Video marketing isn’t just about getting your name out there and getting people to convert, it can also be a great way to build and maintain relationships once a prospect turns into a customer.

Videos are actually ideal for content marketing since they allow you to deliver a clear and concise message in a format that prospects and customers embrace.

In addition, a video can be leveraged and repurposed in other forms after it has been created. In the right hands, a video can be a very effective and affordable marketing tool.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

Basic Goals of Content Marketing

To understand why I have chosen to isolate video content marketing, you must first understand the basic goals of content marketing.

These goals are the basic needs of all marketers and should be incorporated into your marketing strategy.

  • Attract: You want to get visitors to your website with valuable information (via research or social shares).
  • Engage: Provide your visitors with valuable content, earn their trust, and establish engagement.
  • Convert: Add valuable content with forms in order to increase conversions.
  • Build Relationships: Keep your visitors coming back to your website by publishing valuable, informative and enjoyable content.
  • Measure and Improve: You always need to track your efforts and continually improve upon your strategies and content. This process is one that is ever evolving.

3 Reasons to Use Video(s)

1. Everyone Loves to Watch Videos

I know there are more technical reasons of why to use videos but this is perhaps the most important. It is simple – people love to watch and, more importantly, SHARE videos. content marketing is about creating content for your target audience that they will love and want to come back to again and again. It is not that people don’t like to read well written blogs, whitepapers or newsletters; they just love videos more. Videos are something you can watch easily from your tablet or smartphone, promote on social networks and get through quickly.

2. They’re Embeddable

One of the best things about video content is that it’s easily embeddable on just about any website or blog. What does this mean? Simply that people will be able to easily share the great content you have produced and presented in your video with their readers. To learn more about this, visit this great SEOMoz post.

3. It Sets You Apart

Let’s be honest, pretty much all online marketers do some sort of content marketing these days (blogging, guest posting, creating infographics, etc.). For some reason, there are still very few using video marketing. Larger companies are using video more so than smaller ones, but it is still not being utilized by all. Adding video to your landing pages, websites or promoting on social networks should be something you try to incorporate into your content marketing strategy. At this point, it will help you stand out from the crowd and drive more traffic to your website.

10 Online Video Statistics You Should Know

  • YouTube attracts over 1 billion unique viewers per month
  • YouTube users watch more than 3 billion hours of video per month
  • 75% of online video viewers have interacted with an online video ad in the past month
  • 147.4MM Americans watch video on the internet
  • Animated explainer videos increase conversion rates by 20%
  • 49% of the top 20% of B2B marketers in generating leads through social media integrate online video with social media, compared to the industry average of 32%
  • Rich media ads with video generate 6 times as many post-ad site visits as standard banner ads
  • Combining video with full page ads boosts engagement by 22%
  • Enjoyment of video ads increases purchase intent by 97%, and brand association by 139%
  • Two-thirds of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by 2016

Why is Video so Popular?

Most people prefer video over white papers, case studies and even live demos. Simply put, video is more compelling. Because of this fact, your 2013 content marketing strategy should be adapted to incorporate online video(s).

You are probably wondering why people are drawn to video more than other types of content.

For this I have turned to Susan Wienschenk, Ph.D. for her expertise on the matter. She has researched this trend and come up with these “why video” four reasons:

  • 1. Human voicethe sound of a human voice speaking has a way of converting information into appealing and meaningful content.
  • 2. Fusiform Facial Area – this is an actual brain function that tells us to use the human face as a gathering point for information and believability. This facial area makes us pay attention to faces.
  • 3. Emotions – many of us forget how contagious emotions can be. Body language and emotions are appealing and we as humans naturally share them.
  • 4. Movement – another trait in our DNA is the power of peripheral motion. As humans we tend to notice things in motion and pay attention to them longer, therefore making video content appealing.

Final Thoughts

You may have already concluded that I love videos and that I think they are a great content marketing tool to have in your toolbox. I hope that I have at least convinced you to experiment with video marketing, if not fully develop a plan to incorporate it into your marketing strategy. You can read our other tips for building brand awareness with video marketing and alternatives to YouTube to help get started.

If you are still a bit hesitant about the benefits, do some A/B testing with a short video to see the results for yourself. Many video productions start out this way and in fact it is a great habit to get into when you are trying new things on your site.

Test them with a limited audience to start and if that goes well then fully implement.

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson