How much time did you spend watching videos today? Be honest.
According to Statista, we spend around 209 minutes (3 hours and 29 minutes) per day watching TV video content and 103 minutes (1 hour and 43 minutes) per day watching digital video on devices.
With TikTok still on the rise, many other platforms are making the switch to video-based content, most notably Instagram with the introduction of its reels feature. But what does it mean if even apps whose whole concept used to be based on the sharing of images are now ditching those in favor of video content?
The answer is simple: We should do the same. Implementing video in your content marketing strategy is essential if you want to reach your target audience and remain relevant.
But why do videos perform so much better than other forms of content?
Our brains love videos
It sounds too simple to be true. We as human beings are primed to pay more attention to movement than to inactivity. Our brains are hard-wired to observe, process, and react to the sights and sounds of the world around us, just like our ancestors who lived in caves.
Videos are so effective because they manage to simulate the actual world. Be it an interview with a celebrity, impressive stock footage in a car commercial, or animated visuals. Through video, we as an audience can hear, see and comprehend the environment that is shown – way better than we could through reading a text or looking at an image.
We get the impression of being present in the shown scenario and thus can relate to a given message on a far more intimate, personal level.
Videos improve SEO
One of the main reasons for the success of video content lies in SEO.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, requires us to align our content strategy with the algorithm of the search engine used.
Most often this will be Google, and while there is no official confirmation that it ranks videos higher than other content the data speaks for itself. Research conducted by Infront suggests that videos lengthen visitors’ stays on websites, which boosts the metric and raises a website’s SEO position. And according to Cisco, the amount of traffic generated by watching videos online is reaching 82% of all consumer Internet traffic in 2022.
Further, videos lead to a better conversion rate. Your chances of increasing conversions rise by 80% if you include an explainer video on your landing page. If your page contains video, you have a 53% higher chance of jumping to the top of the search results and nearly 90% of visitors will stay on your page longer than they would if you only had text. An overwhelming majority of marketers agree, videos lengthen visitors’ stays on websites – and are much more efficient than plain text.
Videos Increase ROI
When asked how they’d most like to learn about a product or service, 73% of people said they’d prefer to watch a short video compared to 11% who’d rather read a text-based article, website, or post, and 13% who’d like to access a different form of content.
Further research conducted by Wyzowl states the following.
- 87% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic.
- 82% of marketers say video has helped them increase dwell time.
- 86% of marketers say video has helped them generate leads.
- 81% of marketers say video has helped them directly increase sales.
But how does that add up? Surely creating fitting video content for your business takes a lot of time and effort and most notably a lot of funding. You need to hire a camera crew, come up with a script, actors, a location and so much more right?
Not anymore!
Nowadays the internet can give you a variety of budget-friendly options that let you access the advantage of video content marketing. Why not try using stock footage or animated explainer videos?
These can easily be adapted to match your brand and allow you to create impactful video content without having to hire a whole production team.
Conclusion:
Videos are not just another marketing trend that will come and go in the blink of an eye. They are here to stay. And the faster we implement them as a default content type in our digital marketing strategies the better.
Video content positively impacts your content marketing success for various reasons:
- Increased attention through appealing to our evolutionary make-up.
- Improved SEO and conversion rates as search engines favor video content.
- Increased ROI through cost-effective means of creating stunning video content.
What are you waiting for? Get started now!
About the author
Enya Reinecken is an International Business Management student employed with simpleshow as a working student. She has a passion for digital marketing and content development. Apart from writing, Enya is constantly exploring new countries, seeking to connect with people from various cultures and backgrounds.
