by As digital environments increase with competition and audience’s availability of endless consumption options, Content Marketing Is Evolving. The answer to these changes is video content being the most effective tool for marketers to respond to the growing competition and changing audience consumption habits.
Video combines visual elements, audio elements, and storytelling to convey information very quickly and clearly.
With a video, individuals can understand the information contained in that message much quicker than reading through long blocks of text, especially when viewed on mobile devices.
Video as the Core of Content Marketing Strategies
Due to shrinking attention spans, businesses are shifting their content marketing strategies to include video as the primary means by which they will engage with their target audiences.
Companies that embrace video content are seeing higher levels of audience engagement, increased brand recognition and stronger growth patterns of their brands.
This trend explains why video content is playing a central role in the development of today’s content marketing strategies.
Video Dominance in Audience Content Consumption
Video is taking over as the primary form of consuming content on the Internet as audiences are spending more time watching videos than reading large articles or viewing static posts on their preferred platforms (e.g. YouTube, TikTok).
Video’s rise to the forefront of content consumption is evidenced by the volume of unique views and user engagement reported on these platforms on a daily basis.
The Decline of Pure Text-Based Content
The decline in popularity of pure text-based content has been because:
While the written word still remains an important component for marketers to use, it is typically hard to get users’ attention with text-based content and many people will either skim through a piece of text based content or leave the web page where it is posted quickly after arriving there.
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Increased brand awareness
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Increased customer loyalty
Building Emotional Connections and Brand Loyalty Through Video
Video provides brands with the tools necessary to enhance their emotional connection and strengthen the trust of their target audience.
A brand’s story told through video and curated through social media encourages the building of relationships between customers and brands through establishing trust and establishing loyalty.
Video Content, Trust, and Long-Term Brand Success
Platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and other popular social media networks provide brand-related content with a wider audience when it is regularly published.
The repeated exposure to familiar visuals builds consumers’ level of trust and confidence in that brand.
Videos provide brands with the ability to stay in front of consumers with a consistent presence while at the same time keeping them fresh in their minds, regardless of whether they buy through a social media site or in the store.
The advantage of building trust and credibility is a large benefit of using this type of video content as well.
Using video is another way for brands to be more transparent; they can demonstrate the product, have real customers, or express themselves honestly about the brand.
This helps to eliminate much of the skepticism that exists when selling new products.
Most people will tend to trust the products more if they see tangible proof of the product instead of hearing only about it.
Brands that use video as a marketing tool typically see much clearer indications of growth.
Key Benefits of Video Marketing Across Platforms
The following three benefits of video marketing can be seen across all platforms:
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Enhanced Brand Recall.
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Folks feel more confident buying before they buy.
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Strong Customers for the Long Term.
These three advantages are directly connected to scalable marketing strategies.
Short-Form Videos Have Changed Content Marketing Performance
The prevalence of short attention spans is one reason for the growth of the short-form video.
Short-form videos have changed the way brand marketers do content marketing and adapted to today’s consumer habits related to consuming content quickly.
As soon as they see one short video, they may very easily find themselves scrolling through a larger number of videos within a short period of time.
This provides brands with far more opportunities to capture consumer attention.
The flexibility of short-form videos provides more opportunities for brands to create content faster and with less resource investment.
Finally, short-form videos have many marketing advantages due to their short format.
As we all know, the Internet has changed how we consume media.
In the past, long-form video was king, but short-form content is dominating today as consumers are increasingly looking for quick, easy-to-digest pieces of information about a product before making a commitment.
Strategic Planning for Video Marketing
By maintaining consistent video production, brands will reduce creative burnout.
By maintaining consistent brand messaging through video marketing efforts, brands will increase consumer recognition of their brand.
This alignment will also prepare brands for scalable, long-term business success.
Video Content and Sales Conversion Impact
Using video content to enhance the sales conversion process allows for a more seamless buyer journey through the digital touchpoint.
It increases the buyer’s confidence in making a purchase because the buyer can physically see how the product works before they purchase it.
Because video content enhances the buyer’s confidence, they will have a shorter decision-making window as they will know exactly what to expect from their purchase.
Product Videos Bolster Confidence In Products By Demonstrating Their Features, Benefits And Real-Life Use.
Product testimonials and reviews presented via video carry more weight than written testimonials and reviews alone.
By Keeping users On-page Longer, Video Also Creates Additional Opportunities For Conversion.
A Longer Amount Of Time Spent Engaging With A Video Often Correlates With A Higher Level Of Intent To Purchase Or Readiness To Buy.
The use of video by brands has had A Tangible Impact On Sales Metrics.
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Landing Pages With Video Have Higher Conversion Rates.
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Customers Build Upon Their Confidence During The Checkout Process When Videos Are Available.
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As Customers Have Greater Expectations From The Process, The Number Of Return Purchases Will Decrease.
These Effects Link Directly To Revenue Growth For Brands.
Video Content Increases Trust And Authority For A Brand
Transparency In The Form Of Authentic Storytelling
Through Video, Brands Can Be Open With Their Audience.
By Showing Authentic Employees, Their Processes And Their Values, Brands Establish Trust And Authority With The Audience.
As Brands Establish Transparency, They Reduce The Skepticism Associated With The Competitors That Operate In An Environment Where Trust Is Limited.
Audiences Prefer To See The Truth Via Video When Compared To Highly Polished Sales Language.
Authority = Education
Educational Video Content Adds Value And Positions Brands As Helpful Experts.
Brands Offer Value To Their Audiences Through Tips, Tutorials And Industry Insight As A Result Of Adding Educational Video Content.
As Audiences Learn From The Brand, The Brand Establishes Authority Over Time.
Long-Term Benefits Of Trust Developed Through Video
Video Will Create Long-Term Benefits Through Trust.
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Higher Customer Loyalty
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More Word-Of-Mouth Referrals
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Greater Credibility In The Industry
Authority And Credibility Of The Brand Will Support Continued Growth Of The Brand.
How Content Marketers Must Modify Their Techniques To Adapt To The Changing Video Trends Of Today And The Future
How Content Marketers Must Adapt To The Changes In Platform Prioritization Toward Video.
Video Format Innovations
Brands that have participated in these innovations early on, are better positioned to gain insights and competitive advantage from their early adoption.
Flexibility will allow marketers to take advantage of the trends of the future without the threat of exposing themselves to significant risks associated with trying new things.
Preparing for Long-Term Success
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Develop Adaptable Video Skills
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Track Performance and Audience Engagement
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Be Consistent but Make Room for Experimentation
This preparation provides valuable resources for creating content marketing that will remain effective as video continues to become a dominant medium for communicating.
The Strength of Video Content for Social Media Performance
The algorithms used by social media platforms favor video content over static text-based content.
Because of the way social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, favour video content, video is one of the best-performing types of content on their platforms.
The use of video will give brands a larger organic reach than traditional forms of static text.
A larger organic reach allows a brand to maintain its visibility on social media’s extremely busy newsfeeds.
The amount of time and effort a video receives from its audience can help increase the amount of time that many social media platforms will allocate for further distribution.
Text-based content typically does not create this level of momentum.
Shareable and Viral Content
Video content is much easier to share than long-form written content.
Short and relatable clips tend to motivate users to engage with the content and to tag their friends and to reshare it.
This creates a large audience and expands the reach of video content with no additional advertising costs.
Emotional and entertaining videos tend to be shared faster on social media platforms.
Brands that understand the importance of shareable video content are able to create large audiences quickly, using the social media networks to promote the video content.
Advantages of Social Media With Video
Social media strategies focused on video will deliver Amplitude of Advantage. By producing social media content focused on video, businesses can expect to experience amplified organic reach. Businesses can expect to experience higher levels of engagement with video content and a rapidly expanding current audience. All of the above will support and enhance overall content marketing performance.
Video Producing Increased Search Engine Visibility and SEO
Videos will provide an opportunity to increase both former and current site visitor experience. Increased site visitor engagement and other metrics will create a positive experience for search engines and ultimately can increase search engine rankings. Search engine results are continually being updated. Video will often enhance user experience and increase satisfaction and retention of brand messaging.
Video Search Results
When businesses use a host website like YouTube for video hosting, the business’s video has the potential to rank on its own; this, in turn, increases the search engine visibility of the business’s website.
SEO Advantages of Using Video
Using video for content marketing will strengthen the future content marketing goals of the business. All four of these areas help to associate video with the future business content marketing goals.
Testing and Optimization
Video allows brands to test the different formats and lengths of the content they produced quickly and adjust based upon the performance of that content. As brands experience increased performance based upon testing, the risk to the brand is reduced. Additionally, through testing and analysis, brands can identify and focus on what produces the best results. With time, as video content matures, content becomes effective & efficient.
There are several unique & strategic advantages to video content strategies based on analytics. Analytics-driven video content strategies provide brands with many benefits.
Using Video Content to Maintain Consistency Across Digital Marketing Channels
Having Consistent Messaging Across Multiple Platforms. As audiences learn to use familiarity as their basis for building trust in a brand’s messaging, they develop their Trust more quickly than they would through traditional text-based communication. Because of this, video content provides brands with a more consistent experience and reduces the likelihood of mixed messages—creating multiple touchpoints with their targeted audience—during communication.
The Ability To Adapt A Single Video For Multiple Social Media Platforms
A single video may be adapted to fit different social networks while still keeping its central message intact. For example, an individual video intended for a corporate website may be produced as a longer version; however, the same video can be repurposed for a shorter version that fits into a social feed. The ability to repurpose a single video in this manner streamlines many aspects of an omnichannel strategy.
Benefits Of Omnichannel Video Communication Strategies
As stated above, video-based omnichannel communication strategies provide brands with higher levels of Brand Recognition, Creating A Seamless Audience Experience, and Increased Clarity Of Messaging. All of the above advantages allow brands to create an efficient, streamlined omnichannel communication strategy and also to effectively scale their efforts.
Using Video To Create Affinity For A Brand Through Humanized Communication
Using the concept of humanizing messaging, brands can demonstrate the people behind their products and services. Whether through employees, industry founders or customers, who offer credibility to their messaging. Having this humanization allows audience members to create an emotional connection with the messaging. As a result of this emotional connection, audiences will respond to and, therefore, trust the messaging they associate with brands.
The use of video creates a forum for audiences to develop their emotional connections in a more genuine way than through traditional text-by-line methods.
The use of Story Telling Videos Show Real-Life Experiences
Real-life stories, difficulties, and achievements are highlighted in Video Storytelling. Real-life narratives are much more credible than promotional text and audiences favor brands that offer background experiences. Authentic Story-Telling Creates Long-Term Emotional Loyalties. Viewers feel a connection to content that appears authentic and thus return to view more.
Emotional Branding Through Video
Creating Human-Centric Video Content Provides Lasting Impact. Emotionally Strong Connections. Growth in Brand Affinity. Long Term Loyalty. Emotional Bonds Sustain Brand Growth.
The modern audience expects their video content to be authentic and provided quickly. Video provides the ideal solution to these expectations by delivering a quick message. Users care less for a polished product than they do for honesty and clarity. The brands that deliver on these expectations will remain relevant. The use of video allows brands to quickly respond to trending topics and conversations.
The Growth of Mobile First Video Consumption
The majority of video content is consumed via mobile devices. With the majority of mobile device users holding their devices in a vertical format. Companies that create short clips in vertical format fit naturally into the mobile user lifestyle. As opposed to text heavy formats. Mobile-friendly video creates improved accessibility for viewers while providing a greater reach. This compatibility with mobile devices improves video content performance.
Preparing for Future Audiences
Being able to quickly adapt to changes in audience behaviour will result in long term success in content marketing.
Video Content Provides a Competitive Advantage in a Saturated Market
The use of video allows brands to differentiate themselves in markets that have many competitors creating similar blogging and social media posts; visual storytelling captures a viewer’s attention much more quickly than written headlines. Even simple videos are remembered more than just text. As the number of digital competitors grows every year, the communication piece becomes increasingly more important as the brand visibility is key.
Speed of Communication
Video communicates information much quicker than long, written explanations. Prospective viewers have the ability to grasp what the product, value, and/or message is in seconds versus minutes of reading. When one considers how little patience audiences have due to the overwhelming number of alternatives available, this should make sense. Less friction leads to better first impressions for the audience and decreases barriers to purchasing behavior of prospective customers.
Brands that have clearly articulated their explanation have an advantage over their competitors in terms of grabbing the audience’s attention first.
Competitive Advantage of Video
Brands that utilize video tend to gain a number of competitive advantages. The ability to deliver their message quicker. Stronger brand recall. Greater audience preference. These advantages will prepare them for continued market leadership.
Scalability / Flexibility
Video Content is easily scaled to fit any platform or audience. An idea that is expressed through video can be produced as either a long video, several short video clips, and then used as a commercial/ad or as a video tutorial. This flexibility makes video appropriate for everyone, from start-ups to Fortune 500 Companies.
Long-Term Strategic Value
Video is not a fad, it is a long-term shift. Video fits the evolution of consumption habits and complements multiple marketing objectives and adapts to future technologies. For these reasons, video is now a must-have component of modern strategies.
Summary
Video Content has completely changed how brands interact, relate and compete with one another online and through the use of digital media. Video allows for quicker delivery of messages, creates greater emotional connection and fits into modern consumption habits much more effectively than traditional mediums. The growing emphasis placed on video by all of the major social media platforms will only heighten the importance of using video in content marketing for brands.
