If you are still not incorporating video into your content marketing strategy right now, then you’re doing it wrong. In this blog, we share all the reasons why you should be using video content to help drive brand awareness, and ultimately, conversions. First, let’s look at some facts & trends. 

• Users spend 88% more time on a website that has video. 
• 61% of marketers see video as a very important or extremely important part of their marketing strategy. 
• 30% of marketers see video as a more important part of their strategy than their website. 
• 74% of marketers find that video content has a better ROI than static imagery or text. 
• Mobile Video consumption continues to rise by 100% every year. 
• 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by video. 

Just this past month, Instagram has announced that they are diverting their focus from a photo-sharing app, towards four key areas; Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging. They have been experimenting with algorithmic additions, especially on the explore page, to ‘embrace video more broadly’, and make it more immersive by offering a full-screen experience. 

Do we have you convinced to add video to your content marketing strategy and production yet? If not, here are more reasons why video is essential. 

Raise Awareness and Increase Discovery

With the new algorithms that are in place today on social media – specifically TikTok and Instagram – we are finding that platforms are prioritizing content discovery. More specifically, presenting content that is personally relevant to you and your interests. We’ve seen how successful this has been for TikTok thus far, and now other competing platforms are trying to incorporate the same design, shying away from content you already follow, and allowing you to discover more content outside of your bubble. 

Increase Engagement

Video content is so important, as it is proven time and time again that users are more engaged when they are interacting with video content. 

• Videos target two senses, rather than one. 

• Video combines our auditory and visual senses to keep us stimulated through both movement and noise. When combining the two, you are better able to deliver your message to your audience exactly how you want it. According to studies, the average viewer retains 95% of a message when watching a video, versus 10% when read. 

• Videos leave room to share all forms of delivery & media.

• Video content provides us the ability to integrate all forms of communication – it can capture text, music, audio, images, graphics, links, podcasts, animations, and it can do so all at once. 
• The new video algorithms in place will attract your target audience. With the algorithms in place on platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, we see that our behaviors and consumption patterns are being used to allow platforms to give us more personally-relevant content. So in essence, your content is being shown to those who genuinely would be interested in your brand. So, naturally, the audiences will be more engaged with video content.

Build Trust 

That’s right. Video marketing can help build more trust between your consumers and your brand.

Video content can often feel more transparent to viewers than a piece of written or static imagery. There are plenty of ways that you can incorporate video messaging to build credibility and drive conversions.

Customer testimonial videos

• Real customer testimonials can be effective, as they provide room for real demonstration of the product/service, how it can be used and why it is valuable to them.
• It’s easier for consumers to be attracted to something when they can see how a brand is valued by somebody on the same side – another consumer. After all, most people love to do their research before actually buying. Reviews are imperative in driving sales.

Behind the scenes 

• Behind the scenes video content allows for storytelling. It provides a sense of authenticity, and scope into a company’s culture, provides a humanizing element to the brand, and helps them feel more connected.  

Showcase user-generated content

• User-generated content is a killer tool to help establish trust. 90% of consumers say it directly influences their buying decisions. User generated content not only makes the brand look more credible, it increases awareness, popularity, and creates a sense of community around the brand. Creating an authentic community with your consumer by sharing their content reinforces a deep connection with your consumer – it’s a win-win. 
• You can prompt UGC by creating hashtag campaigns, reposting consumers content, or creating a good incentive for users.                                                                                                                   

So, now that you know how video content can serve to optimize your brand in the digital space, here are some tips to help get you started:

• Have an objective – the most successful content will either educate, entertain, or inspire its audience. 

• Do your research – Know your target audience, spend some time watching videos that are popular among their demographic. Look at what your competitors are doing – who’s successful & who’s not – take notes and understand what’s working and what isn’t for them. 

• Measure your engagement & track your conversions – this will help to give you more insight into what type of content your audience enjoys seeing and provide more direction for future content. 

• Caption your videos – 83% of people watch videos with the sound turned off, and 50% of people want captions so they can watch videos on mute. 

• Use thumbnails – Adding an enticing thumbnail can help you get more views. It can keep users intrigued, and interested in wanting to learn more. 

• Keep your message short and concise – This is especially for in-feed post videos and reels, studies show that you have just 10 seconds to grab an audience’s attention and get them intrigued before engagement significantly. Make your message to the point. 

• Take advantage of the type of video content available – Now with the integration of different forms of video content out there, your videos can take the form of reels, stories, full-length videos and even live videos. Take advantage of these options and learn how to use them in ways that work best for your brand. 

• Reels are key to higher engagement & discovery… if you do it right – use them to your benefit. Keep them short, use snippets, audios, texts, and follow the trends. When using them to educate, successful reels typically stick to no more than three tips or points. Have more? Great! Make a second part to it and give a CTA – ‘Like to see a part 2’, ‘Check out my part two in my feed’. 

• Don’t forget branding your content – studies show that adding a brand logo in a video can increase purchase intention by 9%.
• Mix it up – while we suggest tracking your engagement and going with the content themes that drive the most traction, remember to still mix it up. Don’t keep putting out the same kind of content every time or you will lose engagement after a certain amount of time. Here are some more video content ideas to get you inspired: 

1. 1. Pitches
   2. Social Media Video Snippets
   3. Holiday video card
   4. End of the year recap 
   5. Recruiting videos 
   6. Training videos, tutorials & how-tos
   7. Webinars 
   8. Podcasts 
   9. Event or product launch promotions 
   10. Product review/demonstration videos 
   11. Interviews, Q&As and case studies  
   12. A day in the life, vlogs or BTS
   13. Live streams

For more on video content marketing read Using Video Content to Boost Engagement or The Importance of Video in Your Content Strategy.

Need help getting started with creating your video content? Connect with us and we’ll help get you rolling. Our FSTOP Studios can guide you and help you create the perfect content to get your followers engaged and bring your brand to life.