No Nonsense Guide to Video
Video is one of the most popular content sources in the world and based on the stats it's popularity is only increasing. With 85% of businesses using video as a marketing tool can you afford not to join them?
According to Cisco, during 2021 over 80% of all traffic will consist of video. It’s also estimated that the average person will spend 100 minutes every day watching online videos in 2021.
But why is video content so popular? What should you be using it for? Where should you be using it? Will you really see a return on investment if you make the move to video?
In our ‘No Nonsense Guide to Video’ we’ll be delving into these topics and more. Making sense of how and why you should be using video content to benefit your business.
Why is video SO popular?
6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos over live tv – but why is this?
It’s accessible
Video content is available to anyone, anywhere as long as they have internet access. Our mobile devices now make it quick and easy to consume video content on the go. More than ever we have more access points to engage with video content from the devices we use to the platforms we engage with, such as social media.
But let’s not forget that video content is also available on more traditional platforms such as video screens in shopping centres and sports stadiums.
All these digital touchpoints contribute to 78% of people watching some form of online video each week and 55% of people watch an online video every single day. These are staggering stats and set to grow further in the future.
It’s entertaining and engaging
Of course, it is possible to create video content that isn’t entertaining or engaging! However, successful video content aims to entertain, engage and inform.
The most popular video content relies on storytelling to do this. By communicating via storytelling, messages can be infused with entertaining and informative content, making consumers more likely to watch it and in turn more likely to share.
It’s not just about watching, consumers are also more likely to take action following a successful video, helping your ROI. More about this later…
It’s versatile
Video content can be used to communicate any message. From product explainers to testimonials, brand awareness to events – one of its biggest benefits is the versatility it allows.
It provides the opportunity to use different narratives, tones and styles depending on your audience. Allowing you to utilise the most effective communication for your target market.
It’s also a medium that can be used both with external customers and with internal staff members. If you have a message to share, you can do it with video!
It’s easy to share
How many times have you shared a piece of video content that you’ve enjoyed with a friend? Whether that’s because it was entertaining, moving or informative.
In fact people are twice as likely to share video content with their friends than any other type of content.
When sharing a written article, we have to weigh up the likelihood of our friends having the time to read and absorb it. With video content, it’s often shorter and more engaging, so we can share without the worry of taking up their time.
It hits multiple senses
When reading an article, you have to use your eyes. When listening to a podcast you have to use your ears. With video content there is the opportunity to use both or just one.
Successful video content often utilises strong visual storytelling with attention seeking audio. However, it’s worth ensuring that your video content works silently, by using narration via text or captions.
A staggering 85% of video on Facebook is watched without sound. With many consumers watching at least the first 3 seconds without sound before watching the video in all its audio glory!
The key is to make the most of both visual and audio in your video content to ensure you are engaging both senses.
It’s easy to understand
We’ve all heard that ‘a picture tells a thousand words’, and this is especially true of video content where you can draw on both visual and audio cues.
People often retain more information from video content than any other kind. This makes it the perfect medium for sharing education content, such as product explainers or health & safety information.
What should you use video for?
So now we’ve explored the reasons why video can be so successful. Let’s discuss some of the ways that it can be used. Video content is an incredibly versatile media but here are some of our favourite ways to use this medium:
Going live
Live video can be a great way to engage with your audience! In fact, live video will account for 13% of traffic by 2021.
With Covid-19 restrictions, live video content can bridge the gap left by face-to-face events such as conferences, meetings, awards and training. But it can also be a great way to engage the FOMO-effect for those unable to attend an event in person – making sure they’ll want to attend next time!
Live streaming and broadcasting are perfect for time-sensitive communications whether internal or external. Webinars are useful for sharing knowledge such as training. Live videos can be used for anything from recipe demonstrations and fashion tips, to Q&As and behind the scenes.
Going live can allow you to share information with a large number of staff across multiple locations or give a glimpse of all areas of your business to your customers. It’s a great tool to help people feel more involved and engaged at every level.
Educating and informing
We often retain more information from video content than any other kind, which makes it the perfect medium for sharing informative content. Whether this is for potential or current customers or internal staff, it gives businesses a way to educate and inform.
Video content that relates to products and/or services such as explainers and demos can have multiple benefits. Firstly, it can help potential customers to understand the benefits before purchasing. For example, 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
Secondly, content can be created to help current customers to use products and services more successfully. 43% of video marketers say video has reduced the number of support calls they’ve received, freeing up time to be spent on other things.
Educational content resonates well with customers too, as 36% say they’d most like to see more educational/explainer video style content, with 14% wanting to see more product demos.
For internal staff video content can be used to inform and educate as part of the onboarding process or for specific training such as health and safety. Using video for training, you can ensure that all staff across all your locations will receive consistent training and information.
Awareness
There’s something about a moving image that catches our eye. Which is why video content can be a great way to gain brand awareness. The most compelling brand videos present the brand succinctly, grabbing the viewer’s attention and refusing to let go.
With video content, businesses can communicate their mission in a way that makes sense to their brand. Showing customers who they are, what they stand for and where they’re headed. Video can be used to show personality, the company position or even tackle delicate PR issues.
Still not sure how to use video content? According to WyzOwl the most commonly-created types of video are explainer videos (72%), presentation videos (49%), testimonial videos (48%), sales videos (42%) and video ads (42%). Why not start out by exploring these!
Where should you use video?
Often when we think about using video content our first thought is social media! But there are lots of different places that this medium can be used successfully:
On your website
Using video content across your website can be a great way to improve your SEO and conversions. Search engine algorithms love video content seeing it as high-quality (as long as its optimised), so using this type of content on your site can improve your SEO.
People watching a video can also stay on your site two whole minutes longer if there’s a video. With 81% of video marketers claiming video has helped increase the average time their visitors spend on page.
Using video content on your landing pages can also help, boosting conversion rates by up to 80%.
Social media
Social media is a great place for video as many of the platform algorithms are weighted towards video content. Video can be a quick and easy way to get a message to your followers whether this is shared in your feed, stories or via live streaming.
You can share videos via most social media platforms but we’re going to look at some of the most popular.
YouTube
The world reportedly watches 1 billion hours of YouTube social video per day. So, understandably this platform is BIG when it comes to video content!
According to HubSpot YouTube is the most widely used platform among video marketers, with 85% uploading content. Of those using YouTube 83% of video marketers said it had been successful for them.
Compared to other social platforms, videos on YouTube can be longer as their algorithm weights longer videos more favourably. However, engagement can go down if a video is long and unengaging. A general rule of thumb is to be led by the content. It’s always better to leave your viewers wanting more!
As YouTube is owned by Google, YouTube videos often appear in Google search results. According to Bridge Edge, YouTube SEO also has the potential to impact your rankings in search if you do your video SEO properly.
Product reviews, how-tos and vlogs are among the top three types of videos on YouTube. In fact, over 90% of shoppers have discovered a brand or product through the platform.
Facebook is the second most widely used platform among video marketers, with 79% uploading content. Of those using Facebook 85% of video marketers said it had been a success.
500 million viewers watch 100 million hours of video content on Facebook daily with 65% of viewing videos via a mobile device. People also gaze 5x longer at video than at static posts on Facebook, making video content a winner on this platform especially for mobile users.
With so many Facebook users viewing videos on mobile devices, it’s important to bear this in mind when creating video content. At (1:1) square videos take up 78% more space in a mobile newsfeed than landscape (16:9), meaning they are seen more often. In fact, a case study by Buffer found that square videos outperformed landscape videos in both Likes and engagement. So, it makes sense to use a square format for Facebook videos.
Sharing videos natively in Facebook is also key. Not only does this mean videos play automatically in the feed, but native videos get 478% more shares on Facebook than videos from other sources.
Don’t forget not to rely on sound, as mentioned previously 85% of video on Facebook is watched without sound. Making narration via text or captions key on this platform.
1 in 5 videos on Facebook is already a live broadcast and Facebook users are 4x more likely to watch live streams than recorded videos. So, it’s worth thinking about the type of live content you can share with your followers via this medium.
Finally connecting with viewers and capturing their attention straight away is crucial. 65% of people who watch the first 3 seconds of a video, watch for at least 10 seconds. 45% even continue watching for thirty seconds. For Facebook videos, the average watch time is 10 seconds. So, make sure you video content is short and sweet, and you lead with your essential messages.
TikTok
TikTok may be the newest kid on the block, but it’s already making waves due to its elusive algorithm. Unlike other social media platforms TikTok has broken the mould with the way content is shared, making it easier in some cases to reach more viewers.
On average, 1 million videos are viewed on TikTok daily. The platform allows you to film short videos that play on a repetitive loop and you can add fun effects, AR filters, text, and musical overlays to add extra interest.
If you are creating video content for TikTok then make sure that you make the content feel native. Film vertically (in portrait), add trending music and make the most of the additional effects that can add zest to your video. You can also get involved with or set challenges.
66% of video marketers report having seen success on TikTok already. But it is still currently an underused platform, making it a great opportunity if your target audience are there (it has been primarily adopted by users under 30 years old).
Video can improve both open and click through rates as well as conversions in emails, so it’s a medium you really should consider.
By adding video to your emails, you can help them to stand out amongst other text and image-based emails and capture your recipients’ imagination in a way that text alone struggles to do. Video content also provides a way to take complex messages and make them simpler to understand, so that your email message will really sink in.
In order to capitalise on the impact of video, make sure you make recipients aware that your emails include video content. The word ‘Video’ in a subject line can increase opens 19% and use of video thumbnails in the content of the email can help increase clicks by 50%.
Don’t simply restrict the use of video content to marketing emails. Think about adding them to emails from your sales team, whether product or service explainers or demos as 64% of consumers are more likely to buy after seeing a video.
You can also use video in internal communications to help ensure that all staff receive the same information relating to business announcements.
Video Brochures
Using video brochures can give you a more sustainable alternative to printed brochures and flyers and is a great way to repurpose video content made for other purposes.
Although paper brochures and flyers offer a cheap way to create marketing and sales collateral, they date very quickly and can be unsustainable if you are in a fast-moving business. In comparison video brochures allow multiple videos to be added to the same device and for these to be changed quickly and easily via USB connection.
This approach allows you to have a single branded design for the device itself but personalise the video content to be used for sales, marketing or internal materials. Video brochures can utilise video content such as presentations, product or service explainers or demos, awards and more as required. Meaning your brochure will always contain the most up to date information for your company.
Advertising
We might immediately think of social media when we think about using video content in adverts, but there are other ways that you can use this content to advertise your business.
Digital Displays and Billboards
Did you know that 64% of central London has been taken over by our digital displays? Where once billboards, bus stops, stadiums and public transport used print advertising, now many of these options have gone digital.
These digital billboards and adverts are automatically illuminated displays that thanks to vibrancy and movement, easily capture the attention of drivers, commuters and audience members depending on their location. Better yet, they can be updated with a single click!
It’s possible to use digital displays to tell a story, such as creating video content that moves alongside escalators on the London Underground or that uses multiple slides on a single display or across multiple screens to follow an audiences journey. Alternatively, you can use a single screen to show different videos, providing more exposure to your audience.
Digital displays can also cost less money that traditional print displays, as you don’t need to pay for printing costs, installation, vinyl or other printing costs. They are also more easy to update as there’s no need to wait for printing and installation.
TV Advertising
TV Advertising might not be something that you think you have the budget for, but it’s worth not ruling it out completely either now or in the future. Although social media provides a more targeted option for advertising, for some industries such as charities, TV advertising is still an important part of the marketing mix.
One of the main advantages of TV advertising is that it builds trust, which can be crucial for some businesses. When using TV advertising it also allows an uninterrupted reach to a larger group of people, as TV adverts are full screen and not competing with any other content and generally see a wider target market in their audiences.
Big brands still invest in tv, for example Amazon, Trivago, Google & Purple Bricks – invested a total of £682 million in TV campaigns in 2017. As many brands are looking more towards social media, depending on your industry, TV advertising can be something that your competitors aren’t doing and give you an edge. SEO expert Neil Patel recently begun using TV advertising for this very reason.
Can video give a return on investment?
10% of non-video marketers say they don’t use video for marketing as they say they’re unclear on the ROI of video and the same number are also unable to convince key decision-makers on the benefits of video content.
However, video has an extremely high track record when it comes to ROI with 88% of video marketers reporting that video gives them a positive ROI.
Website ROI
When used successfully a lot of brand, product and service awareness videos can increase traffic to business websites. 87% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website.
When using video content on your website itself, it can also have the benefit of encouraging visitors to stay longer. 81% of video marketers say video has helped increase the average time their visitors spend on page.
Using video content on your landing pages can also help boost conversion rates by up to 80%.
All of these benefits add up to some serious returns for your website.
Leads and sales ROI
Whether used on your company website, social media accounts or in other forms of communication such as emails – video can help you to nurture potential customers through your sales funnel.
Create video content for those who are just becoming aware they need a product or service like yours and you could join the 83% of video marketers who say video has helped them generate leads.
Help potential customers compare your offering to competitors with video content such as product explainers or demonstrations. 74% of people who get an opportunity to see a product in action via an explainer video will buy it and 97% of marketers claim that videos help customers understand products.
If you have video content that speaks to potential customers when they need it, you should help your sales team succeed as 90% of consumers claim a video will help them make a purchasing decision and 80% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales.
Customer Service ROI
Video content can also help to support your current customers with onboarding and training. ‘How to’ videos can be used in email onboarding or for new service releases. Live or recorded webinars can also be run for in depth training.
In fact 95% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service and 43% of video marketers say video has reduced the number of support calls they’ve received.
Training ROI
Product and service videos content doesn’t just have to be for those you sell. You can also create content to support internal staff with training for internal products and services or for key skills such as health and safety.
A staggering 85% of every dollar spent on classroom training is spent delivering it. So if you choose to replace some or all of your training with videos you can decrease training costs overall.
Conclusion
Hopefully you can now see the power in video content, how, why and where it should be used as well as the benefits it could have to your business.
Want to get started creating video content but need more help? Why not contact us and see if we can help you create a video content strategy.