It’s no secret that the use of video marketing is on the rise.
By 2020, video marketing is expected to account for 79% of global internet traffic. Why is this? The answer is simple. Video is what users want and trust, and brands have recognized that video is effective so they keep producing more. It’s the most effective marketing strategy for organizations to enhance brand recognition, promote products and services, and reach consumers. That said, if video marketing is not incorporated into your organization's content marketing strategy in 2018 – it should be.
To help you better understand the benefits of video marketing, here are a few key reasons why you should leverage video in 2018 to enhance your organization’s marketing and sales strategy:
Video Improves SEO
Google loves video. In fact, adding a video to your website can increase the chance of a first-page Google result by 53 times. Videos allow you to increase the time spent by visitors on your site. Thus, longer exposure builds trust and signals search engines that your site has good content.
Google now owns YouTube, which is the second-largest search engine on the web (right behind Google). Meaning, together they’re essentially an SEO powerhouse waiting for you to share videos with their users. Optimizing your videos on YouTube for SEO (done by including catchy titles and descriptions and adding a link back to your website, products, and services) opens a door to the world of interactive videos, which gives potential customers a way to take the next step.
Video Enhances Email Click-Throughs
When used in an email subject line, the word ‘video’ can boost the open rate of an email by 19%. On top of this, studies show that 4 times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. Therefore, adding video to your monthly email campaigns around product offerings catches the attention of users looking for quick, relevant information. In turn, getting them to open your email.
Video Appeals to Mobile Users
Video and mobile go hand in hand. In fact, 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile devices. As mobile devices become more and more ingrained in people’s everyday lives, this statistic is only expected to rise. Promoting videos on platforms that are frequently utilized on a mobile device (such as social media) gives your video a higher reach volume than just hosting it on your website. And, if your brand already has a social media presence and solid following (which it should!), sharing videos is very easy.
Video Encourages Social Shares
Social media provides a hub for users to share updates, trends, and thoughts with friends and family. Videos that appeal to users’ emotions and beliefs or interests are likely to be shared to a much larger network – increasing video reach by exponential amounts.
With all that said, by utilizing video on social media, not only is your brand message reaching a large network of users – but if users like it and share it, it’s also reaching their networks. The opportunity for branch reach on social media is nearly endless:
- 500 million people watch videos on Facebook every day
- 10 billion videos are watched on Snapchat every day
- 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter regularly
- 8 out of 10 18-to-49-year-olds watch YouTube in an average month
Video Engages Everyone
Video is a great tool for learning, but it’s also super easy to consume. This means all users – even the laziest of buyers – could have an interest in learning more about what your video has to offer. Consumers look for quick, easy-to-understand information, and a video that can quickly show a product or service will capture a wide audience.
Producing videos for your business requires creativity and knowledge, and when done right, helps to enhance customer engagement to drive sales and grow your company's reach. Investing in a video marketing strategy in 2018 will help take your organization to the next level, as video marketing is showing no signs of slowing down!
