Video content consumption has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. During the pandemic, online media usage rose by 215% in the U.S. And in 2022, audiences spent an average of 19 hours a week watching videos online.
With video, you can reach a wider audience, convert more leads and set your brand up for success in 2023. Here are four reasons adding video to your marketing plan should be your top New Year’s marketing resolution.
Video and the Big G. If you’ve put off adding video to your digital strategy, you won’t want to for much longer. YouTube, owned by Google, isn’t just a video platform — it’s the world’s second-largest search engine. And soon, Google will allow video in its search ads and begin prioritizing websites and pages that have relevant, high-quality video content. As it’s often said, as goes Google, so goes the world (actually, not sure if anyone has said that, but it sure sounds right).
The Omnichannel Advantage. Rather than a siloed, “more-is-better” approach, omnichannel takes multichannel marketing to the next level by strategically integrating and coordinating channels like print, social media, email and video to work together to tell your brand story and move prospects through your sales funnel. Omnichannel creates a more seamless consumer-centric experience across the buyer’s journey. A brick-and-mortar retailer, for example, might have video reviews on its website, and display QR codes in-store that link to short-form video product demos. And after they buy, you can email links to videos featuring other recommended products based on past purchases. Videos can play an integral part of your brand’s omnichannel customer experience.
Short-form ROI Superstars. Short-form video has the highest ROI of any social media marketing strategy. This compact form of video content shot to popularity among tweens and is now fueling the marketing campaigns of major corporations. A great example is Tasty, the online cooking channel. They make short videos with a step-by-step guide to help educate and inspire their audience with bite-sized content that’s easy to digest. Shorts can also be used to feature product reviews, customer challenges, influencer collaborations and behind-the-scenes exclusives. And don’t forget about user-generated content — it’s more likely to be trusted than any form of marketing and offers great ROI.
Maximum Mobile-first Marketing. Long-form, on-screen text that requires endless scrolling is anything but mobile friendly. Videos, however, can easily connect with customers no matter what device they’re on and where they are, making them a critical component of any mobile-first digital strategy. As more and more people choose to scroll with sound off, consider soundless optimization of video content by using on-screen text for any spoken content.
More Bang for Your Video Buck
Successful video marketing doesn’t have to break the bank. As you implement video into your annual budget, consider starting with free organic distribution to see what content your audience is most likely to engage with. Then, armed with this information, leverage paid media to further amplify your reach.
To control costs, keep your videos short. Consider shooting some yourself for a more authentic touch — or partner with an agency, like Nexus Content. We can efficiently pool and coordinate all the resources you need to leverage the power of video for your business — from ideation, storyboarding and script writing to video editing, voiceover and post-production. Contact us for a free video marketing consultation if your brand is ready for its close-up.