Too few small businesses invest in video content to promote their business. The value of video is tremendous today and will be in the future. Does video work and why would you need it? Here are 5 reasons why you need to invest in video.
1. The Numbers
Before we start, let’s look at the numbers in the little country of Belgium. 7,5 million people are active on social media. YouTube and Facebook respectively sit on number 1 and 2 as most used social media platforms. 86% of the people who are active on the internet watches videos every month. 68% watch these videos on mobile. There is a huge amount of people who watch videos, which is why the opportunity to invest in video is an important choice to make.
2. Brand Awareness
Everything these days surrounds brand awareness. The more people see your videos, the more likely they will be to remember your name, your brand. Spamming videos with meaningless content is not the way to go. They will be skipped over if the viewer can’t relate to it. A video that tells a story which people can relate to, or are emotionally intrigued by will lead them to being more likely to remember this video. And if they remember your video, they’ll remember your name. It’s basic psychology!
3. Trust
With video you can create a sense of trust with your viewer. Potential customers try to gain as much information as they can before they commit to a purchase. Video helps them in their search of gaining information with descriptions on how the product works, reviews, tutorials and more. It’ll give the customer a solid overview what your product is and how they are supposed to use it. Helping customers is part of the experience. If you can help them with your videos, they will be more likely to trust you. Why? You care about your customers and want to help them. You are creating a bond of trust and are creating positive experience for the customer.
4. Text vs Visuals
The average adult human has a short attention span. The attention span lays at around 8 seconds for an article. Using visuals will increase the time slightly. It’s important to catch and keep the attention of a viewer within the first 10 to 15 seconds. So why video? People are generally lazy beings. They are more likely to watch a video about a subject instead of reading about it. The experience of watching something visual like video is more pleasant than reading through a block of text. It’s quicker and you get the same information. Compared to text, video brings a viewing experience which makes it much more pleasant to keep watching if you keep the video interesting.
5. Video, The Future
The future of social media and marketing is indeed video. Too few small businesses in Belgium and abroad use video. Bigger businesses who invest heavily in video marketing will be able to reach potential customers and are more likely to convince these customers to purchase their product or service. Videos don’t need huge TV or cinema budgets. Short and simple videos of 30 seconds to 1 minute can do a lot. They are affordable and give you that little extra, that uniqueness, compared to others.
Does Video Work?
The answer is obviously, yes. Watch the social media pages of successful businesses. Eight out of ten are most likely to use video on a constant rate. Why? They reach more than traditional social media posts. They grab your attention and keep you engaged. When looking at the numbers for Facebook, a video post engages 5,48% of the people it reaches. Using photos will engage 4,08%. And traditional posts using text will have an engagement of 3,51%. Purely looking at the numbers, videos perform the best. However plenty of factors weigh into this. Is your video visually attractive for the viewer? Is it interesting? Does it move the viewer emotionally? Do you have a story or message to tell? How well can you use videos in your marketing strategy? Etc.
The bottom-line is: People are interested in what you do and want to see this. Invest in visual opportunities to show people who you are and what you do. This way you make and keep your business interesting to new and recurring customers.
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