Whether you’re uploading to Facebook, YouTube, or your website, video is rapidly asserting itself as the most powerful business assets for growing your customer base, increasing brand awareness, and driving sales. Across generations, video consumption is exploding. Many businesses are taking note and investing more of their resources into creating branded video content.
Still, some businesses are hesitant to jump on the video train, worrying that it’s only a fading trend. Are you unsure about investing in branded video content? Before you commit your valuable resources, take a closer look at why so many business owners have said: “lights, camera, ACTION” to video. Understanding the reasons and statistics motivating other businesses will help you decide if branded video content is the right strategy for your organization.
From analyzing current mobile video stats and exploring predictions for video marketing to learning how to implement branded video content in your digital marketing strategy, you’ll see why so many businesses are making video their top priority and putting it to work in a way that maximizes the return on investment.
What Consumers Want
The simplest way to succeed in business is listening to customers and giving them more of what they want. According to Wyzowl, 86% of consumers want more videos from brands. With a statistic like that, it’s no wonder video content is taking over the marketing landscape.
From Gen Z to Boomers, people spend hours watching videos on their smartphones. In 2019, the average user spent 6 hours and 48 minutes watching videos online. Another report revealed that 6 out of 10 consumers prefer to watch videos online as opposed to traditional television. Tech Jury contributor Terry Stancheva reported that YouTube, which is the second most-visited website in the world after Google, has more than 2 billion people use the platform. That’s one-third of all internet users, and they’re watching nearly 5 billion videos every day.
Savvy business owners recognize that video isn’t going away anytime soon. Early adopters of branded video content have seen positive results as seen in a One Social Media Today study quoted by Stancheva, which found that 93% of businesses attract new customers as a direct result of sharing branded video content on social media. Furthermore, Hubspot reported that 64% of consumers have admitted that video directly impacted their decision to ultimately purchase a product or service.
Businesses are prioritizing video in their content marketing strategies and investing more resources into it because it captures the viewer’s attention far better than text or static images. Good branded video content can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level. In their free time, people are consuming funny, emotional, heartwarming, and educational videos. If you can create compelling and shareable video content that naturally complements what your target audience is already watching, you will see both increased brand awareness and sales.
Where Video Is Headed
There’s little disagreement among digital marketing experts that video is the content of the future. If your business has yet to make video a part of your content marketing strategy, the time is now to get on board. Whether you want to reach more customers or increase sales, the sooner you start implementing video the sooner you will see results.
As consumer attention spans get shorter, video will only become more important for reaching a varied audience. Not only is this type of content memorable, but it’s also incredibly versatile. From 15-second TikTok videos to hour-long live streams (live video is one of the hottest video content trends in 2020), there are numerous ways to connect with and relate to your target audience.
Every social media platform has at least one way for users to consume video. Instagram’s recent rollout of Reels is evidence that these platforms are continuously developing new ways to give users more of what they want: video. As consumers watch more video content, their expectations are likely to get higher. Looking to the future, businesses and brands that put storytelling and audience engagement before selling will curry more favor with consumers.
How Your Business Can Use Video
Regardless of your marketing budget, you can incorporate videos into your content strategy. Thanks to user-friendly video editing apps and affordable outsourcing, video creation has never been more accessible. Using various types of video, you can more clearly communicate what your business is all about to potential customers.
Of all the content types, video is the best for cultivating the “know, like, and trust” factor which is essential for establishing your brand image and driving sales. When you introduce your company via video and share testimonials of how you’ve helped customers, it’s an opportunity for your target audience to connect with your business in a meaningful way. In addition to meet-the-team videos, other ideas for branded video content include explainer videos, seasonal videos, and behind-the-scenes videos.
How your business can use video is virtually endless. If recent years are any indication, video content will continue to rise in popularity with consumers. As the demand for video content grows so will the platforms, and if you choose to invest your resources, so will your business. The future of video is bright as are the futures of businesses that are adopting this type of content into their marketing strategies.
About the Author
Adrian Johansen is a writer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She loves sharing information with others, learning along the way! You can find more of her writing on twitter and contently.
