What does video for my business look like?

When you hear the words “video content” what do you think about? Teenagers dancing on TikTok? Beauty bloggers’ makeup tutorials on YouTube? Gamers live streaming themselves playing Xbox on Twitch? All valid connotations. But there are infinite more video content opportunities for marketers; many of which are becoming increasingly important for business development, brand awareness and even lead generation.  

Let’s look at some facts from Wyzowl’s Video Marketing Statistics 2021, The State of Video Marketing:  

• 96% of consumers admitted they’ve watched more video content during the past year. 

Okay, so in a world of social media and lockdown, this is probably not too surprising. But video has become far more common in the business world too. Our own stats show a huge increase in usage across our video sales messaging and content creation tools, with clients taking to social media more and more to engage with their customer base, prospects and to elevate their personal and employer brands. 

But is this a trend that’s set to continue in post-pandemic life?

“It’s just a fad, we’ll be back to face-to-face soon and no-one will want to look at a screen” We know there are video doubters out there but thanks to the events of 2020: 

• 36% of those asked said it had become easier to convince others in the business on the value of video content.

We’ve got more stats below on how important video content has become from Wyzowl’s Video Marketing Statistics 2021, The State of Video Marketing. 

Elephant in the video call

Let’s start off with that big massive elephant that’s been in every room since March 2020. Honestly you’d think he’d be bored by now, but the big elephant named Covid-19 is still thrashing around. Although the initial stomping may have calmed down, we all knew that some of the changes we were forced to make were actually just an acceleration of trends that were already being tried, tested and enjoyed. For example: 

• 91% of marketers feel video is more important for brands in light of the coronavirus pandemic. 
• The number of businesses using video as a marketing tool, overall, has increased from 61% to 86% since 2016.

Video was on the up anyway, if you weren’t creating video content before the pandemic you were already behind the curve. Now we’re back in pubs. Some of us are back in our offices. And in the same way that no-one will quite let go of their elasticated waist-bands, video content is also here to stay. 

• 60% of marketers expect the pandemic to affect their video marketing budget for 2021. Of these, 7 out of 10 say their budget will increase.

Why?  

There are so many other forms of content. But when it comes to purchase decisions, when asked how they’d most like to learn about a product or service: 

• 69% said they’d prefer to watch a short video. 

This compares to just:

• 18% who’d rather read a text-based article, website or post
• 4% who’d like to view an infographic
• 3% who’d rather download an ebook or manual
• 3% who’d rather attend a webinar or pitch
• 2% who’d like a sales call or demo

Show me the money

So the results have proven that people are going to watch. But is investment in video actually going to be a good use of your time and money? Yes, according to Wyzowl:

• 84% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads. 
• 78% site video as directly helping increase sales.

And if you’re still not convinced, you’re in the minority camp as: 

• 69% of non-video marketers say they expect to start using video as a marketing tool in 2021.

Video is here to stay 

I think it’s safe to conclude that video is not simply a fad that was used to bridge the gap when the world was socially distanced and we had to elbow tap our handshakes. Video marketing has been on the rise for years and it looks like 2021 will be the year it’s finally given greater priority, firmly taking its place as a staple for any business that’s serious about content and branding.  

If you’re not armed with video in your business yet, get in touch to see how we can help.