Last updated on August 27, 2020

Last updated on August 2, 2020

Business owners and marketers are finally catching on to the benefits of video marketing.

So far, one-third of internet traffic is now video, and over 80% of consumers want to see more videos from brands.

A recent Wyzowl survey showed that 81% of businesses already use video as a marketing tool.

And 65% of the businesses that didn’t (at the time of the survey) planned to start in the following year. 

When implementing video, you should expect a lot of changes to your marketing strategy.

Not just expect, but plan for them.

Video content requires different production and promotional tactics from text and images.

Different is not the same thing as hard, but many marketers do not realize this and continue to struggle.

When asked why they don’t use video, 23% of marketers claimed lack of time, and 21% said they were unclear about where to start, and 14% said they were unclear on the ROI of video marketing. 

Using detailed steps, I’ll be showing you how to develop a results-driven video marketing strategy for any business. 

Steps to Develop a Result-Driven Video Marketing Strategy 

Study your audience

Like every other aspect of a business, you need research data for video marketing.

Knowing about your audience’s online habits will make it easier to plan out a video marketing strategy.

You should be able to answer questions like, “Who is my target audience?” “What online platforms do they frequent the most?” and “What type of content do they search for/engage with?”. 

Many marketers answer this question by creating a profile known as the audience persona.

It is the profile of a fictional character that depicts the ideal customer of a business.

Whenever you create new content, you have to ask, “Will *insert persona’s name* find this content valuable?” 

Instead of thinking of a broad audience of thousands of people, your focus is on one or two audience personas.

You can relate your content to their needs, challenges, interests, and favorite online hangout platforms. 

To create your audience persona, start by looking at your current customers.

What are their most defining features?

What are the top solutions they need? 

Let’s create one audience persona for a project management software company.

An ideal client will be Jane. 

Jane: 

• is 32 years old 
• is female 
• earns $80,000 per year
• is a team lead at her company 
• Works from the office three days a week, then remotely for two days
• spends most of her online time browsing through Twitter and Reddit. 
• follows brands that create humor-style content. 

Already, it’s easier to determine what Jane may or may not like.

This is because the audience is now one relatable person, not an online void.

You can make your audience persona as detailed as possible.

Add pictures if they will help your creative process. 

If you don’t have the answer to some profile questions, interact with your customers.

Ask them questions, or offer a reward for filling a survey. 

Set marketing goals 

Before you hit ‘Record’, you should establish the end goal of each video.

We shared earlier that 14% of marketers don’t use video marketing because they are unclear about its ROI.

They are right to worry.

The human and financial resources that are invested in video marketing should be accounted for. 

Each video or campaign should have a set goal.

Are you trying to sell a product?

Raise brand awareness?

Boost brand engagement?

Generate leads?

Or launch a new service? 

If you do not have a marketing goal, it becomes difficult to determine if your campaign was successful or not.

Without a benchmark, results cannot be measured. 

With a goal in mind, you can begin to plan the more concrete details.

For example, if your brand is launching a new product, you can prepare for product unveiling videos, demos, product review videos, and more. 

Create a reasonable budget 

As you integrate video into your marketing strategy, it is also important to assign a budget to the project.

Granted, video production is now a lot cheaper than it used to be.

However, team members (and contractors) will often need access to paid-for resources.

As early as possible, plan the full scope of what is required for each video marketing campaign. Then determine your potential expenses and assign a budget. 

Your marketing goals all directly or indirectly lead back to the bottom line.

This is the company’s income after all expenses have been deducted.

A goal for every profit-oriented business is to gain returns on each marketing dollar spent.

So while working to create quality videos, it’s also essential to spend in a way that allows for visible profit margins. 

Choose your top platforms 

It’s always better to concentrate your efforts on your top performing platforms.

Rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Here are some features to look out for: 

• Video content support: All social media networks support video content. If you’re using other platforms for marketing, ensure that video integration will not be a problem. 

 

• Target audience presence: you should be taking your content to the audience, not forcing the audience to come to your content. Make your videos easily accessible by using platforms that your target users enjoy. For example, Instagram’s most active demography is between 18-29 years. If your target market is within that age range, then it’s a platform for you to explore.

 

• Easy sharing: the performance of your videos will also depend on how easy they are to share. Use platforms that offer a one-step or in-app sharing option. 

• Analytical data to measure results: the progress of your video marketing efforts should be monitored closely. This is how you measure campaign successes, A/B testing results, and so on. Your preferred platforms should provide analytical data such as impressions, engagement, and audience demographics. These details will be helpful as you plan for future content. 

Develop your brand personality  

Videos allow brands and their audiences to connect on a human level.

For this to happen, consumers should be able to relate to your brand.

This is why we have brand personalities.

If you think about the most popular brands, their fame isn’t necessarily about the products and services they offer.

It’s about the lifestyles they encouraged.

Nike says ‘motivation’, Coca-Cola says ‘sharing’, Harley Davidson says ‘badass’, and Apple says ‘exclusivity’. 

It’s important to note that whether you create a personality or not, your audience will still assign one to you.

The video content you share will eventually form a pattern.

Your brand personality can be quirky, funny, honest, serious, emotional, transparent, and a host of other options.  

Just keep in mind that your brand personality should reflect the real-life people who manage your platforms.

In simple words, your brand personality should mirror the company culture.

These personalities need high levels of consistency, which works better if they are not forced. 

Encourage user-generated content (UGC)

There are only so many ways you can represent your own brand.

And as much as users may enjoy your content, they will still seek out independent reviews.

This is why user-generated videos are essential to your strategy. 

A study shows that consumers trust user-generated reviews more than they believe advertisements.

It’s one thing to see a brand demo their products, and it’s another thing to see a buyer use that product.

UGCs are unbiased and created because the buyers genuinely enjoy using a brand’s products. 

One brand with impressive UGC rates is GoPro.

No one questions the value of GoPro cameras.

This is because the internet is littered with videos of people taking their GoPros through the most adventurous events and coming out with their feed intact.

Other examples are Starbucks and Airbnb. 

You mustn’t incentivize UGCs too often.

It’s okay to offer some giveaways to customers once in a while.

However, don’t offer rewards for good reviews.

Even if the positive reviews you receive are truthful, their effects could be diminished.

In the eyes of potential customers, those UGCs may not hold much value. 

Optimize your videos for search across all platforms 

All online platforms have their requirements for search optimization.

It’s helpful to get familiar with their rules and the ways algorithms work.

However, specific rules apply across the board. 

The first is the use of keywords.

If your videos allow for captions, always include relevant keywords.

These are potential words that users will type in when looking for content similar to yours.

Keywords make it easier for people looking for your message to find your pages. 

Social media platforms also use hashtags, including YouTube.

These are niche-specific words usually preceded by the # sign.

Examples are #fitness and #motivated.

Some hashtags are even brand-related, such as #psl for the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.

Using the right hashtags in your industry could bring more visibility to your video content as people actively search and follow those tags. 

Finally, many people don’t realize that Google also indexes social media posts.

Your social media SEO could serve both on and off the platform.

The more engagement your videos attracts, the better your visibility. 

Integrate video into other marketing tools 

Videos can be added to your other marketing efforts to boost their performance.

Using video on landing pages could potentially increase conversion by up to 86%.

Videos in emails can lead to a 200-300% increase in clickthrough rates. 

You have the option of repurposing video content.

This means reposting videos created for one platform on another.

Just ensure that the message is not lost on the new group of audience.

For example, placing your Instagram Live video on your landing page may not do well in results.

Landing page videos are better constructed, usually with a call-to-action included. 

You can also create specific videos for these other marketing tools.

For example, if you’re announcing a product launch to your email list, you can create a short video to support the message.

Giving your audience options on the content format has proven to be beneficial to both brands and consumers. 

Launch advert campaigns 

While branded videos enjoy some organic reach, there are performance benefits to using paid adverts.

For big campaigns such as product launches, paid ads can help to boost your sales figures.

They also provide broader reach for brand awareness efforts.

Lead generation can also be improved using adverts.

Not only will you see quicker results, but your ads will be shown to users beyond your online community. 

Social media and the Google Display Network offer different advertising options to choose from.

For video marketing, the recommended option when advertising with Google is YouTube Advertising.

This campaign format allows your advert to play right before a channel’s video, giving you access to their audience.

Video adverts can also be inserted into social media feeds and Stories sections.

All these advertising platforms provide targeting tools so brands can select their preferred audience.

Marketers can reach the specific demographics they want to connect with, using a wide array of filtering tools. 

Advert campaigns don’t have to be big, expensive productions.

You can launch a campaign to fit into any budget, regardless of its size.

Your ads can run for a few hours or a few months.

Just ensure that it has the needed resources to perform and turn in ROI. 

Measure your results and keep testing 

Closely follow the performance of your video campaigns.

Doing this will help you figure out which platforms and content types are generating engagement.

Using this information, you may decide to discontinue some efforts or improve them for further testing. 

The data could also show where your revenue generation is coming from, so better resource allocation can be made.

Most platforms provide analytical data, and in some cases, you can use third-party software for better insight e.g Google Analytics for website performance or Sprout Social for Instagram. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, the best video marketing strategy for your brand will come from experience and practice.

The tips shared above will give you a direction on what is needed to start.

If you’re already using video marketing but aren’t satisfied with your results, you can also look at what is missing from your current strategy. 

As your audience continues to grow, and new marketing goals take shape, your video strategy should also be adjusted.

When the moving parts of your business and marketing work together, it becomes easier to plan for desired results.

PS…We hope you liked this video marketing strategy post. Please share it to spread the love.

Last updated on August 2, 2020

Social networks are the drivers of online video marketing.

Even as we implement videos across the board (e.g., websites and emails), the primary consumption is on social media. 

About 3.5 billion people (or half of the world’s population) use at least one social network.

The data shows that these social users are also watching branded videos.

Views on branded video content increased by 99% on YouTube and 258% on Facebook within just one year.

Those numbers are still growing. 

In this article, we’ll look at the importance of social video marketing and how brands use this strategy.

We’ve also included some examples of brands that have succeeded in social video marketing. 

What is Social Video Marketing? 

Social video is one tool in the video marketing toolbox.

Social video marketing involves the creation and promotion of branded video content, specifically for social media audiences.

Brands and marketers are expected to create tailored content for each social media network. 

For example, an Instagram Native Video will take a different approach from a Facebook Live stream.

The goal is to connect with a brand’s target audience within each social network, establish a relationship, and effectively market to them. 

Why Social Media is Important to Your Video Marketing Strategy 

Social media is becoming video-first

Within the past few years, the most popular social media platforms have been optimized for video.

So much that their UI is designed to put videos first. 

All major social networks (except Twitter and Reddit) now provide the Stories feature.

We also have Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and Periscope.

Instagram also introduced IGTV, a feature for long-form style video content.

Beyond its Live option, Facebook also provides the Premiere feature, which allows users to broadcast pre-recorded videos as Live.

All social networks also offer native video uploads to users’ feeds. 

The most popular app of 2019 features only video content.

TikTok, which launched worldwide in 2017, already amassed over 500 million active users.

Social network companies understand that their users love video, so they’re placing it first.

This inevitably means that other content types (such as text and images) are taking second place.

If you’re relying on other content for your social media marketing, this could limit your reach to the target audience. 

There’s an audience for every niche.

 

Regardless of how small or large your niche is, you can find your target audience on social media.

Especially if you’re a consumer-facing brand.

There are Facebook groups and Reddit threads on everything from parenting, to more niche topics like surviving in the forest, welding, and homestead keeping. 

I’ll assume your niche isn’t that small. But if it were, your audience is online.

Your brand can take the benefits of social media and combine it with video for a better marketing approach. 

Inbound traffic and conversion 

Many business owners and marketers already use social media as an inbound strategy.

The benefits can be excited with the introduction of social videos.

Let’s look at some recent statistics on brands’ use of social video marketing. 

• 87% of video marketers have used YouTube as a channel. Out of those, 80% say it’s been successful for them.
• 84% of video marketers have used Facebook video as a channel. Out of those, 85% say it’s been successful for them.
• 51% of video marketers have used Instagram video as a channel. Out of those, 88% say it’s been successful for them.
• 51% of video marketers have used LinkedIn video as a channel. Out of those, 84% say it’s been successful for them.
• 45% of video marketers have used Twitter video as a channel. Out of those, 71% say it’s been successful for them.
• 35% of video marketers have used Facebook Live as a channel. Out of those, 74% say it’s been successful for them.
• 17% of video marketers have used Instagram TV as a channel. Out of those, 53% say it’s been successful for them.
• 12% of video marketers have used Snapchat video as a channel. Out of those, 50% say it’s been successful for them.

Data source: Wyzowl, 2019. 

Sharing and viral power 

Users share videos on social media more than any other online platform.

They even share videos more than other content types.

Social videos generate 1200x more shares than text and images combined.

It’s easy to see that users genuinely enjoy video content because they are eager to share these videos with their networks. 

Ultimately, users’ willingness to share makes it easier for brands to gain reach or even go viral.

Do you remember the Chatbooks viral video that brought the company 1 million subscriptions in the first 18 months?

Yes, their creative team did a great job and developed a great campaign.

However, that sums up the extent of their input. 

For this particular campaign to gain the intended effect, the target audience had to participate in spreading the message.

Of course, this ad went viral thanks to the effort of each person who took out a few seconds to share it. 

People in business often do not realize that your viewers can also light a fire behind your content and shoot them to a bigger audience.

Videos are the best content to boost the sharing and viral power of branded social content. 

Improved brand awareness 

A straightforward indicator of brand awareness is online interaction.

If people are not talking about a brand, leaving reviews, making recommendations, sharing images of the products, and so on, brand awareness may be low.

I’m not saying that you need Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte level of popularity.

However, people generally learn about new solutions online. 

Video content gives the needed reach and credibility for social brand awareness.

53% of consumers will engage with a brand after viewing a video on social media.

To spark online interactions, you have to start with your brand platforms.

Create content that resonates with your audience to get them interested.

Good content will encourage them to engage with your brand.

So far, 87% of people say that they would like to see more videos from brands. 

How Successful Brands Use Social Video Marketing 

Community building 

The most essential element in community building is the ability to appeal to users emotionally.

The thing is, no other content type does emotional appeal like video.

Storytelling is the main benefit of video in online communities.

Brands use videos to tell their brand stories, depict their relationships with customers, share behind-the-scenes experiences, and so much more. 

Warby Parker’s “How Do I…” series is an example of brands speaking to their communities using videos.

You can take a peek at the “How do I know what size glasses to wear?” edition.

The brand also has an Instagram Stories session titled “Ask Warby”.

It’s updated often with videos of team members providing answers to users’ questions. 

Their efforts show us (as potential consumers and community members) something valuable.

Warby Parker isn’t just interested in selling glasses.

They want to provide all the help they possibly can to ensure that we are satisfied at the end of our buying journey. 

The extra information and help provided aren’t paid for.

We don’t even have to buy a pair of glasses after watching the videos.

But Warby Parker has essentially placed itself as a resource for people who are considering buying glasses.

This will encourage people who have questions to go to their platforms and ask. 

Their YouTube channel also features other videos by their employees.

They share other tips and features that are important to people who wear glasses.

Sometimes, they make funny videos such as this one.

This is a good example of how conversations are sparked, and communities are built. 

Seasonal marketing 

Holiday sales represent an average of 20% annual revenue for retailers.

In some industries, the numbers are higher.

During these periods, consumers are actively seeking out advertisements in their bid to find the best gifts.

Smart marketers meet these consumers halfway using social videos. 

Videos stand out easily, especially during periods where social feeds are being flooded with advertisements.

A season video immediately gives users an idea of what your brand is offering.

92% of shoppers say that visuals are the most influential factors affecting purchasing decisions.

Meanwhile, 40% say that video adverts encourage them to take some action. 

Seasonal video marketing can take two (similarly effective) angles.

Your brand may choose to create a video campaign that directly sells products and services.

Or you can create videos to send cheer and celebrate with your online audience.

Both options will bring results depending on your marketing goals for the season.

You could also work towards a combination of both results. 

This Microsoft Xbox Christmas advert is quite cinematic but shows how a brand can combine the two goals.

On the one hand, it celebrates the beauty of community and celebrating one another.

On the other hand, the video promotes the Adaptive Controller, which was designed for differently-abled players. 

Brand message promotion 

In every competitive industry, companies need to set their brands apart from the rest of the crowd.

One method used is to create and promote your unique brand message.

This message takes an emotional angle because it explains why your brand matters, the reasons why you’re solving the problems that you do, and the value you offer. 

We’ve already established that video is the best type of content for emotional storytelling.

Therefore, it is recommended that video is a big part of your brand message promotion.

A survey by Customer Thermometer found that 64% of women and 68% of men have felt an emotional connection with a brand or business.

The style and presentation of your brand story will have a significant impact on the public’s perception of your offerings. 

A good example is the Find Your Soul video from SoulCycle.

In this video, the founders and instructors talk about the SoulCycle experience.

They don’t just talk about exercising, but also the energy and atmosphere that each session holds.

They paint an experience that would convince a potential member to give them a try.

In about 3 minutes, they are able to show us the message and meaning behind the SoulCycle brand. 

Rebranding 

While many changes happen during a rebrand, people usually notice the visual ones first.

There’s often a change to logos, colors, general design styles, and even the faces on the brand’s social media.

If a brand cannot effectively communicate its changes, then it may go out of touch with some customers.

This is why brands launch big rebranding campaigns that will reach the widest audience possible. 

Videos provide a creative and interesting way for brands to announce their rebranding.

This is because you can condense all the long explanations into a quick video.

Also, with one video, you can get viewers acquainted with everything new that they should expect to see going forward.

If a brand tried to do this with just images or text, they would have to break down the message into several posts. 

Asana, a work management software, started its rebrand video with, “The way we’re working isn’t working.”

For viewers like me, that was enough to make us pause and watch.

The video then proceeded to show us the new Asana interface, colors, logos, and processes.

In a one-minute video, they were able to bring users up to speed on all the changes that would affect how they use the tool. 

Product launches

There are different stages to a product launch.

Marketers often create pre-launch, launch, and post-launch content for the entire campaign.

In all these stages, the use of video is almost invaluable. There are several types of product videos, including: 

• Product teasers
• Demo videos
• Tutorial videos
• Features review
• Customers’ journey videos. 

Consumers look forward to these videos.

And online shoppers who view demo videos are 1.81x more likely to purchase than others who don’t.

Videos can even help to reduce support calls by 41%.

If you’re managing a big launch, creating useful videos could take a load of work off your support team. 

One of my favorite product videos is for the Redsbaby Bounce 2016 pram model.

The video combines a full features tour with a full demo.

By the end of the 2-minute reel, most (if not all) questions a concerned parent may have are answered. 

Conclusion 

Social videos are not just effective marketing tools.

They also work as long-term investments.

When you create valuable video content, it can serve your brand for a long time.

Every brand has the potential to connect with their audience, build an online community, and achieve their marketing goals, using social videos as their main channel.

PS…We hope you liked this post on social video marketing. Let us know by sharing it with your friends.

Last updated on August 2, 2020

Video marketing has grown rapidly in the past few years.

What many considered as a trend is now the main focus of marketing strategies across different industries.

As you prepare your business for the coming year, it is essential to know what the current market-economy systems are saying.

In this article, we’ll be reviewing video marketing statistics in these five sections: 

• Online video volume and consumption 
• Mobile video statistics 
• Social video statistics
• Video marketing statistics
• Video engagement and performance statistics 
• Future of video using data 

Here are 82 video marketing statistics to consider…

Online video volume and consumption

• 6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than television. (Google)
• 71% of people watch more video than they did a year ago. (HubSpot)
• More video content is uploaded in 30 days than the major U.S. television networks have created in 30 years. (Insivia)
• Five hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every 60 seconds. (TubeFilter)
• Online video has a 90 percent penetration rate among internet users on any device. (Statista) 
• 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter. (Insivia)
• Most people watch YouTube during prime time—between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (Think With Google)

• YouTube has over 2 billion active monthly users. (Business of Apps)
• One hundred million hours of video are watched on Facebook per day. (Social Media Today) 
• Users view more than 1 billion hours of video each day on YouTube. (YouTube)
• 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week. (WordStream)
• 1 in 4 shoppers says that they’ve used YouTube to search for a video relating to a product they’re considering in-store. (Social Media Today)
• 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video. (HubSpot)
• 50% of internet users looked for online videos related to a product or service they were interested in before visiting the store. (Think with Google)
• 65% of viewers watch more than ¾ of videos. (Social Media Today)
• The average user spends over 16 minutes watching video ads every month. (Social Media Today)
• 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. (HubSpot)
• YouTube services 95% of all Internet users. (Hubspot)
• 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. (Digiday)

Mobile video statistics 

• Mobile makes up 40% of global watch time on YouTube. (Social Media Today)
• 75% of all video plays are on mobile devices. (eMarketer)
• 28% of smartphone owners say they watch at least one video on their device per day. (Social Media Today)
• Square videos are more effective than horizontal videos on Facebook. (Hubspot) 
• 82% of people find it annoying or off-putting to watch videos with a ‘black bar’ where the video hasn’t been properly optimized to display in their chosen orientation. (Wyzowl)
• Mobile video consumption rises by 100% every year. (Insivia)
• 81% of marketers are optimizing their social videos for mobile viewership. (Animoto)
• A majority of people split their video viewing time between mobile and desktop, with just 1% saying they watch ALL their video on desktop and just 6% saying they watch exclusively on mobile. (Wyzowl)
• People are 1.5 times more likely to watch video on their mobile phones. (Facebook)

Social video statistics

• 65% of people use YouTube to help them solve a problem. (Google)
• Video campaigns on LinkedIn have 50% view rates. (LinkedIn)
• 62% of people said they were more interested in a product after seeing it in a Facebook Story. (Marketing Land)
• Snapchat users watch 10 billion videos each day. (Mashable)
• Social video gets shared 1200% more than text and images combined. (Wordstream)

Video marketing statistics

• In 2018, 27% of video marketers said they used video for the first time in 2018, while 73% were already using it. (Wyzowl)
• 83% of marketers say video gives them a good ROI (up from 78% in 2018.) (Wyzowl) 
• Two in three advertisers will shift money away from their TV budget to fund their digital video advertising. (iab.)
• 87% of businesses now use video as a marketing tool (an increase from 63% in 2017, and 81% in 2018). (Wyzowl)
• 83% of marketers would increase their reliance on video as a strategy if there were no obstacles like time, resources, and budget. (Buffer)
• 7 out of 10 marketing professionals are optimizing video for SEO. (Social Media Today)
• Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. (WordStream)
• 91% of video marketers consider video an important part of their marketing strategy. (Wyzowl)
• 4.6 billion video ads are watched online every year. (Social Media Today)
•  88% of marketers are satisfied with their social media video marketing ROI. (Animoto)
• 70% of marketers report that video converts better than any other medium. (Social Media Today)
• 59% of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video. (WordStream)
• If video and text are both available on the same page, 72% of people will watch the video to learn about a product or service rather than read the text. (HubSpot)
• 90% of video marketers feel the level of competition and noise has increased in the past year. Despite this – 99% will continue to use video in 2019, with 88% saying they’ll spend more than they did in previous years. (Wyzowl)
• Facebook says its users spend 3x longer watching live video than video that’s no longer live. (Facebook)
• By 2021, video advertising will grow to a $22 billion industry. (eMarketer)
• 64% of marketers see video as the most difficult content to create. (OptinMonster)
• In 2018, 11% of video marketers used VR as a channel. Out of those, 64% say it’s been successful for them. 11% planned to use it in 2019. (Wyzowl)

Video engagement and performance statistics 

• 48% of people said they’d be most likely to share video content with their friends, ahead of any other type of content. (Wyzowl)
• 64% percent of consumers are more likely to purchase after watching branded videos. (Social Media Today)
• 84% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic to their website. (Wyzowl)
• Using video on landing pages could potentially increase conversion by up to 86%. (Eyeview Digital)
• 53% of consumers engage with a brand after viewing a video on social media. (BrightCove)
• Videos in emails can lead to a 200-300% increase in clickthrough rates. (Social Media Today)
• Having a video on a landing page makes it 53% more likely to show up on page 1 of the SERP. (Wyzowl)
• Video marketers achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness. (Optinmonster)
• Marketers who use video receive 41% more traffic than those who do not. (Social Media Today)
• 90% of users say that videos are helpful in the buying decision-making process. (Social Media Today)
• 60% of people would rather buy a product recommended by a YouTuber than one supported by a movie or TV star. (Think With Google)
• 65% of senior executives navigate to a site after viewing a related YouTube video. (Hubspot)
• Video marketing increases organic traffic from search engines by 157%. (Hubspot)
• 81% of marketers say video has helped them generate leads. (Wyzowl)
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. (Forbes)
• 92% of shoppers say that visuals are the most influential factors affecting purchasing decisions. (Social Media Today)
• 40% of users will take some action after watching a video ad. (Social Media Today)
• Product videos can increase purchases by 144%. (Neil Patel) 
• Animated explainer videos can increase conversion rates by 20%. (Social Media Today)
• Having a video thumbnail in the search results can double your search traffic. (Hubspot)
• Marketers who use video get 66% more qualified leads annually. (Optinmonster)
• 94% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service. (Wyzowl)
• Online shoppers who view demo videos are 1.81x more likely to purchase than others who don’t. (Social Media Today)
• The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. (Forbes)
• 41% of marketers say that video has helped them reduce support calls. (Wyzowl)
• Four in five consumers believe demo videos are helpful. (Animoto)
• In sharing power, video came out ahead of social media posts (23%), news articles (16%), blog posts (5%), and product pages (3%). (Wyzowl)

Future of video using data 

• 87% of people expected to see more videos from brands in 2019. (Wyzowl)
• Every second, a million minutes (17,000 hours) of video content will cross global IP networks by 2021, according to Cisco. (Forbes)
• When asked to identify just one type of video content they’d like to see more from brands, 39% of people chose explainer videos. (Wyzowl)
• By 2020 there will be close to 1 million minutes of video crossing the internet per second. (Cisco)

How These Video Marketing Statistics are Relevant to Your Business

Like everything else in the online space, video is evolving.

Users are finding new content, platforms are reworking their algorithms, and marketers are implementing new strategies to gain the attention of your audience.

The information provided should be helpful as you plan your digital marketing for the coming year. 

Here are the steps to take: 

Evaluate your current performance

If you don’t have a video marketing strategy yet, you can skip to the next set.

If you do, then the data above shows that video marketing is profitable to businesses across several industries.

If you haven’t had much luck with it, there’s a chance to do better.

It’s essential to take out some time and study the analytical data from your recent efforts.

Did all your videos convert profitably?

Did some videos do better than others?

What platforms were most engaging for your brand?

The answers you find should be considered when you go back to the drawing board. 

Define your objectives

Your overall marketing objectives will define how your business uses video.

Be as specific as possible with your objectives.

When you have a set goal, it becomes easier to measure results.

Without one, you can’t say for sure if your efforts were successful or not.

Examples of your marketing goals could be to create brand awareness, create an online community, market your products and services, launch a new product, rebrand, and so on. 

Set aside a budget

Videos often cost money to produce.

While uploading videos (to YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms) is free, you should invest in the quality of the content.

Buy a camera if need be.

For most channels, you can shoot and upload 4k resolution videos using a high-quality camera.

However, if your team has bigger production ideas, a professional camera could be a good investment. 

You also want to be sure that you have the needed funds to pay an editor, for filming space, and so on, if required.

Finally, your video advertising should have a defined budget.

Doing this will ensure that you can sponsor the ad campaigns included in your marketing strategy. 

Work with the right team

Your marketing team should be made up of people who enjoy the creative process.

You will need a lot of ideas and trials to achieve a successful video marketing strategy.

The people you work with should exhibit some level of excitement for this process. 

If you’re a one-person business, work with freelancers or a marketing agency for idea creation, video production, and editing.

The professional touch, especially from experienced people, could go a long way for your video content. 

Pay attention to the data and stay flexible 

Marketing strategies that succeed in the first run are unicorns.

Your efforts will most likely fail than they will succeed.

And that’s okay.

Watch how your audience engages with your video content.

Pay attention to analytical data to see which videos and platforms are performing better.

When you notice a lag, don’t be afraid to try something new.

Use A/B testing often, especially with your adverts.

Overall, be flexible with your strategy.

Once you notice some success with your audience, lean into that type of content or platform, and build on it. 

Conclusion

Video marketing is growing quickly, and your brand should be up-to-speed with the market-economy.

Using the statistics above, take note of what other marketers are doing in this area.

You may even use these figures as a ballpark to define your measures of success.

With the right information, start planning and implementing your video marketing strategies.

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Last updated on August 2, 2020

Video marketing isn’t new.

But it’s benefits for brands has skyrocketed in the past few years.

Internet users are watching more videos than ever before.

Social platforms are becoming more video content-optimized.

And it has never been cheaper to film and produce videos as it is today. 

These bits of information don’t mean much on their own.

But smart marketers are connecting the dots, and experimenting with video marketing strategies.

A recent study shows that 87% of businesses already use video as a marketing tool.

Not only will 99% continue in the following year, but 88% are planning to increase their video marketing budget.

So far, 91% of business marketers consider video to be an essential part of their strategy. 

So what is it about video marketing?

Why do so many business owners and marketers commit their budgets and other revenue to making videos?

And how can it help your own business?

To answer these questions, here are 12 video marketing benefits for every business. 

1. Videos improve sales and conversions

Video offers a persuasive effect that is significantly better than other content types.

First of all, it drives engagement and conversion.

92% of shoppers say that visuals are the most influential factors affecting purchasing decisions.

And 70% of marketers report that video converts better than any other medium.

Using video marketing, brands can send powerful messages to the target audience.

They can also communicate their call to action better using both visual and audio elements. 

Videos also give viewers an easy-to-digest understanding of what you’re selling.

A demo video, for example, shows users how a product works to solve a problem.

This can help a potential buyer quickly identify that your product or service is a solution that they need. 

Videos are also useful in improving sales for e-commerce businesses.

According to Unbounce, having a video on your landing page can boost conversion by 80%.

While upgrading its product information category, a brand called Ariat was able to test the possible benefits of videos on its sales.

The team discovered that products with videos that were viewed had a 160% conversion rate that products with no video views.

This shows that their visitors were more inclined to purchase after watching a product video. 

2. Videos can explain anything and everything

Every concept, no matter how complex, can be solved using a good video.

If you’ve ever had to assemble a piece of furniture, then you can agree that a video guide is so much better than a how-to leaflet.

A lot of brands that provide technical products and services often use videos for this purpose.

However, you don’t need to wait until the post-sales stage to show how a product works.

In a survey, 90% of consumers say that video helps them in their buying decision process. 

Helping your audience understand the ‘hows’ of your offerings is important for marketing.

Video marketing is the best approach to use in this case.

94% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

You can’t effectively ‘sell’ to people if they don’t know what they’re buying.

Video marketing is just helpful in the sales process.

It can be used to explain brand changes to your audience or new solutions being offered, and more.

Using video can smoothen your communication process by far. 

3. Lazy users love videos 

Most internet users don’t want to do too much.

They enjoy being able to browse through online spaces and enter one-step commands passively.

I should disclose that I fully identify as a lazy internet user.

What we (lazy users) love the most is the ability to enjoy content without fully engaging our minds.

Which makes videos the perfect type of content for us.

If you want to appeal to your lazy audience, which is a majority of them, try video. 

A study by the University of Minnesota researchers shows that the brain processes visuals in a presentation faster than text.

And whether your lazy audience is aware or not, they are processing and retaining information as they watch.

In fact, another study shows that viewers retain 95% of the messages in videos, compared to 10% of messages in text.

Knowing that you may not have the full attention of your audience, it is essential to use your most compelling content. 

4. Video ads are more effective 

Right now, most consumers have built banner blindness to adverts.

This is the ability to ignore advertisements without even realizing it.

There are exposed to so many ads that their minds don’t even notice anymore.

A study by Infolinks showed that 83% of the online audience have banner blindness.

However, data and experience show that video adverts are not subject to banner blindness.

Users see and interact with videos.

On average, 46% of users act after viewing a video advert.

They may not convert immediately and may choose to research or interact with the brand first.

But they pay attention to videos and the intended call to action.

According to iab, two in three advertisers will shift money away from their TV budget to fund their digital video advertising.

Marketers recognize that video is effective in advertising directly to the consumer. 

5. Customers trust brands with videos better 

There’s an assumption that the trustworthiness of a video reduces once it is associated with a brand.

After all, no brand would make a video to say that their products and services are inferior.

However, data shows us that consumers, in no small extent, trust brand videos.

64% of consumers are more likely to purchase after watching branded videos.

And 54% of consumers want to see more videos from the brands they support.

Consumers rely on the information provided by your brand to make their purchasing decision. 

There’s a growing need for brands and consumers to establish their relationships based on transparency.

The audience wants to see the behind-the-scenes action.

They want to know the faces behind the social media posts.

They want to understand the process behind your production.

The easiest and most enjoyable way to share this information is by video.

A study by Animoto proves this.

According to their data, customers’ favorite type of content to see from brands is video. 

6. Users share videos more than other content types

Social videos are shared 1200x more than pictures and text combined.

When people think your information is interesting or relevant, they often want others to see it too.

Consumers are more likely to share a brand’s video than a brand’s picture and text updates.

Improve the sharing power of your marketing messages by creating video content. 

Also, while viral videos are not planned, there’s a higher possibility for your content to go viral if it’s in video form.

Take two popular YouTube actors as an example.

Tripp and Tyler create work-related comedy videos.

Brands offering business solutions often sponsor their videos.

While not every one of their videos goes viral, they’ve had a few successes.

Some examples are Email in Real Life, which got over 5 million views, and A Conference Call in Real Life, which reached over 15 million views.

Both videos were sponsored, and these brands enjoyed the sharing power of the internet. 

7. Video marketing improves brand awareness 

Brand awareness means that consumers are familiar with your brand identifiers, products, and services.

It can only be achieved when these consumers are repeatedly exposed to your marketing messages.

Marketers say that they’ve reached a 54% increase in brand awareness using video content. 

This awareness is vital for brand loyalty and growth.

It helps customers keep brands top-of-mind.

It also boosts sales when a large portion of your target audience is aware of the solutions your business provides.

However, a lot of details go into building an identifiable brand. Most of which are visual details. 

Trying to improve your brand awareness without using videos could be a self-imposed struggle.

Videos give your audience a real-life view of what your brand is made of.

This goes beyond brand colors and designs.

They also get to see the faces behind the business.

They can form attachments to personalities and features.

Since videos are easily accessible, you can’t put a cap on their performance in exposing the audience to your brand. 

8. Video improves marketing ROI

Videos improve not only sales, but also profit margins.

Several tests, such as this Biteable example, show that videos have a higher click-through rate than text.

They also convert better. 

 

Meanwhile, video content is becoming cheaper to produce.

Your audience has simple tastes.

As long as you provide good quality visuals and relevant information, they’re happy to watch.

This means that with video, production costs are low, and revenue is high.

Therefore, the Return on Investment for a business using video will be significantly better than one using text content for their marketing. 

In this recent Wyzowl study, 83% of marketers say video gives them a good ROI (up from 78% in 2018.)

Marketers continue to expect great results, as video marketing becomes even better optimized. 

9. Videos integrate well with other marketing tools 

Video marketing can be combined with social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, and other marketing tools.

Data shows that emails with videos included can see a 200-300% increase in click-through rates.

According to Eyeview Digital, using video on landing pages could potentially increase conversion by up to 86%.

Brands can use videos to improve the marketing performance of different strategies. 

10. Search engines promote videos

Video is an essential factor in search ranking.

As more people seek out video content, search algorithms will push videos to the top of search results.

Google is particular about providing users with the closest possible match to their queries and content preferences.

The rise in video consumption reflects in the Google Search results of today.

This affects how search bots rank the relevance of your website on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). 

Having a video on a landing page makes it 53% more likely to show up on page 1 of the SERP.

Another report shows that video marketing increases organic traffic from search engines by 157%.

For a high-performing SEO strategy, video is now required. 

11. Video production is getting cheaper

Anyone can shoot, edit, and publish a high-quality video using one smartphone.

The top-performing videos on social media require low production costs.

Content types such as Live streams, stories, and even native videos can be shot anywhere with good lighting and a suitable background. 

Cheaper production costs mean that every type of business has the opportunity to use video marketing.

The important factors are your creative and the relevance of the information being shared. 

12. Video marketing is useful in creating a brand personality 

Every brand has a personality.

If you’re not creating one on purpose, the audience will assign one to you.

Or worse, your brand could just blend in with the rest of the crowd.

Every time a brand shares content with its audience, it shapes the public perception of that brand.

Most brands with a strong personality can attribute it to their video campaigns.

Think of Coca-Cola, RedBull, and GoPro. 

Let’s talk about brands that built their personality using online video marketing.

One example that comes to mind is the Dollar Shave Club.

With their viral video from 2012, the brand quickly established their style.

You can watch the video here; Our Blades are F***ing Great.

Their brand says humor, but also functionality, and reasonable pricing.

For a brand that primarily sells razors, they’ve been able to add some strong emotional elements to their personality using good video marketing. 

Conclusion

Here’s a quick reminder of 12 reasons why your brand should be using video marketing: 

1. 1. Videos improve sales and conversion
   2. Videos can explain anything and everything
   3. Lazy users love video
   4. Video ads are more effective
   5. Customers trust brands with videos better
   6. Users share videos more than other content types

 

1. Video marketing improves brand awareness
2. Video improves marketing ROI
3. Video integrates well with other marketing tools
4. Search engines promote videos
5. Video production is getting cheaper
6. Video marketing is useful in creating brand personality

Video marketing is still growing.

By next year, we expect to see shifts in how consumers interact with videos.

If you aren’t using video marketing yet, your business is missing out on all these benefits and more to come. 

PS..We hope you liked this post on video marketing benefits is. Please share it with your friends if you did.

Last updated on August 2, 2020

Within the next hour, global users will watch about 200 million videos on YouTube alone.

By 2020, 1 million minutes of video will be crossing the internet per second.

A huge chunk of these videos will either contain marketing messages or will be preluded by advertisements. 

So far, marketers have been able to do more with videos than any other form of content, ever.

The best part is, customers expect brands to keep the videos coming.

More than 50% of them prefer to see videos from brands over other types of content.

According to Forbes, 90% of customers say that videos influence their buying decisions. 

Videos aren’t just limited to YouTube and social media.

Other marketing channels and strategies are being influenced by the use of video.

For example, adding videos to marketing emails can lead to a 200-300% increase in clickthrough rates.

Another study shows that including videos on landing pages can increase conversion by up to 80%.

Video marketing is being integrated into other strategies to optimize their results.

So far, it has been effective.

Before we go further, we should first establish what video marketing is about. 

What is Video Marketing? 

Video marketing involves every effort to promote or market products and/or services using video content.

There are several platforms where videos can be used effectively in marketing.

The big ones are social media networks; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and recently, TikTok.

There are also independent platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch with huge user counts. 

When creating video content, marketers must be aware of the need to be platform-appropriate.

The type of content that you produce for Facebook will seem odd if posted to TikTok.

In fact, within platforms, different videos perform better in different sections.

For example, you will need different types of videos for your Instagram Live and Instagram Native Feed. 

Here are the most effective types of video content for marketing: 

• Brand story videos: brands use videos to explain their mission, vision, and products, and services. This type of content is used to create awareness while establishing brand recognition in viewers. 

 

• Demos and How-Tos: these types of videos are created by brands that offer technical or complex solutions. They break down the benefits of their products and/or services and show viewers how to use them. 

 

• Animated videos: these are proven to be visually stimulating. A study even shows that people retain 15% more information when watching an animated video than a regular one. They are best for educational videos where complex topics are simplified for viewers. 

 

• Live streams: live streams are currently part of the top viewed videos today across all social media platforms. Some brands like BuzzFeed have mastered this strategy by putting their staff up to crazy challenges and sharing with the audience (Example: the viral watermelon vs. rubber bands video). 

• Video testimonials: video testimonials are used in creating more personalized promotional messages. Viewers are more likely to feel compelled when watching someone talk about their experience with a brand than reading about it. 

 

• Behind-the-scenes: BTS videos help brands establish a personal, even emotional connection with their audience. An example is showing viewers the people who brainstorm and create the products they’ve come to love. BTS videos also express company culture, which is increasingly becoming relevant to consumers. 

Statistics that Show Video Marketing is Effective 

We can agree that video marketing is a popular concept.

However, does popular mean the same thing as effective?

Here are five statistics that show that video marketing is both. 

• 81% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. (Wyzowl)

Brand content, when done right, can have a significant impact on the audiences’ buying decisions.

Using videos takes this effect to the next level.

Videos are easy to consume; viewers may not even realize they are watching one until they’re halfway through.

Also, so much information can be packed into a short video.

Data shows that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.

It’s more comfortable to sit through a video than to read a page-long marketing message. 

Videos are perfect for storytelling, which is vital in marketing.

They are also easy to understand because viewers have both visual and audio support.

Brand videos, according to this data, can encourage buyers and increase your marketing ROI. 

• 80% of users recall a video advert they viewed up to 30 days ago. (Hubspot)

Video adverts and promotions are easier to remember than text.

Another study even shows that viewers will retain 96% of a video’s message and 10% when reading text.

For marketing to be effective, your audience should either be exposed to your messages repeatedly.

Or exposed to a message that they will not forget easily.

Video content provides brands with the creative freedom to share long-lasting messages with their audience. 

• 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision process.

If you’re afraid that your audience only wants to see funny videos and memes, there’s good news.

Consumers rely heavily on brand-provided videos to make their purchasing decisions.

About 88% of buyers will research a product online before making an in-store or online purchase.

Some brands are able to capture these leads (potential buyers) in the early stages using the right video content. 

Product videos may include explainers, demo videos, reviews, and a few more.

By providing the needed information, you place your brand as a guide to potential buyers looking for help.

For example, a planning camper looking for a bonfire stove may come across this product video by SoloStove.

The short video contains the answers to potential questions any camper may have.

It even shows the product in use by campers.

So far, the video has gained 240,000+ views on YouTube alone.

Beyond the comment section, we can assume that a significant number of people have also reached out to the brand with a purchase interest. 

• Real estate listings with a video receive 403% more inquiries. (Inman)

While this stat is industry-specific, it can be related to other industries that require physical inspections.

People want to see what they’re buying.

Therefore, they interact better with brands that provide visual context.

Think about it.

Would you buy a product off eBay or rent an Airbnb after viewing just text details?

If you’re like everyone else, your answer will be a solid no.

You want to confirm, with your own eyes, that what you’re paying for suits your needs.

Pictures serve a great purpose, but videos are even better.

They give users a more interactive, 360-degree view that conveys a full message. 

Zappos, the online retailer, discovered that their sales conversion rose from 6% to 30% when they started including videos in product listings.

Videos have proven to be more effective in driving sales than pictures and other content forms. 

• 99% of businesses who use video say they will continue to do so in the next year. (Wyzowl)

Marketing budgets (even in big companies) are often slim.

But we see more and more marketers increasing their video marketing spending every year.

Many brands that were aggressively publishing guest articles and working with bloggers are now moving to video.

As their audience continues to favor video content, smart marketers are following along.

This effectively means following the money.

The more you cater to your audience, the higher your potential to improve marketing ROI. 

Why Video Marketing is Effective 

Your audience loves video 

One-third of online activity is spent watching videos.

Videos are becoming easier and cheaper to produce.

Even better, quality is improving.

Anyone can shoot a 4K resolution video on a powerful smartphone.

This means that there’s more video content available than ever before.

And the audience is loving it. People are spending more hours watching videos. 

As video content increases, people are finding more than enough niche content to enjoy.

There’s an endless amount of video online on any topic you could think of.

Marketers understand how to tap into these niches and find their audiences.

Now, we have segmented audiences who don’t expect a million-dollar production from brands.

Just great content.

With these two factors, it’s no surprise that video marketing is growing at its current pace. 

Video has better share power 

Have you ever watched a video and thought, “I have to show this to someone else.”?

Your answer is most likely a yes.

Now, how about an article?

When was the last time you thought about sharing an article believing that the other person would thoroughly enjoy it?

Aha! I thought so.

Video has a sharing power that rivals any other content type. 

Social videos generate 1200x more shares than text and images combined.

A user is more likely to send your brand video to their friends than your images or texts.

It helps that social networks make sharing a one-step process.

Users can share videos with multiple friends without leaving their primary interface.

For example, if I’m enjoying a YouTube video, I can send it to my friends on WhatsApp and Twitter without even pausing my video. 

Videos are engaging and easy to digest.

When we share them, we know that the other party won’t need to do much to understand the message.

This isn’t just an assumption.

Where both video and text are available on the same page, 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service. 

In today’s online world of short attention spans, videos offer a considerable benefit.

With videos, a brand can easily and quickly capture the attention of an audience.

A user can passively watch a video, but they can’t passively read an article.

Once you can hold a bit of their attention, it’s a lot easier to compel viewers to take action.

In this case, videos are useful because they only require minimum effort from the audience. 

People are watching more videos, not less 

Unlike several content trends before, users are not getting tired of videos.

Instead, they are watching more of it.

YouTube reports that mobile video consumption alone rises by 100% every year. 

It also helps that mobile apps are optimizing for video even more.

All major social networking apps now have a Stories feature.

This allows users to share short clips, which will expire in 24 hours, with their audience.

There are also live broadcast features, native feed videos, and TV styled videos (with Instagram). 

More video content-based apps are being released every day.

A recent success is TikTok, which is growing faster than anyone could have predicted for a new app in 2019.

TikTok currently has 500 million users worldwide.

Current trends show that as far as video marketing is concerned, we haven’t seen it all. 

Video marketing will only get better…

Cisco predicts that by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic.

The rapid growth in online video data shows that their numbers may not be far off.

As videos become more popular, smart marketers will find creative ways to add and promote brand messages to their audience. 

Another aspect to consider is that video marketing will also become more competitive.

As much as the audience loves video, there’s only so much each person can consume in a day.

As more similar content is being produced, they could even develop marketing blindness towards video content.

This is when viewers can subconsciously block out or ignore advertising messages due to overexposure. 

To ensure your video marketing is effective, your brand should create content that can ‘compete’.

In this case, the prize is your audiences’ attention.

Don’t just create content to stay on top of the trends.

Create content that your target audience is actively looking for.

You should know who you’re speaking to, what their interests are, and the types of videos that will stop them in their (virtual) tracks.

For this information, be ready to spend some resources on audience research. 

Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment.

One primary reason why video is so compelling is because of its versatile nature.

You can make results with 30-second clips as well as 2-hour broadcasts.

Keep experimenting with different content types and ideas to find what resonates with your audience. 

Conclusion 

Every business, from small to large, can benefit from video marketing.

It is useful in building brand awareness, driving sales, and creating relationships with customers.

In our digital age, where online attention is quickly moving to videos, it should no longer be seen as an optional addition.

Video plays a huge part in the tomorrow of marketing.

PS..We hope you liked this post on why video marketing is so effective. Please share it with your friends if you did.

Last updated on August 2, 2020

In its early days, business owners and marketers were quick to dismiss TikTok as video marketing platform.

It’s just a social network where kids post funny videos, right?

Nope, wrong.

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media networks in the world, with online sharing power that rivals Facebook and Twitter. 

TikTok was originally Musica.ly, an app formerly popular for creating and sharing lip-syncing videos.

ByteDance acquired it in 2017.

The company remodeled Musica.ly to a replica of Douyin, their uber-successful social media app in China.

Due to China’s censorship restriction, they couldn’t launch Douyin outside the country.

The acquired Musica.ly, which was renamed as TikTok, was ByteDance’s ticket to expand their success to the rest of the world.

When TikTok was launched, all former Musica.ly users were automatically transferred to the new platform. 

According to this 2019 report, TikTok currently has over 500 million active users worldwide.

It has maintained its record as the most downloaded app in the iOS store for the fifth quarter in a row. 

How does TikTok work? 

TikTok allows users to post 15-second videos.

Users can also link several of these videos together to create a 60-second story.

Users can follow one another to view people’s posts.

They can also find new videos in the ‘Discover’ tab.

There’s a never-ending stream of videos always playing on any TikTok homepage. 

Within the app, you can film videos, trim clip lengths, and adjust speed.

You can also use pre-installed filters, draw, or write on the screen.

If you’re familiar with the tools in Snapchat and Instagram, you should be able to use TikTok very quickly.

On Android devices, Tik Tok users in the U.S. spend an average of 53 minutes using the app.

The average session duration is 9.7 minutes, which is significantly higher than every other social media app. 

 

Source: Statistica- Most popular social media apps in the U.S.U.S. 2019, by session length

Here’s a compilation of some creative TikTok videos to give you an introduction to the platform. 

Is TikTok Ideal for My Brand? 

TikTok seems to be targeted at a specific demographic known as the Gen Z.

Global Web Index reports that 41% of TikTok users are between 16-24.

If your target audience correlates with this demographic, then you can’t afford to ignore TikTok as a marketing platform.

However, this doesn’t cancel out every other demographic.

Many TikTok creators and users are well above their early 20s. 

For example, The Washington Post has managed to find and connect with its audience on the platform.

By posting behind-the-scenes clips of their daily activities, the newspaper has earned 154.4k fans and 3.8m hearts on TikTok.

Here’s one of their quirky, platform-appropriate posts. 

I personally believe that almost every brand can find its audience on the TikTok platform.

There are several examples (which will be shared throughout this article) of different brands, in various industries racking up engagement on TikTok.

Your brand could see some benefit in exploring video marketing on the platform. 

Important Elements to Marketing on TikTok

Many brands create video content and then publish across several platforms.

For example, the same video could be created for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

This strategy will not work on TikTok.

The platform has a specific tone that creators use.

Below are four elements which your TikTok videos should have to be considered as platform-appropriate. 

• Humor

TikTok videos are funny.

They don’t necessarily have to make a viewer laugh out loud.

However, the element of humor is usually present.

Chipotle is one of the brands using humor to gain traction on TikTok.

They create videos with staff members and also encourage customers to join in on the fun.

Here’s an example. 

In this post, Chipotle recreates a popular meme video to celebrate one year of TikTok.

This content resonated with their audience and brought in significant engagement for the brand. 

• Music and sound effects 

Music is an essential element in TikTok.

In fact, the message behind TikTok videos is often hidden in the selected songs’ lyrics.

The platform is very playful, so you can either use real music or make yours up as you go.

Here’s another Chipotle video with someone freestyling as they taste the new quesadilla recipe. 

With the right music, you can grab the attention of viewers and pass the intended message.

Since TikTok videos are significantly short, there’s no (current) issue of using copyrighted music when creating video content. 

• Creativity

TikTok viewers value creativity over everything else.

The platform is not video-quality specific.

We can even say that almost all TikTok videos are recorded on mobile devices.

However, they have to bring a new, creative appeal.

Creativity doesn’t have to be complicated.

It could simply mean playing out a funny scene.

Here are two NBC team members playing out an Autumn-themed skit. 

TikTok users enjoy relatable content.

By looking at everyday situations, you can quickly come up with tons of creative video ideas for your page. 

• Difficulty

TikTok users also love videos that present some complexity to the creators.

If the video contains a challenge or obviously required some extra work from the creator, users will often appreciate it more.

For example, the NBA’s TikTok page brings in a lot of engagement because of challenge-filled videos such as the one below. 

Video Marketing Strategies for TikTok

When you have a good understanding of TikTok, it becomes clear that marketing on this platform requires an organic approach.

Users are not interested in seeing branded visuals and one-size-fits-all strategies.

If you want to become a part of the TikTok community, you have to think, act, and play like them.

Here are some strategies that have worked so far. 

Hashtag challenges

TikTok users love to follow challenges.

The ‘Discover’ section is always full of users trying out new challenges.

Thanks to creative people and brands, there’s always a handful to choose from.

One person who has mastered the art of creating challenges is Jimmy Fallon.

His team asked TikTok users to create videos of themselves rolling like tumbleweed. Of course, this challenge was named #tumbleweedchallenge.

Jimmy Fallon created one of the largest challenges of TikTok today, with over 8,000 submissions and 10 million engagements.

He also got hilarious clips for his show. 

http://vm.tiktok.com/Pyb7DN/

Many of us are familiar with the Lil Nas X song- Old Town Road- which was the Number One song in the U.S. for seven consecutive weeks.

What most people don’t know is that the song first gained momentum on TikTok.

Creators were making videos with the hashtag #yeehaw to Old Town Road.

These videos gained up to 75 million views and forced the song to rank on traditional streaming platforms. 

http://vm.tiktok.com/Py7gr1/

Influencer marketing 

With the growth of TikTok, a new set of influencers have cropped up.

Their content style is a bit different from what we’re used to, but collaboration is possible.

TikTok is all about authenticity.

Each creator has a ‘voice’, and as a brand, you should be looking to work with their voice, rather than change it.

Gym Shark is a notable brand which has been collaborating with TikTok influencers.

They recently worked with several popular TikTok creators to promote their “66 Day | Change Your Life” products. 

The only downside to influencers marketing on TikTok is a lack of sophisticated third-party tools.

With platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, there are external tools to measure an influencer’s exact engagement rate.

This is how brands can spot influencers with fake followers.

Since influencer marketing on TikTok isn’t big for brands yet, those tools are currently not available.

However, the TikTok platform shows the number of impressions and hearts on each post.

So as a brand, you can access this information directly on any sponsored post.

You can also review an influencer’s performance before choosing to work with them. 

User-generated content

To create results on TikTok, your brand should be able to encourage users to create on-brand videos.

Unlike other platforms where single posts can go viral, the viral power in TikTok is widespread challenges and hashtags.

Think of Guess’ approach. The brand encouraged TikTok users to create videos of themselves in interesting places, wearing items from their new denim line.

Creators also had to use the Bebe Rhexa’s song “I’m a Mess” as their soundtrack. 

The Guess brand was able to achieve a few things with this approach.

First, they generated a lot of attention within the demographics which their new denim line targeted.

They also gained models of every size and colour.

Their audience was able to see how clothing pieces looked on real people, and make informed buying decisions. 

TikTok users should be able to take your idea and create something unique.

This probably sounds scary, especially as a brand owner or manager who is responsible for quality control.

However, the target audience expects a ‘tone of voice’ from the creators which they follow.

Your interference in their creative process could possibly have a negative impact on the end result.

Also, focus your efforts on encouraging as many users as possible to participate. 

Community building

Despite its quick growth, TikTok is a relatively small community.

The top creators are familiar to almost all users.

And the most engaging posts are challenges or duets (videos where two different videos play side-by-side). 

While you create challenges and other cues for creators, ensure that your brand stays present.

Use hashtags that can be traced back to you.

Not only will this improve brand recognition within the platform.

But you will also establish your brand as a member of the community, and make it easier for your content to spread out. 

Jimmy Fallon is a popular name on TikTok, which makes it easier for him to start up new challenges.

He’s a known member of the community, and creators are usually eager to follow his lead with every new idea. 

http://vm.tiktok.com/PffUkA/

Branded stickers 

This is a free option for anyone looking to share their brand logo on the platform.

TikTok allows users to create and import their own GIFs and stickers.

Many people use a variety of GIFs and stickers when texting or posting on social media.

With this option, you can create on-brand stickers and launch them on the platform for free.

Right now, TikTok is giving users creative freedom to add new elements to their videos.

We can’t say for sure how long this will last. 

Free branded stickers hold a lot of potential for brands.

For example, as we enter the Halloween season, TikTok users will be searching for themed GIFs and stickers for their videos.

Your brand could create and provide branded elements that users will love.

When used by top creators, your brand could be advertised to millions of users for free.

While commissioning a sticker, make sure the idea is playful and creative enough to catch the eye of TikTok creators. 

Sponsored content 

TikTok provides advertising for brands looking to promote sponsored content.

For now, brands can promote goods, services, and websites.

Marketers already use this platform to advertise products and music.

Brands can also work directly with the creators to connect with their specific audience.

So far, TikTok has seen ads from big brands such as Nike and Fenty Beauty.

The entry requirements are still significantly low, which means that small to large scale businesses can easily launch ad campaigns on the platform. 

The most important thing to remember is that your ads should not feel like ads.

The target audience is tired of being sold to.

Instead of looking for the traditional blueprint, embrace TikTok’s casual culture.

Have fun with your ad concepts, embrace humor, and shoot everything with a smartphone camera.

Yes, everything. 

Conclusion 

After considering the examples above, we can say that TikTok can be optimized for every brand.

From newspaper organizations to fast-food restaurants, there’s a voice and an audience waiting.

So what do you think?

Will you be using TikTok in your video marketing strategy?

PS…Thanks for reading and let us know below your thoughts on TikoTok Video marketing.

Last updated on September 25, 2020

For a long time, LinkedIn was an impersonal, text-based platform for making business connections.

In August of 2017, LinkedIn launched its video feature.

Many were skeptical about how well video content could perform on the platform.

However, engagement grew so quickly that by October, the platform was already its launching sponsored video service.

In one year, videos on LinkedIn generated over 300 million impressions and received three times the engagement of text posts. 

The performance of LinkedIn videos has only grown since then.

As a business owner or marketer, LinkedIn presents a viable platform for your video marketing strategy.

In this article, we explore how you can expand your video marketing into the LinkedIn platform. 

What Goals Can I Use LinkedIn Video For? 

Your video marketing strategy could be targeted at one goal or a group of business goals. 

LinkedIn allows for three types of videos. 

• Embedded videos: Users can publish a link to videos hosted on other platforms such as YouTube. 
• LinkedIn native videos: These are videos created on/uploaded directly to LinkedIn. They are displayed on users’ feeds. 
• LinkedIn video ads: These are sponsored videos that are displayed within the target users’ feeds. 

Here are some examples of the goals you can use LinkedIn video for. 

Share your brand story

LinkedIn is primarily about creating networks and building your brand recognition.

This makes it one of the best places to develop and share your brand story.

A brand story is a narrative that is woven using the features of your brand- both physical and abstract.

Everything from the history of your brand, to the reason behind your pricing style, brand mission, in-store experiences, and product quality can be used. 

Brand stories trigger an emotional response that is essential when creating connections.

If you’re trying to connect with a business for future partnership, or with potential consumers for future sales, emotional appeal is one of the best approaches. 

Improve your mobile conversion

Recent statistics show that 57% of LinkedIn users are mobile.

While this number is lower than other popular social networks, it is still significant.

We also know that 72% of users prefer video content to text when receiving marketing information.

Your target audience is increasingly choosing video over text, whether they realize it or not.

If one of your LinkedIn marketing goals is to improve conversion on your content, then you should be targeting mobile users with video. 

Gain attention in your industry 

More than 30 million businesses, in different sectors, are represented on LinkedIn.

A majority of the industry professionals, businesses, and consumers who you are looking to connect with can be found on this platform.

Since video can attract 4-5x more engagement than text on LinkedIn, you can gain more attention with video-based content. 

Video is more likely to draw attention to your brand than text.

The human brain is easily captivated by content that uses moving elements, color, and sound- all components of videos.

Video can also be consumed passively with a higher retention rate.

With text, users have to make an effort to read with intent.

Since your audience is being targeted with tons of information whenever they look at their devices, you want to ensure that your content is as attention-grabbing as possible. 

Repurpose your blog posts and articles 

High-performing content can be repurposed for better value.

Marketers can turn a high-value article into an infographic, slideshow, podcast, or in this case, video.

If you’ve published a blog post or article that brought in significant conversion for your business, you can drive new results through repurposing.

By simply copying and pasting all his blog posts from his blog to Medium, Benjamin Hardy was able to gain 20,000 new subscribers.

Copyblogger turned their ‘The 3-Step Journey of a Remarkable Piece of Content’ article into a SlideShare that brought in over 30,000 unique views. 

If you have text content that brought in significant ROI for your business, the benefits do not have to end there.

Such content can be repurposed into video and shared on LinkedIn for a broader, and more engaging reach. 

Promote events 

LinkedIn video can also be used to promote your event, both virtual and physical.

The ‘energy’ surrounding an event often determines its success.

If you’re not creating enough buzz, people will be quick to assume that it may not be of much value.

For an online business event, such as a webinar, videos can be used in the pre-event and post-event stages.

Videos can be used to create excitement and anticipation.

If you have popular speakers or instructors involved, adding their pictures to the video thumbnail can encourage users to click. 

For offline events, videos also serve some benefits.

One great option is using clips of previous events to create an advert for the upcoming one.

Viewers can get an insight into the value of prior events and what they can expect from the next event. 

Tips for Your LinkedIn Video Marketing Practices 

LinkedIn has always been specific about its practices.

The professional culture hasn’t changed much over time.

These principles also extend to videos.

Don’t worry; we’re not saying that you should only make videos in boardrooms with everyone in a suit and tie.

Instead, follow practices that still adhere to the professional culture of the platform.

Some types of videos also perform better on LinkedIn than others.

Here’s our guide to help you navigate video marketing on LinkedIn.   

Keep your videos short

LinkedIn videos are a minimum of 3 seconds and a maximum of 10 minutes.

Sponsored videos, however, can be as long as 30 minutes.

It’s important to keep your LinkedIn videos short and straight-to-the-point.

LinkedIn recommends that you try to hold the viewer’s attention within the first 1-2 seconds.

Their research shows that if your audience’s attention wanes within the first few seconds, they are likely to drop off after the 10-seconds mark.  

If you naturally tend to ramble or move between topics, you can fix that in the editing stage.

Go through your footage and cut out sections that are not relevant to the issue until you have a satisfactory video. 

For specific numbers, LinkedIn recommends that you keep brand awareness videos within 30 seconds.

For upper-funnel marketing conversion, stay within 30-90 seconds.

Brand stories and other storytelling videos can take longer forms.

Of course, these parameters are not set in stone.

Through your testing and results, you will figure out which video lengths work best for your brand. 

Use a professional setting 

As stated earlier, you don’t need a boardroom or fancy office setting to create a LinkedIn video.

However, the background of your video should be professional to some extent.

I would suggest that if you can’t make a business video call somewhere, then it’s probably not ideal for your LinkedIn video.

Ensure that it is a clean, organized space that won’t pull attention away from the purpose of your video.

Remember that every content you publish contributes to your brand’s perceived value. 

Optimize for no audio/sound off

LinkedIn videos auto-play with the sound off.

This means that most of your viewers will not hear the first few seconds of your audio, or possibly the entire audio clip.

They will only obtain as much information as you can communicate visually.

Use subtitles, vivid images, and infographic-style graphics to improve the audio-less value of your videos. 

Use high-quality equipment and lighting 

Create a high-quality recording setup.

You don’t have to spend too much money to get this done.

If you have a top-quality phone camera, and a room with enough natural lighting, you’re good to go.

If you’re recording with natural lighting, ensure that your setup is as close to a window as possible.

If you’re using artificial lights, set them up in positions that won’t cast shadows.

Always keep the camera high enough that viewers won’t see up your nose. 

Before you hit ‘Record’, ensure that you get rid of all clutter or odd items in your background.

The smallest oddity can distract your audience and take away from the message in your video. 

Script your videos

You should either create a full script or a loose outline of your monologue.

Avoid going in front of the camera unprepared.

You don’t want to seem ruffled by saying ‘umm…’ too many times or taking long pauses between sentences.

With a script, you know what to say, when to say it, and in what order.

Scripting your videos will help you make sure that you share all the needed details.

You will also create valuable, professional-looking content. 

Invite industry-relevant guests 

Add value to your videos by inviting relevant guests.

Your scope of content gains value when you involve more people with more knowledge to share.

A dialogue could also be more engaging and fun than your usual monologue.

Talking with someone will help you act more naturally and improve your body language.

Shake things up once in a while with a guest your audience will love. 

Include captions (using keywords) 

Your caption should give a brief description of what your video is about.

Use engaging words that will draw in the attention of a potential viewer.

Video captions are also essential for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Beyond your connections, other LinkedIn users should be able to find your video by searching for related words. 

For example, let’s assume that your video is about your team’s experience using Slack.

Words and phrases such as “Slack”, “my review of Slack”, “experience using Slack”, “best collaboration tools”, and more can be included in your caption.

These keywords will likely match with related searches, and your video will be added to the search results. 

How to Use LinkedIn Video Ads

Advertising is an essential part of video marketing.

It can be used to connect your brand with a new audience and boost engagement levels.

Advertising also provides a quicker ROI than organic posts.

Here’s how to use LinkedIn’s video advertising feature to better connect with a professional audience. 

Define your objectives 

Every advertisement campaign should have a purpose.

When you have an objective, you can analyze your results and measure success better.

Your goal could be to improve brand awareness, create business relationships, or boost conversion. 

Find your target audience

For the best results, your video ads should be targeted towards a specific audience.

These are the people who are most likely to engage with your ads.

LinkedIn doesn’t have a robust targeting set up like Facebook, but there’s still a lot you can do.

Targeting can be done using job seniority level, industry, LinkedIn interests, and more.

Look at the profiles of people who fall within your ideal audience scope.

Use the recurring details in their profiles to create your targeting specifics. 

Outline and create your video content 

Map out ideas for your video marketing campaign.

You can also organize creative brainstorming sessions with your team.

When you have video ideas ready, ensure that they are produced according to LinkedIn’s requirements.

LinkedIn provides technical specifications for sponsored videos.

They include: 

• Length: Three seconds to 30 minutes (Tip: most successful video ads are less than 15 seconds long)
• Layout: Horizontal (Note: Vertical videos are organic only and can’t be sponsored at this time)
• File size: Between 75 KB and 200 MB
• File format: MP4
• Frame rate: Less than 30 FPS (frames per second)
• Pixel and aspect ratio requirements:
  • 360p (480 x 360; wide 640 x 360)
  • 480p (640 x 480)
  • 720p (960 x 720; wide 1280 x 720)
  • 1080p (1440 x 1080; wide 1920 x 1080)
  • Video ads created with a 1:1 aspect ratio should have a minimum resolution of 600 x 600px, and a maximum resolution of 1080 x 1080px.
• Audio format: AAC or MPEG4
• Audio size: Less than 64KHz

Set up Your LinkedIn Video Campaign

Once your video is ready, you can go ahead to set up the ad campaign.

Here’s how: 

• Log into or create a LinkedIn Campaign Manager account. 
• Select your account and click on ‘Create Campaign’.

• Set up your objectives: Awareness, Consideration, or Conversion.

• Input all the information about your target audience. This includes location, language, job seniority, job function, interests, and matched audiences. You can also exclude specific audiences. 
• Under ‘Ad Format’, select ‘Video Ad’. 

• Enable or disable the LinkedIn Audience Network option. 

 

• Set up your budget both for daily spending and the entire campaign. 

• Once all details have been set, click ‘Save’.

 

• On your new Campaign dashboard, click ‘Create New Ad’. 

 

•  Fill out the details, upload your file, and click ‘Create’. Your ad campaign will be saved and ready for launch. 

• When you’re ready to go live, click ‘Launch Campaign’. 

Conclusion

LinkedIn’s video feature should be tested for every brand marketing strategy.

This medium can be used to create B2B connections, establish a presence in the relevant industries, engage with the target audience, and improve sales-related conversions.

Your LinkedIn video marketing strategy will depend on your brand’s current practices and goals.

Explore the different types of video content, test your results, improve your methods, and deploy changes where needed.

With consistent improvement, your video marketing strategy and results should only get better.

PS…We hope you liked this post. Please let us know how you use or plan to use Linkedin for your video marketing by commenting below and sharing on social media.

Last updated on August 2, 2020

Video marketing is praised for connecting brands with consumers across the world.

But as a local business, your marketing goals are probably a bit different.

You’re trying to grow market share within a local vicinity: a community, town, or city.

With this in mind, you may be wondering if video marketing holds any benefit for your brand.

Should you be using up your marketing resources to create video content for the world wide web? 

The answer is yes.

Video marketing offers a lot of benefits for local businesses.

A study shows that 97% of consumers learn more about local businesses online.

While the internet provides global access, users still need it to find local services.

Since 72% of users prefer video content over text, your local business could be losing out by not using video marketing.

Several opportunities can be maximized using video content. 

Ready to learn more?

Here are the benefits of using video marketing for your local business. 

12 Video Marketing Benefits for Local Business

1. Connect with your local audience online

Every business is about the people it serves.

In your case, you have a specific segment of people who you’re trying to reach and connect with.

Video is an excellent medium for this goal because people love it.

They actively seek it out.

Data shows that 72% of users will choose video content over text.

If you’re looking to connect with your audience online, you have to provide the content that appeals to them. 

Using video content, you can create highly targeted messages which local users can relate to.

You can achieve this by creating personalized content.

Different types of video content can be designed to connect with your audience better.

You can shoot videos in commonly known areas within your city to grab attention.

You can personalize customer service by making short videos of your customer service rep(s).

They could introduce themselves and ask people to reach out to them if needed. 

2. Increase in-store visits and sales 

In a Google study, 72% of consumers who searched for local information on their smartphones visited a store within 5 miles.

A lot of the products and services which consumers need are still heavily accessed through in-store visits.

Using video content, you can encourage potential customers to visit your location or reach out to your business. 

Clinique’s 6-month study on the offline effects of their Facebook ads represents this benefit well.

A driving force for the sale of Clinique products is that buyers get assistance when they walk into the store.

So when moving to online video advertising for their offline stores, Clinique UK’s marketing team wanted to ensure that they were getting value for their money.

In the form of in-store sales.

Their results showed that the online video campaigns brought in a significant amount of offline buyers to the Clinique stores. 

3. Build trust and brand loyalty

Local businesses offer an in-person experience that cannot be replicated online.

This is why many people choose to patronize local businesses (such as a local coffee shop over Starbucks).

The personalized experience helps consumers build trust in the brand and develop a level of brand loyalty.

Quality video content can be used to communicate this experience.

The intended effect can be shared through your brand messages and values. 

Videos, in-person customer reviews are more trustworthy than text reviews.

Consumers know that some unethical brands fake their reviews, which makes them wary.

Asking customers for short, reviews-style videos taken on a smartphone at your business front is all you need.

Such content can push potential customers, who are still doubtful, in the right direction.

We already know that many people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

When these reviews are authentic, engaging videos, their impact could increase significantly. 

Video content also personalizes your brand by putting a face to the brand.

Creating behind-the-scenes videos with your team can make your brand appear more trustworthy.

Customers prefer to feel like they’re talking to a person, not a faceless brand.

Such experiences are best shared with your audience using video.

They could develop some trust and loyalty to your brand even before the first sale. 

4. Increase social shares within the target audience 

Social videos now generate 12 times more shares than text and images combined.

By creating video content, you can significantly improve your social engagement and shares.

Your content will also be shared with the audience that matters.

A local follower or subscriber is likely to have other local potential customers on their social media pages. 

A high share power makes it easier for local audiences to find your brand on social media.

Unless you’re investing heavily in location-based advertising, it’s not easy to segment social media audiences organically.

The best way to do this is by connecting with them through mutual local followers.

Because videos are more engaging, they are the best type of content to achieve more social visibility. 

5. Better results with local influencer marketing

You don’t need big influencers and celebrities to succeed in influencer marketing.

Even if your business has the budget, the returns may not be worth the investment.

However, your business can benefit from creating videos with local influencers.

These are people who have small but highly-targeted fanbases.

They are also known as micro-influencers (although not all micro-influencers will be local).

Right now, there are local influencers in your city, which people look up to for their opinions and recommendations.

You just have to find them. 

Video is currently the most popular medium for influencer marketing.

It offers viewers a personalized experience.

They can watch their favorite influencers engage with your brand reps or use your products or services.

An influencer’s attitude, gestures, facial expressions, and overall reaction are the little details that contribute to a successful influencer marketing campaign. 

6. Improve brand recognition and recall 

The content your brand creates should be memorable.

This will help you stay top-of-mind for your target audience.

When your audience can recall a social share or advert from your brand, it becomes easier to match you to a need that arises. Click To Tweet

The best form of content for brand recognition and recall is video.

Studies have shown that viewers retain 95% of a video’s message when compared to 10% from reading text. 

Your audience is exposed to a lot of information daily.

They will have to (subconsciously) pick and choose which information is retained.

Research by Hubspot shows that 80% of customers remember a video they viewed in the past month.

Videos last longer in a viewer’s mind because they are engaging.

They can also be used for storytelling, which holds the audience’s attention better.

The results of using videos for your marketing can be significantly higher than text and images combined. 

7. Boost GMB performance

Google My Business (GMB) is the largest online directory and business listing service.

Google hosts this service for free.

Businesses can create their GMB pages and list address, opening hours, customer service numbers, images, videos, Google Reviews, and so on.

GMB pages are relevant because Google places them at the top of the search result, even before websites. 

Here’s what GMB listings for my search of “gyms in Newark Nj” shows: 

Google prioritizes businesses that fill out the details of their GMB listing.

This means that the more information provided, the higher your listing could rank.

Google launched the GMB video feature in 2018.

Since then, they have encouraged businesses to add videos to their GMB pages to improve rankings and user experience. 

8. Improve visibility for ‘near me’ and ‘close by’ searches 

As Google improves its location-based search, more users are asking “near me” and “close by” queries.

You’ve probably asked for “pizza places near me” or “dry cleaners near me” at some point in the past.

Between 2013-2019, there was a 900% increase in these searches.

When users run these searches, Google compares their device location to listings on their search engine to find relevant results. 

If you have your location details on the business website and GMB profile, your business is optimized for these searches.

However, there’s one more set of content which Google places at the top.

That’s right: videos!

Even websites with videos will have three times more inbound links than sites with plain text.

Google is all about providing the best user experience.

They know that their users love video content, and will continue to optimize for that.

As a business, you should be working in sync with this strategy, not against it. 

9. Create high-performing geo-targeted video adverts

Geo-targeting, also known as local PPC, allows advertisers to target an audience within a specific location.

This means that your adverts will only be displayed to people within a preset geographic ‘fence’.

There’s a general assumption that video ads perform better than text and image ads.

This assumption is true.

A survey shows that 83% of businesses see an increase in their ROI (Return on Investment) through video content. 

10. Share customer experience and feedback

How often do brands get to meet customers and get first-hand feedback?

As a local business, you get this opportunity often.

You can take advantage of it, and improve its effect by collecting video feedback.

Video feedback or reviews provide an authentic appeal.

They’re not as easy to fake as bot-generated text reviews.

They also show that your consumers are satisfied with the products and services of your business. 

Also, video feedback provides potential customers with more details than text feedback.

Most clients will write a 1-2 line review when prompted.

With videos, they can say a lot more and provide the little details which potential customers are looking out for.

These videos will also give a chance to show, on-camera, the relationship between your clients and brand reps, which is a deciding factor for many people. 

11. Improve landing page conversion

Adding a video to your landing page can improve its conversion by 80%.

Videos also help potential consumers connect with your brand quickly.

For example, let’s say you own (or manage) a plumbing business.

You’re also testing landing page options for your business website.

On one landing page, you have a plain wall of text and your company’s contact information.

On the other test page, you have a ‘Welcome’ video with someone wearing a goofy smile and your company logo.

Which one would a first-time visitor connect with better? 

If they’re like me, they’ll connect with the second option better.

Websites can be impersonal, which isn’t always a good thing.

Including a video on your landing page could provide the compelling introduction users need. 

12. Create awareness for local sales events 

If you’ve been planning an event, videos can be used to improve your turnout rate.

They can be used to build excitement, show the audience behind-the-scenes views, encourage registration, and so on.

You can also use clips from previous events to create a compelling video advert.

Creating video teasers can help to grab the attention of your target audience. 

To recap… 

This article has been quite a read.

Here’s a recap of the benefits of video marketing for local businesses.

1. Connect with your local audience online
2. Increase in-store visits and sales
3. Build trust and brand loyalty
4. Increase social shares within the target audience 
5. Better results with local influencer marketing
6. Improve brand recognition and recall 
7. Boost GMB performance
8. Improve visibility for ‘near me’ and ‘close by’ searches 
9. Create high-performing geo-targeted video adverts
10. Share customer experience and feedback
11. Improve landing page conversion
12. Create awareness for local sales events 

Still not convinced that video marketing can help your local business?

Try it out with a small test.

Learn about how other brands incorporate videos into their marketing strategy.

Start yours with a small, inexpensive project.

Measure for results as you go.

Like every other aspect of marketing, videos will take some time to fine-tune.

With the right planning and efforts, it could eventually become a huge part of your marketing strategy.

PS…Did you like our post on Video Marketing Benefits for Local Businesses. Please let us know by commenting below or sharing it with your friends.