A few years ago, Cisco’s VP of Marketing and Emerging Technologies, David Hesh, forecasted that by 2013, 90 percent of all internet traffic would be consumed by video. It’s no wonder why online video has garnered its fair share of recent conversation – and deservedly so.
Today’s technology affords businesses small and large an instant means of recording, editing and uploading their own marketing videos. According to video expert Steve Garfield, the same devices we use on a daily basis will suffice (smartphones, tablets and webcams are all equipped with HD-quality video cameras).
In other words, online video doesn’t need to be an incredibly puzzling or expensive endeavor, at least at the beginning. Though, adding professional video to your marketing is a wise investment, too. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about how adding video to your blog works wonders. This week I wanted to highlight the benefits of including video in your overall marketing strategy. Adding video can effectively boost engagement, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions.
The Long and Short of It
Engagement: To no surprise, pages that include video have a considerably higher average on-site time than those without videos. According to a study conducted by Distilled, blog posts on the SEOmoz blog that contain videos received nearly a minute more of average on-site time than those without video. What’s more, shares on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ were exponentially higher for posts that included video than those that did not.
Source: www.Distilled.net
Click-through rates: According to a study from aimClear, videos that show up in a universal search have a 41 percent higher click-through rate than those with just plain text (like the result below).
Video hosting site Wistia also saw incredible results from video within its email marketing efforts. In a split test that measured the number of clicks/number of opens for a pair of identical emails (but one included video), the email that included video was clicked more than three times more.
Conversions: Most people prefer videos over other forms of marketing. People are not only more drawn to visuals, but also to retain information better when it’s presented in video form.
Viewers of a product video are 64-85 percent more likely to make a purchase after watching a product video. Some retailers reported that shoppers who watched their videos were 144 percent more likely to buy a product.
Takeaway
Video enables us to connect with real people visually, audibly and emotionally – “all of which can affect our behavior and lead us to some sort of action, whether it is filling out a form or making a purchase.
In the above-mentioned study, video is linked to the improvement of three key metrics of content marketing. Has your business considered adding online video to its marketing plan? If so, leave a link to your marketing video in the comments.