Because video is still king.
Every now and then, I write about the importance of using video in your advertising toolbox. And every time I write about it, I report that the trend is only growing.
Recent studies show that more and more consumers are using the Internet to watch videos and live stream. In 2016, for the first time ever, more Americans watched the Presidential debates and Summer Olympics online than on their TVs.
Here’s what you need to know about the use of video for marketing in 2017.
Why use video?
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93% of marketers are currently using video for marketing, sales and communication with their customers.
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Video is expected to represent 79% of all internet traffic by 2018.
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The majority of businesses (76%) say video brings a good ROI.
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Smartphone users love video! YouTube reports mobile video consumption doubles each year.
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Video will help your search results. Due to high engagement, video is heavily weighted in search engines.
What type of video should you use?
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Video does not always need to be professionally created. In fact, sometimes informal and candid videos can be more engaging and effective, by showing authenticity.
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Be educational, fun, and personal. This is the place to try something a bit different.
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Shorter continues to be better. If you have a beautifully produced 30-second TV spot cut it down to a shorter 15-second length. This will encourage users to watch it to completion.
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Don’t be afraid of silent video. Facebook videos auto play without sound, but advertisers who use video captions find great success without a soundtrack.
Where should you put your video?
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Facebook is one of the best social networks to share your video. One and a half billion people globally view videos monthly on Facebook. Video ads are easy to upload, easy to add captions to and easy to track on Facebook.
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YouTube is considered by most to be the premiere video platform. YouTube gets more than 30 million visitors every day, from all age groups. In the last year, viewership doubled on YouTube while viewership of Baby Boomers tripled. And because content is based on interests, users are twice as likely to pay close attention while watching YouTube compared to watching TV.