Google’s Managing Director of Education, Michelle Bandler, recently published a Think with Google article on the key role video plays when students are researching their higher education choices. And it got us thinking - the same can be said for brands and businesses when promoting their products and services.When it comes to the online arena, we all share a common struggle: attention scarcity and information overload. So how do we stand out in such a competitive space? The answer is simple. We need to find new and interesting ways to engage with prospects at multiple touchpoints. And one of these ways is through high quality video.Video is one of the most popular content forms in the world and it’s not likely to be going anywhere soon. In fact, 87% of online marketers use video content in 2018 with this number only expected to rise year-on-year. Read on to find out how you can use video throughout the buyer’s journey to deliver valuable information, entice prospects and build relationships.Deliver valuable informationThey say a picture is worth a thousands words, but did you know a minute of video is worth 1.8 million? Let that sink in for a minute. People gravitate towards video because it’s an easy-to-digest format that gives them a break from the overabundance of textual information out there. In fact, 97% of marketers claim videos help customers to understand products and 90% of customers claim a video helped them make a purchasing decision. But it runs deeper than that. Video not only affects purchasing decisions because it’s a format that helps customers to understand, but because it’s a format they know and trust. That’s right - studies have shown video generates more trust in customers than blocks of text or graphics. More than half of consumers reported they felt more confident when making a purchasing decision where there’s a high quality video on the page - and we think we know why. It’s because videos:
So if you want to follow best practice video marketing, here’s the ideal length for engagement and optimisation for your website and social channels:
Entice prospectsIt’s estimated over 80% of all search engine traffic will consist of video by 2021 and the chances of getting a page one listing on Google increases 53x with video. Why? Because Google sees them as high quality content and as a result, heavily rewards websites which feature them. And there’s also a few secondary ranking benefits of using videos on your website:
As you can see, video is great for SEO. But it can also have a huge return on investment for many channels. But let’s talk about one specific channel: your website. Optimising video for your websiteLanding pages are great places for videos and can boost conversion rates by up to 80%. On average, a visitor will stay 2 minutes longer when they watch a video. So you can actually keep people around long enough to look around on your site with an embedded video. Think of it this way:Visitor watches the video > Stays on page longer > Is more likely to click to another link once (or before the video is over > Increases engagement > Increases the likelihood of conversion (or whatever your ultimate goal is)But this doesn’t mean you should be slapping videos all over your website. Make sure they serve a purpose and as we mentioned before, are hyper-focused. While we said the ideal length is 60 seconds for a website video, you should also be aiming to capture their attention within the first 10 seconds. Otherwise, it’s likely they’ll bounce off the page, or your site completely.Note: You should also be optimising your videos properly. E.g. they must incorporate the right keywords, have a solid meta description and title, etc. Build relationshipsWant to stay competitive? While delivering valuable information and enticing prospects is great, you’re unable to achieve this if your videos aren’t compelling or relatable. When used correctly, videos can be entertaining, engaging and most importantly, give a real-life picture of what’s going on.Why is this so important for content nowadays? Because in an online world full of impersonal content, people crave connection and personality. They want the brand experience to be meaningful and to see and hear people in a real-life context. Video is one of the best ways to get up close to your audience and give them a true glimpse of what your business is doing.By using storytelling and unique types of media such as video, you can easily catch people’s attention and hold it while they’re actually entertained. This builds brand trust and the more they know about you, the more likely they are to stick around. Don’t take our word for it? What better way to tell you about the benefits of video marketing than with a video itself. Check this insightful video out for some of the biggest video marketing stats.At Bang Digital, we understand the important part video plays in a holistic digital marketing strategy. Have a chat to us about how you can use video to your advantage.
