You’ve probably watched at least one video clip on your mobile device in the past 24 hours. In doing so, you have joined the billion unique users that watch videos from YouTube every month. That statistic is growing daily. Cisco reported that by 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer traffic on the web. There’s no denying it, video is the key content format of the future, and if you are not planning to include it in your content marketing strategy, you will be left behind. Ever since the first newsreels graced the screens of early cinema, audiences have been captivated by the moving image. Today, that captivation continues with the explosion of mobile devices, super-powered Internet connections, and advancements in video streaming. The most effective storytelling format is at your fingertips. With a series of images coupled with a professional soundtrack or voice over, you can transport your audience to wherever you want them to go. As a content marketer, you may be hesitant to add video marketing to your content strategy. Perhaps you think it’s too difficult to produce. Maybe you’re worried about the cost. Whatever your barriers are, it’s time to jump right over them and take the plunge into video marketing. With the demand for video growing, the cost of high-quality video production and professional voice over artists is decreasing. An abundance of talented professionals now offers excellent video services at a very reasonable cost. This gives you the time to concentrate on the message and leave the production to the professionals. If you are still struggling to take the plunge into video marketing, here are a few more reasons why video should be part of your content marketing strategy.
1. Video helps you achieve your content marketing objectives
Whether your objectives are to build brand awareness, increase traffic or contribute to lead generation, introducing video to your strategy will bring some impressive results. Attivio reported a 200% increase in site traffic following the introduction of video, and Axonn Research found seven in ten people view brands in a more positive light after watching interesting video content. Forbes reported that 65% of executives have visited a vendor’s site, and 39% have called a vendor after watching a video. Need some more stats to help convince you? Check this out.
2. Video increases the chances of your content being found
For search engine optimization (SEO), video is the perfect content format to drive organic traffic to your site. Google ranks pages with video 58 times higher than pages with static content.
3. Video provides a rich format to build your brand identity
Unlike static written or visual content, video provides a multi-dimensional format to build your brand identity. By using a consistent visual style and a carefully chosen professional voice over artist, you can bring your brand to life.
4. Video helps you to communicate your brand values
Take advantage of video’s potential to personalize your brand. The simplest way to engage your customers is to give your brand a face and a voice. You can help your customers see themselves in your brand.
5. Video gives your brand a voice
With video, you have the added dimension of the voice. A voice can convey a multitude of emotions and rich information. It’s an amazing way of crossing a meaningful message. However, take care to sign up the talents of a professional voice artist. Voice over is an art. You wouldn’t ask a colleague to design your company brand, the same is true for voice over. Discover more about the impact of the voice over here.
6. Video is instantly responsive
Didn’t get around to ensuring your content platforms are fully responsive for all devices? Not to worry, video-streaming platforms like YouTube and Vine ensure your video plays perfectly on all devices, from laptop to smartphone to tablet. No need to worry about your message being cropped, reduced or illegible.
7. Video removes the blah blah risk
No matter how great your writing skills are, there’s always the risk that some content might border on the blah blah. With video, you are forced to identify the key message and communicate just that, greatly reducing the risk of confusing your consumer with fluff.
8. Video is easier to get a green light
Have you ever noticed that just before the final sign off on written content, everyone from the product manager to the service team have an opinion on how it should be written? Are you tired of days spent on iterations and changes just to end up right back where you started? Video is a completely different ball game. Once the initial message is validated and a loose storyboard agreed, the final product usually blows everyone away. And although some may wish to exercise their Spielberg skills, they usually refrain and trust the experts.
9. Video is more clickable and shareable
There’s something about that video thumbnail and the play button that screams ´click me.’ The promise of some cool or funny content is too strong to resist. An eye-mapping study of SEO video results shows that consumers tend to pay more attention to video listings. And video content is proven to be more shareable. An astonishing 92% of mobile video viewers are sharing videos with others.
10. Video is reusable
Video is one of the most reusable content assets. It can be easily embedded in a blog post, shared as a stand-alone content item on social or used in newsletters and emails. Forrester reported that when marketers included a video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200% — 300%. Just including the word ´video’ in the subject field of an email increases its open rate by 19%.
11. Video makes your product the star
With video you don’t need to beat around the bush with product placement, your product can unashamedly be the star. So don’t be shy, showcase your product.
12. Video is the future
96% of B2B marketersare planning to use video in their content marketing over the next year. 69% of marketing and sales professionals have used video in their marketing campaigns, and another 31% are planning to use video. By 2018, video will take up over 79% of consumer Internet traffic. Don’t be left behind It’s time to add the hottest content format to your content marketing strategy. Just keep in mind the guiding principle of quality over quantity. Spend time to develop your video visual style and find the right voice over artist(s) to represent your brand. Once you have these elements in place, you can focus on the key message and your target audience. Enjoy the amazing impact video marketing will bring to your content strategy results. About the author Grant Lingel is the Content Manager at Bunny Inc., creators of VoiceBunny and ArticleBunny. A perpetual traveler and digital nomad, Grant has visited dozens of countries across five continents on assignment. He has been living in Brazil since 2011 where he owns a small hostel on the island of Vitoria.
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