The advantages of using video as a marketing tool

Let’s admit it. We’ve all watched funny cat or dog videos at some point in our lives. They’re cute, they’re entertaining and they’re fun. We also watch videos to help us fix things, to learn something new or simply to listen to music we enjoy. Whatever the reason is, we all know the value of video. Or do we? We’ve all heard of YouTube, but did you know that it’s the largest video hosting platform in the world? What about the fact that it’s the second-largest search platform after Google and the second most visited website after Google, too? With so much video content being posted online, it’s no surprise that marketers have also turned to video as a means of sharing their brand, products or services and events with their audiences.

Let’s put things in perspective with a few interesting facts:

• YouTube has over two billion users, which is almost one third of all internet users
• Over 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube daily
• Marketers noticed a 13% increase in click-through rates by simply mentioning the word “video” in their email’s subject lines
• Viewers of videos retain 95% of the information watched, compared to reading a text about it
• For most engagement with videos, the ideal length is up to 2 minutes long
• Websites with embedded videos can increase traffic by up to 55%

With all this in mind, it’s clear that video is here to stay and grow in importance in a marketer’s toolkit. Here are some other reasons to try video for your next marketing strategy.

Increases conversions, sales and ROI

Landing page conversions can be upped by 80% with video while revenue grows 49% faster for marketers who use video compared to those who don’t. Meanwhile, other statistics show that 83% of businesses have seen a good ROI due to video. The quality of your video doesn’t need to be perfect. What’s important is that the content needs to be clear, simple and catchy. 

Enables you to be above the fold on Google

Since Google owns YouTube, it makes sense that they would want to rank their own sites above others. What’s more is that the more time your visitors spend on your site, the more trustworthy search engines will consider it to be. Therefore, video affects search engine rankings. To rank higher up on the SERP, try to optimise your YouTube videos for SEO by writing catchy titles and descriptions, adding links to your site/products/services and more.

Offers a quick explanation of everything you’re offering

It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a product or a service, video is the fastest, most effective way of reaching your audience. Research indicates that nearly 100% of participants in a study have watched an explainer video to find out more about a company’s offering. This has driven many marketers to have an “explainer” video on their homepage, with a vast percentage of these marketers (83%) saying that this tactic was effective. If you want to move on to something more creative and catchy, try animated videos to simplify concepts, entertain and still remain simple. 

Appeals to mobile users

Almost half of all videos are watched on a mobile device, while other sources put this at not 50+% but a whipping 90%. According to statistics from YouTube, it appears that mobile video consumption increases by 100% each year. With the high proliferation of smartphones and the ability to be entertained on the go, it’s no wonder that video on mobile is growing. So, what does this mean for your business? It means that you’re dealing with an ever-growing mobile video audience, which is taking a huge share away from TV. Therefore, using video is an important tool to reach a wider clientele. 

Builds trust amongst your customers

In a research study, it was found that 57% of consumers said that videos gave them more confidence to purchase online. This confidence is hard to create, sustain and build onto with text or other pieces of content. Video puts a face and a voice behind the product or service and it improves trust in your brand. 

Is easy to consume

Video doesn’t need much to draw your audience in – it relies on their visual and auditory senses. Unlike reading, video is easy to consume. This helps customers who don’t have the time for lengthy texts, product descriptions, how-tos and so much more. By showing your customers how your offering works in easy steps, you’ll get their attention, retain it and help them make the right purchasing decision.

Conclusion

The term “video is king” is certainly true today and has never been a more relevant part of a marketer’s toolkit than now. Video is only set to grow as time passess and as consumer preferences change and pivot towards visually stimulating content that’s easy to consume and digest and helps them see the faces and names behind the product or service you’re offering. In this post, we hope we’ve convinced you of the power of video for your business and also hope you put it in practice to see better financial results and increased performance.