The impact of Video Content - Show Don’t Tell!

by Startacus Admin

This Wyzowl survey shows that 63% of businesses surveyed are using video as a marketing tool, with a huge 99% of those intending to keep it up and 82% saying that they will increase spending on video marketing this year.



Apparently 4 times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it, and a video on a website’s landing page can increase conversion by 80%. But that’s enough statistics. If only we’d made a video to explain this! Just think how many times you have heard that your content needs to be visual - with images and infographics and the like - and consider what an advantage video would be.

The written word is all well and good, but video has many advantages over it. Video allows a more personal connection; the viewer can consume the same amount of information or more from a video as they can from an entire article, and in a shorter time; it is more comfortable to view on mobile devices than small text; the use of imagery and music can trigger the viewer’s emotions better and more easily than words; and a voiceover video can explain a product/service/problem/etc. more simply and in a more engaging way than a block of text.

Let’s be honest: people are lazy. We know for ourselves that video is often more appealing, if we are short on time or if the subject is something we’re not sure we want to waste time and energy reading about. Reading takes a degree of effort, whereas video can simply be absorbed. Next time you are about to close your social media window, take a moment to think back over how you just browsed through the updates. How many videos did you stop and watch even a few seconds of compared to how many blocks of text you read? 

Crucially, apparently you are 53 times more likely to show up on the first page of a Google search if you have embedded video on your site. That is a huge number and although it will change as more businesses come to the realisation they need to start producing video content, it is a very important thing to bear in mind in this age where ‘Google’ is synonymous with ‘look up’.

There are many kinds of video your business could be producing: simple advertisements for your product or service; instructional videos or product demonstrations; reviews of products related to your industry; ‘getting to know you’ videos, where you introduce yourself and your team to potential customers, thereby creating a connection with them and planting the seeds of trust; webinars; fun videos unique to your business. Both our More Tips for Improving Your Business Content and Snapchat for Business articles have tips that are transferrable to the topic of videos.

Most notably, two things are likely to get you most views, and therefore conversion: emotion triggering and free stuff. The free stuff could take the form of giveaways or contests, or simply free information, advice, or instruction. Giving anything away for free is attractive to people, and if it is something you could easily charge for, it can sway people’s opinion of your business.

If you can’t afford a high-end, professional video campaign, it doesn’t matter. Tailor your video and its content to your budget. If all you can manage is something filmed on your phone, that’s fine. Make it a personal video, perhaps introducing the team. The handheld, phone quality will make people feel like they are watching something made by a friend who has filmed it specifically for them; like you have taken the time out of your busy day to make this video for them because they are a big part of your business.

Don’t just create a video and then throw it out wherever you feel like it. Your video content needs just as much thought put into its sharing as any other content. Investigate the best day and time to promote a video - is this different to the best time to post an article? With so much competition out there, a paid promotion might be the way to go - determine how much of your marketing budget you will put towards this. 

Video content doesn’t have to be created by you. User-generated video content is valuable, as it not only does much of what has been mentioned here, but also shows potential customers real people who love and trust your brand. Brand ambassadors/advocates can be hugely important, so interacting with them can make them feel even better about your brand than they already do whilst showing potential customers how personable and engaging your business is.

The future of content marketing is video. Don’t sit back and wait until that future is upon you to start doing something about it! Off we go to buy a video camera!

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Published on: 10th June 2017