In the digital world of 2022, it’s easy for brands to get lost in a sea of content. It can be incredibly difficult to keep your audience engaged.
From the second they glance at their phones in the morning, people are relentlessly bombarded with ads, notifications, and every other type of info out there.
As a result, consumers have become more selective and discerning about what they spend their time looking at.
So, whether you’re launching a new website, app, product, or service, it’s vital that you find the best ways to cut through the noise to reach your target audience and, ultimately, increase conversions.
Among the most powerful tools to help you do this is video. Why?
Well, video is engaging entertainment, and it reaches your audience where they spend most of their time – sifting through social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
But there’s much more to be said for video.
Read on for five reasons why videos are one of the best ways to engage your target audience and increase conversions by using video content in your marketing strategy.
1. Video Is the Most Engaging – And Varied – A Type of Content
If you want your business to thrive in the modern world, video content is a crucial ingredient of your marketing strategy.
It’s the most engaging type of content available, able to hold the attention of your audience for longer periods of time than other forms of content like images, written articles, or podcasts.
This is because the human brain is more likely to recall visual content as opposed to written or audio content. Movement and audio come together to create a sensory experience, which is more exciting for users.
Indeed, video can be an immersive experience. Visual storytelling through video also opens many doors for demonstrating your creative prowess – you can play around with music, voiceover, movement, interesting angles, and more to great effect.
All this lets you create eye-catching, emotive, and impactful content at the drop of a hat.
When it comes to organic social media content, Instagram gives you a variety of options for your videos – from short 15-second stories to 90-second reels and full videos.
Mix it up and test your video themes in all three formats to see which type gets the most engagement from your followers and the wider Instagram network.
Iterate, reiterate and continue reiterating until you know exactly what type of video works best for your social media audience.
2. Video Ads Are Highly Effective – And There Are Many Places for Them
Indeed, most social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have evolved from simple communication platforms to become successful advertising channels too.
And let’s not forget the booming popularity of video-based social platforms like TikTok, which started off targeting a Gen Z audience but which has increasingly gained traction among Millennials, too.
The opportunity to purchase advertising “real estate” on these channels is positive for small business owners as well as large brands.
With so many channels offering great variety, and the ability to target your audience based on dozens of criteria, you have the power to create highly engaging video ads that can be targeted to the exact people you think will become customers.
Plus, not only are video ads generally more engaging—and thus more effective—than other types of ads, but they also come with lower costs compared with traditional media advertising. This is why brands of all sizes are using video ads to promote their products and services.
3. Video Increases Brand Awareness (if it meets a need)
Brands that create videos are likely to see a significant increase in brand awareness.
This is because consumers are more likely to remember businesses that are active in creating meaningful content compared to those publishing a lot of simple or repetitive content.
This is positive for your business, as a higher brand awareness should lead to more conversions.
However, make sure that when you create video content for your business, your videos offer something that your audience actually needs – a solution to their problems, instructions on how to use your product (more of that below), lifestyle tips, or simply something to improve the way they feel.
Consumers are more likely to watch your videos to the end and remember your brand if you provide them with something.
Video is also a great way to respond to negative comments or reviews. By clearing up issues on video in a friendly way, you’re likely to win back the trust of customers who’ve had a bad experience either with your social media channel, your customer service, or your product.
4. People Stick with Video Content for Longer
Studies show that people are likely to spend three times longer watching a video than reading an article.
Not only do people spend more time watching videos, but they also tend to share videos with their friends and family. Useful, insightful, innovative, or entertaining videos become a talking point, and an easy way for people to recommend you – it’s in human nature to want to feel helpful.
Sharing videos is a great way to reach a larger audience and increase brand awareness for your business. Add some kind of call to action at the end of your video, inviting people to share it if they found it useful or entertaining.
Video is also an excellent way to get fresh content for your website. Publishing video content on your website is a great way to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
Using the same content that’s at the top end of your marketing funnel (your social media) in a later stage of the marketing funnel (your website) also creates alignment and recognition, which builds trust and the image of a cohesive brand.
Plus, it saves you from having to create a whole new video for the website.
When it comes to video length, however, bear in mind that our concentration span is quite short – some say eight seconds, others say 22. Either way, you’ve got to grab your viewers’ attention fast.
But the best length for your video depends entirely on where you’re sharing it.
For example, people expect shorter content on Instagram and TikTok, while Facebook is slightly more forgiving and YouTube is more forgiving still, as users tend to go there expecting longer videos.
5. Videos Are Great for Demonstrating and Educating
Businesses that sell physical products should harness the power of video to make product demonstrations. Businesses with digital products should, too. What are we saying?
All businesses should show potential customers how to use what they’re selling via video. Got an app? Use screenshots of your UI within a video to show users just how easy it is to use, and all the things they could achieve with your app on their phone.
In the FMCG world? Get up close and personal with your product with cleverly-executed video takes to show potential vendors exactly what they’re missing out on.
Consumers are more likely to purchase a product if they know how it works. Creating videos can be challenging for some business owners, especially if your product or service offering is vast. But, thanks to modern video technology, creating product demonstrations is easier than ever.
This is especially true if you’ve built a strong and capable content team, or work with an agency with an experienced video production team.
You can easily create a video demonstrating a product and publish it on your website or your company’s YouTube channel.
This is a great way to address the concerns of potential customers and increase conversions.
Consumers are likely to purchase your product if they can see how it works, how easily it works, how it can work for them, and how it will benefit their life.
Video is also a great way to demonstrate your expertise in a particular area. Even the way your brand talks about it in a well-written voiceover can convey a great deal about your knowledge.
Trust is built here. This is an effective way to win new clients and encourage existing customers to buy from your business again.
Summing Up: The Main Benefits of Video
Here’s why you should consider video in your marketing strategy:
- Videos reach a broad audience
- Videos have better engagement
- Video content can increase brand awareness
- Dwell time for videos is longer than for other forms of digital content
- Choosing videos over traditional marketing methods could be cost-effective
- Video is an easy way to show how easily and effectively your product works
- Producing top-quality videos demonstrates your industry expertise, and garners trust
- Videos can help cement your brand personality
Want to create top-quality videos but don’t have the people?
At Moburst, they offer a wide range of video production options for marketing; all planned and produced in-house.