Since 2016 when video marketing first really came to prominence, there’s no denying that it has absolutely transformed the internet. 2017 was more of the same, and now in 2018 it continues to dominate our bandwidth. If nothing else, it’s still growing, and more and more people are turning to it because of the multiple benefits which it offers.
The statistics alone are powerful: Viewers of a video are up to 85% more likely to make a purchasing decision if they watch a video, and marketers confirm this huge uptick, with 71% of them reporting much increased conversion rates over any other form of marketing – social media, email, or web content marketing simply don’t compare.
Now videos can be used in emails, people are realizing it drives up click through rates, and that people love to share videos – wow, free promotion! – and it’s advertising gold. Now, that’s just the primary benefits. I’m not including the SEO benefits as the search engines also love videos in that list…
So, should you be using video to market your business? In a nutshell… yes.
In the United States and other developed countries, some 84% of adults use the internet, with 95% of under-50s using it. That’s great news if you’re looking to promote to just about everyone. Combine this with the rise of smartphones and you’ve got a jackpot: amazingly, 92% of smartphone users love to watch videos on their device!
It’s not clear why, but text doesn’t come across as clearly as video on a small device, so experts are saying that this is one good reason that videos have become the king of mobile marketing. All in all though, it doesn’t matter who your business is or what you are selling, because your target market IS online – and it is ready to find you, if only you would reach out to them.
Your first decision is a simple one: should you DIY or get in the professionals? There’s no real answer here. Obviously, professionals will cost a lot, but you do get all the benefits of an expert video presentation.
You can also try yourself, but it’s a lot harder than putting together images or even text-based adverts. If you’re leading a team, it’s worth asking if anyone has skills that could help you to develop a video, and looking at your equipment. If you have a smartphone, then you might just only need a tripod to shoot an amazing video that looks professional!
Once again, it won’t look as polished as a professional production, which may make a stronger impact on your potential customers, but this may not matter, depending on what you want to achieve with your video. A mediocre, average clip won’t damage you too much, but it’ll certainly be unmemorable.
On the other hand, if you want your business to shine – or your newest service or product – then you are going to want to create a video that elevates everything. Remember, quality does matter, and having a poor quality video can be incredibly detrimental to your brand.
Of course, this all boils down to cost… can you really afford to hire? One way to judge ROI is to see how much a production company will do, then compare how much it would cost you in man hours to do. You might be surprised to see that DIY is actually not all that much cheaper.
All in all, video marketing is not really optional anymore – so make the best decision you can!