When it comes to marketing, the kitchy statement is, “Content is king.” And while that is true, the method in which you deliver that content can be (and is) equally as important.
For years, society and statistics have been telling us that video marketing is the next big thing… and guess what, the future is right now. In fact, it has been for the past few years, and it’s only going to continue growing.
According to a recent study by Limelight, the average internet user spends six hours and 48 minutes watching online videos per week. In addition, internet users under the age of 36 are now spending significantly more time watching videos online than they are traditional mediums like television.
Take the next 60 seconds and truly imagine yourself in each of the three scenarios below. Which option would you most likely choose for each?
SCENARIO 1
Your gas grill isn’t turning on:
- Option 1: Search tirelessly for the user’s manual that you haven’t seen in three years since purchasing the grill.
- Option 2: Visit YouTube and type in “Weber 2XP Grill won’t light” and follow the step-by-step tutorial video
SCENARIO 2
Your company needs a new sales tracking platform
- Option 1: Visit various websites and read bullet points about the benefits
- Option 2: Watch a 15-minute product review that includes the product interface and shows you the benefits of their product vs. its competitors
SCENARIO 3
You need a vacation, but you aren’t sure where to go
- Option 1: Visit various websites and read write-ups and look at a few photos of the location and its activities
- Option 2: Visit vacation websites and watch promotional and tour videos with the sounds of the waves crashing, drone footage of the property’s coastline and videos of the local golf courses, parasailing, and customer experience testimonials.
If you’re someone who would go with Option 2 most of the time, then you need to inhale and exhale a few times, figuratively look at yourself in the mirror and allow yourself to believe that video is important.
Oftentimes, we look for videos ourselves but are unaware of how creating video content can help our own business and our customers. Here’s the thing, when you’re new to something, we understand it’s tough to get started. It’s scary, you tell yourself, “We don’t have the time to do videos” or “We don’t have the dollars in our marketing budget for video.”
But in all honesty, the question you should be asking yourself is “Can we afford to not invest our time and marketing budget for video marketing?”
As competition continues to grow and with the digital space being as competitive as it’s ever been, there’s still an opportunity to position yourself as a leader in your space.
To prove our point, here’s one more scenario:
SCENARIO 4
You’re scrolling through social media out of sheer boredom
- Option 1: You stop and watch numerous videos, everything from your friend’s new puppy being absolutely adorable to some new product that you didn’t know you needed but now have 2 being delivered to your house on Friday.
- Option 2: You stop and watch numerous videos, everything from your friend’s new puppy being absolutely adorable to some new product that you didn’t know you needed but now have 2 being delivered to your house on Friday.
How many times has this happened to you? We’re not judging you, we’ve all done it. In fact, 64% of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social videos (via tubularinsights) and 74% of consumers share video content from brands on social media. So it’s not your fault.
So, whether you’re a company who is looking to explain the benefits of your services, an entrepreneur who wants to show why his/her mousetrap works better than the current version, or you’re simply looking to provide a face and human element to your organization, it’s never too late to start… but you better start soon.
If you think video marketing can help you market your products or services now and into 2021 but you’re not sure where to start, let’s have a conversation.