Major Reasons for Including Videos in Your Content Marketing
I’ll bet you’re a movie fanatic. You love how the visuals and the stories come together to entrance an audience by entertaining them and eliciting emotions, right?
Most people do. That’s one of the many reasons why video is making such a huge impact on marketing these days. They are revolutionizing it because people love watching them.
Plus, it gives you so many creative and strategic options. And the trend is expected to grow as more companies include video in their marketing plans — both on and offline.
When produced effectively, marketing videos can engage audiences just as well as movies or TV shows. Sometimes even more.
They are a very effective way to promote and brand your company and products, especially when integrated with the rest of your content marketing plans.
Here are seven major reasons and metrics for including videos in your content marketing.
1. Content is the core of video marketing
Content marketing is the art of creating tailored informative messages (articles, social media, whitepapers, infographics, blogs, and more) for specific audiences that help solve problems and make potential customers’ lives easier.
And videos are the ideal format for this type of messaging. Tell a story. Solve a problem. Show people how to do something that can change their world (especially using your products).
The visuals, music, and vocal talent can work seamlessly (if produced right) to create a promotional message too appealing to ignore.
2. People would rather watch than read
Written promotional materials are and will always be an integral part of any marketing plan. At least, until someone develops technology that beams information right into our heads (fingers crossed).
But video is quickly overtaking it. According to Forbes, 59% of senior executives would rather watch videos than read text. And Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research discovered that a minute of video is worth 1.8 million words.
Even people who love to read will still stop and watch a video on a webpage before checking out the written information. That’s how powerful they are.
3. Grabs attention and connects with your audience
The hard, fast rule of marketing (one of them, anyway) has always been to grab the attention of your prospects quickly and hold onto it tightly. That becomes a bigger challenge each day as people are bombarded with distractions and marketing messages from every direction.
You need something that can plow through that clutter and pierce the fog of mass indifference as people tune out those distractions. The visual siren song of a video is the ideal way to do just that.
It’s also proven to hold their interest. According to production company Mist Media, the average internet user spends 88% more time on a website that has videos, and comScore states that visitors who watch the videos will stay on sites an average of two minutes longer than those who don’t.
4. Influences people and increases conversion rates
Instead of reading about the solutions your products offer, your prospects can watch a compelling video showing your products in action. Seeing it happen will influence people to buy your products, or at least take the next step in learning more about them and your company, than merely reading about it.
HubSpot says that featuring a video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80%. And MarketingProfs research shows that 70% of marketing professionals report that video converts better than any other medium.
5. Use videos almost anywhere
Websites. Social Media. Emails. Events. Presentations. Almost anywhere you use written marketing materials, you can use video, especially with current and evolving technology.
One innovative example of an effective use is creating video whitepapers. Whitepapers have always been a go-to source of in-depth information that B2B technology and other marketers adhere to.
Now companies are enhancing the power of whitepapers by converting them into video format. Then they’re reaching out to potential customers by distributing them across the internet on sites like OnlineWhitepapers.com.
In fact, that site is at the forefront of the video whitepaper revolution. They’re producing and adding new videos every day. Take a look at what they can do for you.
6. Search engines love videos
In the never-ending battle of reaching top-of-the-page results in search engines, videos are one of your strongest advantages. That’s because search engines seek out compelling content.
A Small Biz Trends survey showed that companies using videos receive 41% more web traffic from searches than companies who don’t.
And don’t forget that, besides being a video showcase, YouTube is also a search engine. Posting your videos there increases the chances of potential customers seeing them dramatically.
7. People love to share videos
Social Media Today states that Facebook generates eight billion average video views a day. That includes B2B, as well as B2C. Small Biz Trend posted that social videos generate 1,200% more shares than text and images combined.
Cute Puppies. Pratfalls. Weird weather patterns. Interesting news stories. Bigfoot sightings. If it’s entertaining or just plain fascinating, people will share videos with everyone they know.
Even commercials and marketing. Like a digital form of word-of-mouth campaigns, if your marketing videos are enjoyable, people will do your marketing for you.
Start producing videos today
If you haven’t already, it’s time to add videos to your overall marketing strategy. It has become a powerhouse in delivering messages to prospects and convincing them to buy.
If you need help creating compelling concepts and scripts for your videos, reach out to us. We have innovative video creative and production teams who can help you produce exactly what you need.