INBOUND ACCELERATOR

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that 2020 has thrown a few wrenches into the marketing plans you carefully crafted 10-12 months ago—not to mention how your staff functions and potentially the budget you have to work with.

Video is the fastest growing segment of content marketing today, and YouTube is a key part of marketers’ video strategies, providing a hosting site and social outlet, and serving as, essentially, the world’s second most-used search engine after Google.

YouTube, that repository of music, how-to videos, video game play and “unboxing” adventures, has a role in both B2C and B2B content marketing, too. YouTube, on mobile alone, reaches more people in the 18-34 U.S. audience demographic than any TV network. (YouTube, 2020) (Source)

With constant updates to algorithms, new features, and changes in consumer behavior, your social media strategy needs to shift, also. Is it time to try something new?

Yes, video is everywhere. As pointed out by Omnicore in this infographic, nearly 9 in 10 businesses are using video in their marketing in some, and more than three-fourths of consumers say a video has convinced them to download an app or buy software.

Social media and video seem to be made for each other, but are you making the most of the opportunity?

A few statistics to know:

• 54 percent of consumers say they want to see more videos from brands and businesses they support.

• 72 percent of people would rather learn about a product or service through video than through text.

• Viewers are 95 percent more likely to remember a call-to-action after watching a video, compared to 10 percent when reading it in text format.

(Source)

While it is easy to see, everywhere you look, how video has become a dominant element in B2C marketing, even more conservative, information-based B2B buyers are increasingly turning to video to find information they need to make buying decisions.

So what do you need to do to reach B2B decision makers with marketing videos?

Video, in some form, has become an essential element in most companies’ marketing content strategy, whether as an explainer video on the home page of a website, as live video on Facebook, or to be used in personal presentations and trade show settings.

In many cases, companies are employing all of these video formats and more. But despite the availability of technology at an affordable rate (in some cases, already in your pocket in the form of a cell phone), creating a high quality video for marketing purposes still comes at a cost.

Why do you need to include video in your marketing strategy?

• The statistics spell it out quite clearly:

• Nearly half of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before shopping.

• Including video on landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80 percent.

• Nearly 65 percent of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.

Convinced?

But what does it take to create videos that can achieve these results?

How are you using video in your marketing strategies? Live on social media? Webinars? Or dipping your toes into virtual reality?

The possibilities are continually expanding, and with video expected to make up more than 80 percent of all internet traffic by 2021, now is the time to find ways to work it into your marketing plan. (Source)