Why video needs to be a part of your visual content strategy
Do you use video as part of your marketing strategy? If you don’t, you should be. It is no longer an option but a necessity for marketers who want their visual content to have the greatest impact, reach and customer engagement.
We are entering what Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg considers to be a, ‘new, golden age of videos online’. By 2020, experts estimate that videos will account for just over 80% of all web traffic. Whether you are reaching out B2B, B2C or sharing personally, in all categories we are seeing a phenomenal shift in the way that people are receiving and responding to information.
Online videos, whether accessed via social media or on websites, form a significant part of a strategic business model for branding and marketing alike as they creatively seek to hold consumer attention. I am sure we can all think of a memorable video that sparked our imagination, affected our emotions or demonstrated to us the benefits of a certain product or service.
Video moves our emotions
Video can make us feel something in a way that text alone cannot. Emotionally charged posts, or those that are imaginative or inspirational are proven to have a greater likelihood of going viral on social media. Our brains are hardwired to respond better to storytelling, which enables us to retain more information and remember it for longer than when we are faced with hard facts and cold selling techniques. Functional MRI neuro-imagery has revealed that, when assessing brands, consumers are mainly using their emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than gathering information on features and facts.
Videos can provide audiences with content that is truly valuable in and of itself, rather than overtly trying to sell something. This is something that the consumer can find more authentic and genuinely satisfying, which is beneficial when building a brand.
Video can prove functionality
If you are marketing a product or service, what better way to do so than to be able to demonstrate features, effectiveness and functionality via visual content. Videos enable prospective customers to more clearly imagine how what is being marketed might benefit them. This is why retailers see conversion raters tripled on product pages that contain video compared with those that do not.
Video captures attention
‘Say it quick, say it well.’ In an age of ever-decreasing attention spans, this mantra has become a key for contemporary marketing strategies. A well-constructed video with engaging visuals has the ability to stop people scrolling through a website or social newsfeed in a way that text has to work harder to do. It helps to keep videos short, those that are under five minutes in length account for 55% of total video consumption time on smartphones. Additionally, videos that are under 90 seconds in length have an average viewer retention rate of 53% compared with just 10% retention for videos over 30 minutes.
If you do it, do it well
Since many marketers and brand builders have already recognised the value of getting audiovisual material out there, it is important to ensure what you are offering cuts across the noise of this digital content storm. Higher-quality videos perform better as they see higher levels of engagement and are more likely to stand the test of time. This means you will see a higher ROI overall than when releasing a plethora of lower-quality content.
If conversion is your goal in using video, then make the path clear to your consumer through using a call to action, such as a button or link, that will take them where your video has made them want to go!
Lastly, using analytics is key to establishing what is working and what isn’t. Keeping an eye on the stats will ensure that you are producing relevant, engaging video content that is reaching the right audience, in the right locations, at the right time.
