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WHY IS VIDEO IMPORTANT?
It is often said that people do business with people - not the brand. Yet while personal relationships are therefore vital between businesses and customers, the online world can be incredibly dehumanising, making it hard for online customers to form a connection with the people behind the business.
The difficulty in forming a connection with an online business isn't just a social annoyance for potential customers, it could be a reason why they choose not to make a purchase from you. If no relationship exists then it is almost impossible for trust to develop - this is a huge barrier if you want to persuade someone to become a customer.
Research from sitejabber.com found that the authenticity of an online business was one of the top 7 concerns for online shoppers who were afraid to shop online. You probably don't need research papers to tell you that though, just think about the purchasing decisions you make in your everyday life - have you ever found a business online, and hesitated as you aren't sure if it is a real business or just a fancy website?
Showing that you are a real person running an authentic business is relatively easy in the physical world as customers visit your shop, office or workshop - allowing them to meet and engage with you. But how can you persuade an online customer that there is a real person behind the brand? How can you build trust with that potential customer and show that you are someone they could build a rapport with?
This is where video has an important role to play. Video content is likely to engage an audience and ignite emotions. It is the ideal medium to tell a story, convey a message and help a potential customer gain trust in you - showing that you are a real person, with passions and an ethos they can believe in. Anyone could have written the words on your website, but with video your customers see and experience YOU.
REASONS TO EMBRACE VIDEO CONTENT
Trust-building, leading to the development of long term customer relationships, is arguably the most important reason why you would be considering using video on your website or on your social media feeds. However, there are a range of additional compelling reasons why you should be embracing professional video content NOW.
SEARCH ENGINES LOVE VIDEO
Videos encourage visitors to spend longer on your website and signals to search engines that you have good content. Studies have shown that you are more than 50 times more likely to show up at the top on Google if you have video embedded on your website.
INCREASED CONVERSION RATES
According to a report from Hubspot, video on a landing page is capable of increasing conversion rates by 80% and just the mention of video in an email subject line increases open rates by 19%. In addition according to a report by Smart Insights, 59% of respondents said that video performs much or somewhat better than other forms of content in terms of driving conversions.
INCREASE YOUR NUMBER OF SOCIAL MEDIA SHARES
If you want to expand the reach of your brand through social media shares, then video is the ideal mechanism for you - in a social media context people share emotions, not facts. A study has shown that 76% of users would share a branded video with friends if it was entertaining and Twitter says that video on Twitter is six times more likely to be retweeted than photos.
ENGAGE WITH MOBILE USERS
If you ever needed persuading that people increasingly consume content on mobile devices, then just glance around a carriage the next time you are on a train and see all those people with heads bowed and headphones in - but if you want a stat then a study has shown that 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile device. In addition, Google have stated that smartphone users are twice as likely than viewers to feel a sense of personal connection to brands that show video content on their devices.
INFORMATION RETENTION
Studies have shown that viewers retain 95% of the information if they watch it in a video, but only 10% of the information if they read it in text. Therefore potential customers are likely to remember more about your brand if you use video content. In addition, according to Wyzowl, 79% of consumers prefer to watch a video rather than read about a product.
DON'T GET LEFT BEHIND
According to Hubspot, 87% of businesses used video as a marketing tool in 2019. Therefore those businesses not embracing video content (or not planning to) are now in the minority .
MORE STATS...
Video marketers achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness (according to the Aberdeen Group)
76.5% of marketers and small business owners are getting results with video marketing (according to Animoto)
83% of those using video think it gives them a good ROI (according to Wyzowl)
40% of millennials trust YouTube for content (according to Google)
45% of people watch an hour or more of video a day (according to Hubspot)
87% of consumers said they they would like to see more videos from brands in 2019 (according to Wyzowl)
