Today, guest blogger Bob DiGregorio of DiGregorio Productions is going to help us understand the ways in which video can bring life to our websites, positively impact our business images, and create potential for increasing the bottom line.
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Did you know that according to ReelSEO, video content accounted for 64% of all internet traffic in 2014? That’s impressive. What’s even more impressive is according to a new report from Cisco, by 2019, online video in the U.S. will be responsible for 85% of all internet traffic. Oh, and one more thing, a recent Ascend2 report says that 85% of companies found value and success in their video marketing strategy.
So, are you using video in your marketing?
With those statistics you need to start considering it. Now more than ever, video is a powerful business tool. What makes video so powerful is video can engage, entice, excite and entertain your audience in a way that text and photos never can. The evolution of online video is exploding, what ReelSEO found is companies that don’t include video in their digital marketing strategy are quickly being left behind. So what’s the deal? Why are companies finding it harder to compete just because they’re not using video in their digital marketing? Well, I’m glad you asked, we all know that the Internet has become one of the principal ways we communicate, entertain ourselves, and work. According to Statista Americans spend 11+ hours a day consuming electronic media. That’s huge considering that most of us are awake 16 to 18 hours a day. With most of the American population online, businesses need to go where the people are, today- that’s online. And, what are people doing online- watching video. Consumers are going to YouTube for how-to advice, Facebook for breaking news and to Instagram for behind-the-scenes video of their favorite entertainers. Those businesses that embrace a video marketing strategy are finding success and gaining an advantage over their competition.
I know, what does all this mean to me as a business owner? Well, it means that to compete in today’s world your business has to evolve and begin to develop a digital marketing plan that uses video content.
How is Video Being Used?
In the 2015 Video Marketing Survey Report by The Web Video Marketing Council, Flimp Media and ReelSEO they asked 350 businesses what the purpose of using video was in their online marketing, the results:
- 80% Increase brand awareness and engagement
- 65% Promote product and services
- 61% Increase website traffic and SEO results
- 57% Generate new sales leads
- 55% As a sales collateral to educate prospects
- 50% Website and landing page conversion
- 10% Other
As you can see from the top three responses businesses are using video to stay top of mind to their customers, promote their products and services and increase SEO results. Video is perfect for these purposes because we can create short and memorable messages for little cost. You want short vignettes because these work best for digital and social media. According to ADWEEK, New York Fashion Week designers uploaded a mix of short and long form videos to Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo. The results, the short clips, 30 to 60 seconds, brought in a total of 6,324 interactions. The shorter 15-second clips brought in a total of 5,466 interactions. With these results, it’s clear that these short vignettes are hitting and resonating with consumers.
Professionally-Made Video Delivers More Gains
Now, having said that- video is like anything else, the key is to put the time in, budget accordingly and follow through to make sure your video is professionally produced and proficient enough to get the positive results you’re looking for. Though video is extremely effective in building brand awareness and engaging your customer base, you need to be cautious. A poorly produced video can have the opposite effect. Today’s viewers see a lot of video and know the difference between good and bad video. They make decisions based on their interactions and information provided by a company. That said, a company that has a subpar website or a subpar video raises questions to that visitor. So you want to make sure to get the value out of using video in your digital marketing and social media; you want to produce a professional product.
Videos Deliver Super SEO Value
I know that video can be expensive so why use video in my marketing? Well, there are a few reasons. To begin with, the SEO benefits are huge. According to Search Engine Watch, videos that are properly submitted are 53 times more likely to generate a first page Google ranking than traditional SEO techniques. In addition, videos do have a high return on investment (ROI). 52% of marketing pros credit video as the type of content with the highest ROI. Why? Simple, metrics. You can see exactly how many people watched the video, how long they watched, if they engaged the call to action and a whole lot more. Also, video is replicable. Once the plan is created, repeating the ROI & SEO in the end:
- a) doesn’t end and
- b) doesn’t cost more.
That adds value because you’re not reinventing the wheel every time a new video is produced. With a solid infrastructure you replicate the distribution plan and maintain a solid and positive ROI.
Video Delivers a Longer-Lasting Image
Now with all of those benefits, the human aspect is huge too. First, when you use video in your marketing your audience will remember you. We have a great memory for short periods of time (“Look, something shiny!”). Marketers know this, well no surprise there. That’s why we’re pounded with close to 5,000 ads every day. Because of this marketers have to find a way to catch our attention. Not easy. Here’s why, according to Social Media Learning, people remember 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see and 70% of what they hear and see. Is it coming into focus now?
The second component to the human aspect is social media. Today you need a social media strategy. And, social media LOVES VIDEO! Let’s focus this a bit here, social media loves video because video is the primary driver of social media. Now, when planning a social media campaign for your video you need to remember that every video platform (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Vine) is different. Each platform requires different storytelling techniques.
Here’s a breakdown:
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So it is safe to say that people are watching video online. Think about this: if your customer’s are not watching your videos, they are most likely watching your competitors’. According to Jeffery Hayzlett of the Hayzlett Group, by 2016 online video users are expected to double to over 1.5 billion. By 2017, video will account for 69% of all customer internet traffic. Today, 76% of marketers are having website developers add video to their client’s websites. Pretty compelling, isn’t it?
To sum this all up, using video in your marketing is essential in today’s competitive market.
Robert DiGregorio, Jr. is Executive Producer at DiGregorio Productions, a multimedia creative in Marlborough, MA. Prior to founding DiGregorio Productions, Bob had worked in his own website and multimedia business called imageMATTE, worked in TV production for NECN, and gained corporate experience in a start up business that produced video for the top pharmaceutical companies in the USA where he also managed 20 freelance editors. Making videos has been in Bob’s blood since he was very young. He gained his first formal experience in his high school’s television studio, followed that with working at the local public access station, then moved on to studying video and communications in college where he earned degrees in Media Communications and Film & Television Production. Contact Bob at (508) 251-9045. Connect with Bob on Twitter or LinkedIn
CREDITS
- Carla Marshall, By 2019, 80% of the World’s Internet Traffic Will Be Video [Cisco Study] (ReelSEO: June 11, 2015)
- Cisco, Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2014-2019 (Cisco White Paper 2015)
- Greg Jarboe, 85 Percent of Companies Find Success With A Video Marketing Strategy (ReelSEO: September 28, 2015)
- ReelSEO and Tubular Labs, 17 Tips for a Winning Video Marketing Strategy In 2015 (ReelSEO and Tubular Labs White Paper 2015)
- Felix Ritcher, Americans Use Electronic Media 11+ Hours A Day (Statista, March 13,2015)
- Web Video Marketing Council, Flimp Media and ReelSEO, 2015 B2B Video Content Marketing Survey Results & Trends Report (Published October 16, 2015)
- Lauren Johnson, These Fashion Week Designers Created Dazzling Facebook Videos As Well As Clothes, Lesson: show more runway, less backstage (ADWEEK February 19, 2015)
- social@Ogilvy and Tubular Labs, The Rise of Multi-Platform Video: Why Brands Need A Multi Platform Video Strategy (social@Ogilvy and Tubular Labs White Paper June 23, 2015),
- Benjamin Wayne, Search Engine Success: Getting Video SEO Right (Search Engine Watch Jan 27, 2010)
- How To Sell Your Boss On Video (Slate and Maine July 27, 2015)
- Jeffrey Hayzlett, Why Video Marketing is Key in 2014 (Hayzlett Group January 7, 2014)