The wide usage of business/web videos has continued to grow until it is an expectation if you want your products or message to be taken seriously in 2018. There are dozens of reasons why many businesses and customers value video. Whether one prefers its ability to quickly deliver a message, entertain or stir pathos, increase your SEO reach, or encourage trust between a company and its customers, the reasons can be boiled down to three main benefits.
Videos Save Time
While text is still vital to communication, there are times when videos can convey your message better and quicker. It is said that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words (Forrester). Our brains are able to pick up far more by seeing and hearing than by reading alone. Not only can we receive far more information on both the conscious and subconscious level, but “viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text” (Insivia). This may be in part to the fact that 55% of people pay close attention when consuming videos — more than all other types of content. (HubSpot)
According to a survey by Wyzowl conducted in December 2017, if “both video and text are available on the same page, 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service.” But it isn’t just the consumers who are choosing video over text. 59% of senior executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic on the same page, they prefer to watch video (Digital Information World). If you have the ability to have both text and video, it’s a good idea to take advantage of both of their strengths.
Videos Retain Viewers Longer
Video has the ability to maintain our attention and activate our emotions better than written words. Whether you instill trust in your company or product or produce pure entertainment, the result is viewers staying on your webpage longer. In fact, 80% of marketers say video has increased dwell time on their website (Wyzowl).
Getting viewers to stay on your page longer has good effects. Traffic increases your SEO, and the more time spent engaging with your brand message, the more likely you will see conversion. A study by Eye View found that “including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%”!
Do beware of making sure your video message has content that people actually want to view and that it isn’t too long for your purpose and audience. 33% of viewers will stop watching a video after 30 seconds, 45% by one minute, and 60% by two minutes (Ad Age). Also take note that 82% of consumers have closed a browser or exited a webpage because of an auto-playing online video ad (HubSpot). Videos can communicate a lot, but only if people want to watch them.
Videos Improve SEO
As mentioned above, videos can boost your search engine optimization. This is for both videos embedded in your website and posted to YouTube or social media. Since Google owns YouTube, it only makes sense that their analytics work well for the algorithms deciding where your website shows up in online searches. The difference is substantial with “companies using video enjoy[ing] 41% more web traffic from search than non-users” (smallbiztrends).
In addition to brand essence videos, social videos, and specific messages or invites, the top three most effective types of video content are customer testimonials (51%), tutorial videos (50%), and demonstration videos (49%) (CURATA). Those top three types of videos are important since they reflect consumers’ desire to research into credibility, quality, and the “right fit” of a company or product. ThinkWithGoogle found that almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store. Your videos are a simple but powerful first step in engaging with your clients.
Videos Increase ROI
Videos help answer questions before your potential client has to ask them. This reduces the chance of them walking away and taking their business elsewhere. According to the Wyzowl survey, 95% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service and 81% of people have been convinced to buy after watching a brand’s video.
Consumers like seeing what they are getting into without having to contact anyone; marketers like seeing the results! In fact, 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI (HUBSPOT).
Don’t forget to utilize the power of social media to generate business. If your video is interesting, viewers won’t mind that it was produced by a business. Not only will people watch, but 76% of people say they would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining (Wyzowl). That’s “1200% more shares than text and images combined” all because of a good social video (SmallbizTrends.) These social videos can instill brand awareness into new people as well as present opportunities to buy your product. According to Tubular Insights, 64% of consumers purchase after watching branded social videos.
With these numbers in mind, it’s easy to see how video has become a benefit and integral part of life for 2018. When you consider your own business videos for this year, remember to take full advantage of this powerful medium of communication!
