It is official: video is more effective than text when it comes to making an impression online.
This isn’t necessarily surprising. Platforms like YouTube have been on the rise for over a decade, and it doesn’t take long to realize that Facebook and Instagram are quickly becoming video driven platforms.
What is surprising is how slow most businesses are in grabbing the opportunity to take full advantage of this growing medium. Most still crank out blogs by the truckload, yet ignore critical channels like YouTube. Video is more engaging, more memorable, and more eye catching than static text – and it’s everywhere.
Blogs are still important, and likely will be for a long time. However, companies have never had a better opportunity to deliver valuable content to a wider audience and make deeper connections with them. All they need to do is start creating videos.
This isn’t just for big brands and big budgets. All you need is a camera, some cheap editing software, and some dedicated time to create your videos. There are also lots of qualified production companies that can help to get you started.
The good news is that if you have a blog then your biggest challenges are covered. You understand your voice, and your audience. You are already producing content regularly, and spending time thinking about what your readers want.
Videos can be simple in this case. All you need to do is address problems that your customers need to solve and bring them to a video – just like you would with a good blog. Even if you are camera shy, it is easy to do a voice over with eye catching pictures, a PowerPoint, or a screen share of an original blog post.
Why is this so important?
More and more people turn to a YouTube search, instead of a Google search to get answers. YouTube is already the second largest search engine in the world, and nobody knows if it will stop at #2. Video is now vital to continue to prosper online both in terms generating leads, and overall effectiveness of your content strategy.
Just about everyone watches YouTube now, and the number grows every year. Importantly, over 59% of executives prefer video and over 50% regularly share YouTube videos with colleagues. This makes video a highly effective way to make an impression on multiple influential people.
It isn’t just a matter of preference though. Video is actually more effective in conveying your message. People retain 80% of what they see, and only 20% of what they read. Which medium would you rather a customer consume when they are learning about you?
The applications aren’t just limited to video marketing either. Many companies find the video does a highly effective job in training their customers. Depending on your business, it could greatly reduce the work of your support staff considerably when all it takes is a helpful video to address frequently asked questions.
HR can get in on the action too. A catchy video selling your company culture can work wonders when it comes to recruiting top talent. ‘About Us’ pages can be a dry read, but video can generate real positive emotion.
This infographic from Vlogging Guides details 19 ways that your business can start to use video effectively starting today.
Source: B2C
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