On-line Video: The Future of Content Marketing
Imagine if we were five years in the future and you came across this page. Do you think you would be reading this article or watching it in video form? On-line video is continuing its unstoppable rise, and as a result it is interesting to ponder its place in the future of the digital marketing.
Video now accounts for the large majority of all consumer internet traffic and studies show that marketers receive 66% more qualified leads each year through using video content. If you own an e-commerce website, you might be wanting to consider utilising it to enhance your customer’s user experience.
As on-line video continues to become the main medium for people to satisfy their entertainment and, importantly, information needs, small businesses that fall behind with video content risk doing so at their own peril.
Without a doubt, video is the future of content marketing. In fact, it’s already cemented its place as a key means of content marketing. Videos dominate the digital marketing strategies of online businesses, with 89% of B2B marketers utilising video content.
Video is unrivalled in terms of its potential reach. YouTube now has over one billion users worldwide, which is around one-third of the world’s internet users. Users even watch more than 500 million hours of YouTube content every day. Video can provide you with access to this outstanding number of users and when video content is done well, it opens up a world of opportunities in terms of conversions. Other forms of content simply don’t have this potential level of reach.
Videos that are successful become the stuff of legends. For example, a Volkswagen video campaign saw three of its videos combined a total of 155 million views. Although this may seem unlikely for companies that don’t bring in the same amount of revenue as Volkswagen, it at least demonstrates the potential that video marketing campaigns have for businesses, large or small. You want to engage your viewers in a way that will have them sharing your video content with friends, family and colleagues. This will lead to customers spending more time on your webpage and learning about your brand which, as a result, will lead to more conversions. For any SEO exercise or social media campaign, video is most certainly one of the best available tools you can utilise for success.
Video is a naturally engaging tools and, in an age of information saturation, it is imperative for small businesses to provide content that their viewers can easily digest. Otherwise, your visitors will simply move on from your webpage. Video is the ultimate tool for easily digestible content, helping customers view a brand with a more positive light as they find it more transparent than that of written content.
However, is creating well done video content possible for small businesses. Of course it is! Production costs have significantly dropped in the past few years and you no longer have to be a tech genius to understand how to utilise video content. Apps such as Twitter Vine have a six-second long maximum clip length, provide businesses with a smaller budget the opportunity to get their brand name out there.
Regardless, you want to realise a quality return on your investment, and you need to keep certain things in mind to do so. You must consider your audience when creating video content and ensure that the video is relevant to their interests. If your video is inappropriate and fails to resonate with your target audience you have wasted your time and budget.
Finally, remember to be creative, not simply with the videos but also with the campaign strategy you develop around them. Creativity is more important than cost production when reaching viewers, so if you get that part right you will well and truly cement your place as part of the continued future of video marketing.