reels, exploring TikTok or engaging in video content on Facebook. If you want to connect with new people and attract more customers, you should add video content to your marketing strategy. To get even better results, you should optimize your content for mobile since statistics show that 51% of all videos are played on mobile devices.
Video is multi-purposeful
Yes, video is widely used in marketing campaigns. However, this type of content is also an excellent way to deliver information inside of your company. Video can be used in leadership messages and human resources presentations to help with engagement and cultivating trust within the organization. At the end of 2020, 31% of companies report that they use video content in sales and almost 30% include it as part of operations and administration support.
Are you ready to use video yet? Let us help you.
The advantages of video are undeniable. And yet not everyone is using it. In fact, 80% of marketers say they would use more video content if there was an easier way to produce it (Bitable, 2021). Here at Zaran, our mission is to make the process of video creation simple and enjoyable. Let us do all the work so you enjoy all the benefits.
