Video is the dominant form of media on the web. Every day, humanity consumes billions of videos on everything from cookery to cats (and sometimes both at the same time).
Marketers were quick to see that motion picture was the preferred medium for communicating digitally. You could have the most beautiful images or line after line of perfect prose, but it couldn’t compete against videos. There was something about it that made it special.
Pixabay - CC0 License
Companies use video marketing for all kinds of purposes. For some, it is a tool for raising product and brand awareness. Others see it as a way to educate their customers and push them towards conversion.
Importantly, video marketing is a type of long-form advertising. It provides companies with space they need to communicate their full brand message, which isn’t possible through PPC.
You probably already have a good idea of why video marketing is such a popular medium, but it bears repeating here. There are good reasons it is taking over the internet.
Mobile Users Love It
Mobile usage spiked dramatically from 2010 onwards. We suddenly got powerful devices to stream videos from the internet, opening up a host of new opportunities. Early adopters were quick to jump on the bandwagon, but it soon became apparent that this was going to become a universal phenomenon. People love watching videos on their mobile devices - and that’s not going to change any time soon.
Marketers soon recognized that they needed to tap into the mobile market if they wanted to reach the bulk of their audience. So, video naturally became a method to do so. In other words, it grew partly out of consumer preference for smartphones.
It Has Massive SEO Value
Google and other SERPs know that people love watching videos. Data suggest that the bulk of internet users prefer them to walls of text, blogs, or picture galleries. For that reason, search engines are keen to promote relevant video content whenever the opportunity arises. And that, in turn, means that videos have massive SEO value.
Hiring a video company to create marketing content for you is probably the best way to improve your ranking for keywords. If you can create a popular motion picture that targets a niche, then you can rocket up the ranks and bypass all the usual SEO nightmares. By some estimates, video content is around 47 times more potent than written content for generating attention.
It Has A High Share Rate
The holy grail of digital marketing is creating content that people share. In the ideal world, companies would feed marketing materials to their most enthusiastic customers and then wait for them to distribute the content to their contacts. In practice, though, that doesn’t usually happen.
Video, however, is the exception. There’s something eminently digestible about videos that makes them shareable. People want to share their positive experiences with others. If you're going to make your content go viral in the era of TikTok, this is how to do it!
People Remember More Of The Details
Marketing is challenging because most people are indifferent to brands they don’t know. To get the message out, you have to overcome user apathy.
Blogs and website text isn’t usually particularly effective at achieving this end. Attention spans are now so short that very few people are going to invest in a blog that describes the motives and values of your firm. A video, on the other hand, could be just the trick.
Research shows that people tend to retain more of the information they consume when they watch a video than reading text. Most viewers will keep around 80 percent of what you say for twenty-four hours, compared to 20 percent when reading a blog post.
The Competition Aren’t Doing It Yet
Okay, granted, most large companies are doing a lot of video marketing. But there is a vast swathe of smaller enterprises who haven’t even considered it yet. If you operate in one of these markets, therefore, you can use video marketing to get a leg up on the competition - and fast!
Video allows you to communicate your message more clearly and show how you differ from your rivals. Customers get a more in-depth insight into how you operate and can adjust their behavior accordingly. You automatically generate more exposure than your competitors, putting you at the forefront of your audience’s mind.
It Helps To Humanize Your Brand
PPC ads, social media posts, and images are all essential tools to promote your brand online. Still, they lack something: the ability to humanize your brand. Videos, however, do that automatically. Customers can get to know real people in your business and feel connected to them, even if they haven’t met them yet. Just being able to see their face makes the marketing feel more authentic and trustworthy. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go: you’ll be surprised by how much of a difference it can make.
Videos Help You Start Conversations
In the old days, marketers would attempt to create materials that would get stuck in their audience’s minds, like a catchy phrase or jingle. However, most people are tired of these tactics and want businesses to provide them with genuine value.
Video, therefore, is taking over - not just because it is a rich medium but also because it is a marketing tool that gives customers something in return for their attention. Smart companies know that they can use video to foster debate and start conversations. The vast majority of platforms, like YouTube, have comments sections, allowing people to voice their views and for the creators to respond.
Video, therefore, is fast becoming the go-to digital marketing method. It might not be long before it becomes dominant. And when it does, you can expect a whole new round of experimentation as firms try to gain an edge on their rivals. The future of digital marketing looks very exciting, indeed. Businesses will have far more scope to craft compelling content.
