Consumers of all ages, from teens to baby boomers, are engaging with video as their preferred choice of content consumption. According to a study from Cisco, video will represent approximately 85% of all internet traffic in the US by 2019.[1] Most importantly, shoppers are turning to video as a research tool before making purchase decisions. Google reports that more than 50% of shoppers use video to influence decisions about what brands or products to buy, with the same percentage stating that they are more likely to consider a specific product if it is mentioned in an online video.[2]

Videos can act as a powerful tool to connect heart and mind. They command attention and inspire viewers to take action. They also make information more digestible for the user. Viewers retain 95% of a message when watched in video format compared to text. [3]

When implemented into a marketing plan, videos have the ability to help businesses make deeper connections with potential customers. Here are a few ideas on where to start.

Video on your website

To achieve business growth, driving potential customers to your website should be one of your primary marketing goals. If your website lacks video content, simply adding it can bring you more organic search traffic. This is because Google prioritizes video in their search engine results pages (SERP) by often listing this content above the top 10 results.[4]

Besides being a valuable contribution to your SEO efforts, this same video content can help increase your conversion rate by upwards of 80%[5].

Although adding video to your website is important, you should also consider the other ways that this content can be distributed to help you reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness.

Distribution on premium publishers’ websites

You might have heard about the phenomenon known as the “Halo Effect”. Established and trusted media brands, often referred to as premium publishers, strive to generate quality content that will help build a large and loyal audience.  This audience will return to a premium publisher’s site again and again because they generally feel that their time with the content is productive.[6] Businesses who partner with premium publishers can benefit by seeing a higher rate of interaction with their own brand and content over the course of an advertising campaign as a result of the “Halo Effect”. Premium publishers often offer a variety of video solutions that can put your message in front of their engaged audience. Your video could be found on article pages, immersed within the publisher’s content or within dedicated advertising positions throughout the site.

Names of video solutions will vary across different publishers, and each product might offer different benefits, however, you could explore formats such as InStory Video, Native Video Click Out units, or even inserting video into banner display ads.

Perhaps you will choose a format in which you can embed engaging features like social sharing buttons or survey forms so that you can collect additional information about your audience. Or you might find it more important that the video allows users to click out directly to your website, where these now potential customers can learn even more about your product or services… and get one step closer to making a purchase.

Videos on a publisher’s site often allow flexibility in how the audience can interact with the content, which gives the viewer more control and willingness to engage with it.

YouTube and the YouTube TrueView method

Attracting over 1.5 billion logged-in users each month, YouTube acts as a powerful research tool for consumers [7].  Behind Google, the platform is the second largest search engine in use today with approximately 11% of all internet traffic flowing through the site. [8]

Creating a dedicated channel for your business is a great way to establish a presence on the platform. It is simple to set-up, you can upload an unlimited number of videos and all of the content is easily shareable across a variety of platforms, including email and social media. You have full control over naming your videos and writing descriptions, so they are found when users search for a topic. You also have the opportunity to choose under which category the content should be classified.

Besides providing this basic functionality, YouTube offers a powerful advertising solution that can extend the reach of your video content. YouTube’s TrueView video allows you to target your content based on criteria such as age, gender, interest, and intent.  You can also create a dedicated keyword list for your video campaign in Google AdWords and target by search terms and relevant phrases.

YouTube’s TrueView is a highly effective solution that can garner greater results for your business. For example, an educational facility seeking to increase their enrollment was able to attribute a 37% increase in form-fill conversions (over prior period) as a result of their TrueView video campaign. That same campaign generated more than 150 hours of brand exposure directly to their target audiences.

A home-improvement specialist utilizing TrueView achieved 454 hours of brand exposure to their target audience and was able to achieve 1,688 qualified direct visits to their website during the time of their campaign.

While these are just a couple of examples, they demonstrate the impact that TrueView video can have on the success of an advertising campaign.

Video on social media

According to Statista, global users of social media will tally to upwards of 2.77 billion by 2019.[9] Undoubtedly, you will find potential customers on sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Most social media platforms offer a variety of ways in which businesses can distribute video content. In addition to being able to upload video to stories and news feeds, many sites offer live streaming options where users can create videos in the moment and stream them to their connections. There are also options for businesses to invest in promoted video on social platforms, where companies can target their videos to a specified audience defined by demographics (like age, gender, or geography), users’ search history and more.

Sharing your video content on social media is a great way to maximize your reach. Did you know that it generates 12 times the shares than text and images combined?[10] But remember, social platforms can cater to different types of audiences, such as LinkedIn catering to a business focused audience.  So it is important to use discretion when selecting the sites that will reach your most desired prospects.

Still not convinced?

Video can often yield the highest return on investment compared to other solutions and should become a key player in your overall marketing strategy. With video in your marketing tool box, your business benefits from increased brand awareness, significant audience engagement, and ultimately more traffic to your website.

Videos don’t have to be expensive to be effective.  They can be simple and inexpensive to create but it is important to achieve a level of quality in content and production.  If you are not sure how to get started, know that you can find partners who will assist you in basic video production. This can save you time and help you produce content that will have the greatest impact.

If you are interested in video marketing for your business, or just want to learn more about the benefits, contact Staten Island Media Group today. We are a superior team of marketing strategists ready to help you implement video into your overall marketing plan.

Written by: Jacquelyn Price, Marketing Strategist

In collaboration with: Pat Vizzoni, Sales & Marketing Intern

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Sources:
[1] https://www.inc.com/gordon-tredgold/20-reasons-why-you-should-boost-your-video-marketing-budget-in-2017.html
[2] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/data-collections/shopping-research-data/?fbclid=IwAR30dSsC6s1mkrMKbd1yYGnlZF3DmhokmXFWsV5N4vxCTos4IsQS1QldtOM
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2017/07/13/how-to-incorporate-video-into-your-social-media-strategy/#30bd80307f2e
[4] https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/06/video-missing-benefits/?fbclid=IwAR1I_KUzg9giaXnZPqY1pDWAF98u-qYicdqF_5HaruD88WohncrO2Eo0Ibk
[5] https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-state-of-video-marketing-in-2018-infographic/518339/
[6] https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/09/17/digital-newsbrand-trust-still-high-with-frequent-readers-finds-pamco?fbclid=IwAR1CgqGzLzbyae7-GMr-aa6nwhuy3MKGtgz19GnBGTpyUVOT4dbTCUBS-g4
[7] https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-101/meet-search-engines/
[8] https://www.statista.com/chart/15692/distribution-of-global-downstream-traffic/
[9] https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/
[10] https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/10/video-marketing-statistics.html