It’s a brave new world out there for content marketing professionals. Just a few short years ago, it was widely believed that blogging was the key to marketing your business in the 21st century – and while that hasn’t been altogether disproven, there’s a widening spectrum of media out there in 2014, and no one is achieving success anymore with text alone.
What’s the newest rising star in the marketing world? Without a doubt, it’s video. People are watching video content every day, whether it’s on their computers or their tablets or their phones. They’re finding videos to be entertaining, informative and sometimes powerful for exposing them to new brands.
It’s becoming clear that if you want to run a successful business in this era, you need strong video content that will bring people into the fold. Let’s explore this topic in greater detail.
Why video is the future
Simply writing blogs and publishing infographics is no longer enough to hold people’s interest and turn them into loyal brand followers. This years, there’s been a great deal of research into video, which many uphold as the future of marketing. The Guardian has drummed up a lot of publicity for this idea, highlighting a couple of statistics in particular that show just how pervasive the medium has become.
The newspaper points to projections from Cisco, which says that video will account for 69 percent of all Internet traffic by the year 2017. In addition, the source draws upon Nielsen survey data which says that in the near future, video will dominate the strategies of 64 percent of the world’s marketers.
British media guru Chris Trimble, the director of content at marketing agency Axonn Media, told the newspaper that it’s not difficult to see why.
“When it comes to potential reach, video is peerless,” Trimble argued. “YouTube receives more than one billion unique visitors every month – that’s more than any other channel, apart from Facebook. One in three Britons view at least one online video a week – that’s a weekly audience of more than 20 million people in the UK alone. Video can give you access to all this. Video done well can give you a slice of it. What other form of content can do the same?”
People like being able to relax and enjoy content passively – they don’t have to go anywhere, interact with anyone or even read anything to consume a video. They can just sit back and let the information come to them. This may sound somewhat discouraging to some, but like it or not, it’s the wave of the future.
Video leads to sales conversions
If you’re running a business and looking to generate more profits, your ultimate question is probably this – how will an increased focus on video lead to greater sales numbers? You’re in luck – there’s a great deal of information out there on this very topic.
According to Marketing Land, video is the best form of content on the market today for turning sales conversions. Not next decade, not in 2017 – that’s right now. Because of the rapid increase in high-speed Internet access, mobile devices and social media sites, there’s no better time than the present to jump aboard the video bandwagon.
The news source pointed to a recent report from video marketing and analytics platform Vidyard, which showed that 71 percent of marketers see video as either “somewhat better” or “much better” than other types of marketing content for getting conversions. In addition, 48 percent of marketers say the ROI of video is still increasing, compared to only 1 percent who say it’s trending in the other direction.
Amy Gesenhues, a general assignment reporter at Third Door Media, has speculated that there’s a huge opportunity cost for marketers who fail to capitalize on the video revolution.
“Marketers who fail to incorporate videos into their content marketing strategy may be overlooking a potential goldmine,” Gesenhues wrote.
There’s a multi-step process that occurs whenever a viewer engages with a piece of content. They see the content itself, they become curious about who created it and what they’re all about, and then gradually, over the long haul, they express an interest in becoming paying customers. A lot has to happen for this entire procedure to shake out.
With video, though, engagement has proved faster and more reliable. Your viewers will respond quicker and spend more readily. That’s the key.
Higher volume for greater success
If you’re looking to dive headfirst into video and make the strategy work for you, there are a million pieces of advice that can help steer you in the right direction. Here’s one important one – think big. Why put out just one video when you can produce a whole series? That will be far more likely to get people’s attention.
Think about it – the typical consumer sees dozens of pieces of media content on a daily basis. It’s very difficult to become memorable by putting out just one. Even if it’s good, it’s likely to get lost in the shuffle as people go about their lives and continue to find more, more, more.
The Globe and Mail recently discussed this topic in depth. Lisa Ostrikoff, creator of Canadian social media marketing agency BizBOXTV, explained that rather than publishing just one video, it’s more effective to think of a series of multiple messages you’re hoping to get across, then publish one video for each distinct idea.
“By releasing regular online video content, not only do you keep your target demographic engaged, you get the chance to discover what approaches work best when it comes to your specific audience and evolve your strategy as you go,” Ostrikoff explained.
If you publish just one video, you’re likely to be forgotten. But if you put out five, or 10, or even 100? A beautiful chain reaction might follow. People will begin to recognize your content – and by extension, your brand. Eventually, those familiar faces will turn into paying customers.
Video is a valuable resource for marketing any business. Have you already taken steps to board the bandwagon?
Neutralizing all digital channels, we accelerate performance by applying data driven optimizationin real-time across a superior blend of mobile, video,display and email inventory. Converting the right people at the right time, we drive brand solutions, while securing optimal impact, engagement + results.
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