3 reasons you can’t afford to overlook video marketing

Reason 1: 2020 was a game changer for video adoption.

After a year of lockdowns and quarantines that eliminated trade shows and business conferences, companies and other organizations have turned largely to video to get their messages out and promote their products.

In a blog I released last year, I made the case that video was already king in digital marketing. But, after 2020, the shift toward video marketing is even greater.

Not surprisingly:

• 70% of businesses say they’re creating more videos now compared to the same time last year.  
• Video ads are now the number one way that consumers discover a brand they later purchase.

This means if you’re already using video extensively in your marketing, you’re in the right place. Of course, this wouldn’t be the case unless those businesses already knew video marketing was extremely effective, and this leads us to our second reason.

A marketing video we created for the workplace-experience software leader Akumina.

Reason 2: Video marketing is too effective—and too accessible—to pass up.

Research shows that the human brain, which predominantly relies on our visual senses, is naturally hardwired for processing visual information versus reading the equivalent amount of text. In fact, studies have indicated that our brains process visual information up to 60,000 times better. As a result, people remember up to 80% of what they see, compared to only about 20% of what they read. And the consumer numbers seem to back that up.

• Online shoppers are 85% more likely to act on a product offer after watching an explainer video.
• 94% of people report watching explainer videos to learn more about a product, with 84% being swayed to make a purchase.
• 93% of brands got a new customer because of a video on social media. 

Part of the reason so much video is consumed is that it’s easy to find. One of the paradigm shifts happening on the Internet is that search engines are starting to prioritize video content over traditional webpages. So, no matter how well your webpage is designed and written, it’ll probably play second fiddle to a video using the same keywords.

A quick look at some of the animated and live action videos we've made over the last year.

Reason 3: Video is driving social media, and social media influences the world.

More and more, social media platforms are becoming social video platforms. It’s the primary means by which nearly all consumers stay informed and do their research before making a purchase. And demand for video content is only increasing. By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer Internet traffic—15 times higher than it was in 2017. 

Video is no longer just a YouTube thing. There’s Facebook Watch, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Vimeo, WeChat, Pinterest, and others—all looking to carve their own unique niche in the video market. For marketing, you’ll have to do your own homework to find out where to reach your desired demographic, but there are a few things you can do on social media right now to increase your advertising impact:

• Live stream on Facebook. Only 12% of Facebook video posts are live streams, but live streams get double the engagement of prerecorded video posts. 
• Use silent videos on LinkedIn. Content on LinkedIn designed for silent viewing is 70% more likely to be watched all the way through to the end. 
• Video tweets. Tweets with video attract 10 times more engagements than tweets without video. 

And be sure to always optimize your videos for mobile devices. Mobile phones are now portable portals for video advertising, allowing you to put decision-making information literally into the hands of the consumer at the point of sale.

• More than 70% of all YouTube video consumption is via mobile devices.
• 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile devices.
• 93% of Twitter video views happen on mobile.

Final thoughts

You don’t need to be a rocket surgeon to understand the impact and influence a well-made video can bring to your marketing. The events of 2020 dramatically expanded an already growing online marketplace, increasing both the demand and effectiveness of video marketing. Combined with social media’s continually expanding pipelines to the consumer, video marketing looks to remain the reigning king of advertising for the foreseeable future.

There’s an old saying, “If you’re gonna do it, do it right.” (Maybe it was a song?) Regardless, it absolutely applies here. While anyone can shoot and edit a decent video using a smartphone and some basic software tools, don’t hesitate to seek professional help.

There are numerous creative marketing resources out there that can help you hone your messaging to hit your target audience, professionally produce your video, and create multiple versions optimized for the various social media platforms. Remember that this video might be the first impression you make on potential consumers, so you want to get it right.