6 Compelling Benefits to Jumping on the Video Bandwagon while the Momentum is Hot

Have you noticed seeing a lot more videos on Facebook lately? Not only have there been a plethora of Facebook LIVE videos, but I’ve also been seeing a trend of videos made from simple animations or static inspirational images with music added.

All because Facebook has declared video to be something people want to watch more than any other form of content.

Then there’s the popularity of YouTube, SnapChat, Twitter and Instagram’s video platforms and capabilities that make using video hard to ignore in today’s business marketing landscape.

And it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise either. Think about how we have all been spoon-fed videos since young toddlers on TV.

The good news is, with the advancement of technology over the past few years, you no longer need to be a professional videographer or editor to be able to produce decent-looking videos, especially for a social media audience.

Still not sure if you should bother taking on the task of learning to do videos for your social media marketing? Take a look at some of these stats:

• A Facebook video receives, on average, 135% more organic reach than a photo.
• 73% of Business-to-Business marketers say video positively impacts their marketing return on investment.
• According to CISCO, 80% of all consumer internet traffic will come from videos by 2020.
• 10 billion videos are watched on Snapchat every day.
• More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube every day
• A Facebook video receives, on average, 135% more organic reach than a post with just a photo.
• On Twitter, videos are 6 times more likely to be retweeted than photos and 3 times more likely than GIFs
• Companies that use video in their online marketing efforts have been known to grow their revenues 49% faster.
• Businesses who use videos in their marketing enjoy a 27% higher Click Through Rate (CTR) and 34% higher web conversion rates than those which don’t (Aberdeen Group, 2015).

Pretty impressive, wouldn’t you say? But what can video actually do for you that will help boost your bottom line?

By incorporating videos into your business and social media marketing, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

1. Increase Your Target Market’s Confidence in You

   Since trust is what relationship marketing is built upon, videos make a perfect fit to developing your target market’s confidence with your business offerings.

   Because you want to create the “Know, Like and Trust” factor with your ideal client, there is nothing better than having your smiling face be in front of that market in order for them to see your personality, understand your level of expertise, and get an instant impression of you that will lead them quicker to purchase.

2. Boost Your Search Engine Rankings

   Because people tend to stay on your site’s web page longer by watching a video, the search engine’s algorithms are interpreting that to mean your site is worthwhile. This will, in turn, boost your SEO rankings. According to Moovly, your chances are 53x’s greater to be higher up in Google’s search results if your website or blog post includes a video.

   That coupled with Google’s ownership of YouTube, your chances of getting higher rankings are increased when your videos are also housed there.

3. Gain a Higher Social Media Reach

   Getting more people to like, comment and share your posts on Facebook has been an increasing challenge for business owners. The good news is, video has been a shining beacon of hope where 76% of users say they are apt to share entertaining videos on social media.

   If you make an effort to create fun and entertaining videos, this will increase your brand exposure and will, in turn, bring more attention to your business in an indirect way.

4. Enjoy Higher Website Conversions

   Video marketing studies show that 74% of users who watched a video explaining or demonstrating a product ended up making the purchase.So by simply adding a video to your sales or free giveaway page, you should see a significant increase in people signing up for your offering.

5. Save on Expensive Production Costs

   With technological advancements we are seeing at an incredible rate, the great news is you don’t need to invest in a lot of expensive equipment to create well-made videos.

   All you need is your smartphone and you’re good to go. So videos are now considered a cost-effective solution to getting in front of the masses in a format people are responding well to.

6. Take Advantage of Showcasing Your Offerings

   A video is a great way to explain, demonstrate and showcase any kind of product or service offering you may have.Whether you are promoting a new program or offering a free giveaway for list building purposes, adding a video to the landing page will help give the viewer an opportunity to see it in action and visualize its benefits.

So as you can see, there are lots of reasons to start using videos to enhance your marketing efforts that will lead to increased sales.

Unlike as little as 10 years ago, the cost of equipment and production has made video marketing much more affordable for business owners; however, this is not to say it’s simple, easy and a sure-thing for success.

Article Written by Susan Friesen of Business 2 Community