If You Aren't Using Video, You're Missing Out On A Key Metric

Long gone are the days when only glossy advertising agencies could create video content, usually in the form of film and television ads. We now live in an era where there are plenty of free software services that allow the smallest, boot-strapping enterprises to make their own video content. 

To show just how much things have changed, here are four statistics​ that show the reality of digital marketing today: 

1. 1/3 of all online activity is with video content
2. Video results in 1,200% more engagement than image and text posts combined
3. Viewers retain 95% of a video’s message compared to 10% of something read
4. YouTube is the second largest search engine 

If you have a digital content marketing strategy, engagement is an important metric that you look for beyond an increase of sales or site visits. What these statistics show is that if you want to keep up with the rest of the internet, video is a major​ way to do that. 

Now, when we talk about “video content,” what are we referring to exactly? We’re not talking about flashy car commercials. When you scroll through LinkedIn or Instagram, content like GIFS, cinemagraphs, and livestreamed events all qualify.

One effect of video content creation being democratized​ is that even something as simple as someone filming themselves speaking with authority about a subject can be valuable video content. This is especially true on platforms like Instagram with its Stories function. This kind of intimate, limited post-production content is shared by people as short stories throughout their day.  

When we look at marketing in 2019, text-only content isn’t going to cut it. The internet is full of beautiful images and entrancing video content. Would you want to read this blog post if it didn’t have catchy images throughout? Not so much. We might even get higher engagement if instead of writing this blog post, we’d done a vlog, or video blog, instead! 

If you’re unsure about how to dive into the video content pool, look at what your competitors are doing and take note. Look to companies that you’re impressed with and see what they do. Do they post information videos on LinkedIn? Do they have short ads on Instagram? Are they not doing any video content at all?

Start with research and then craft your video strategy from there, taking into consideration your capabilities (in-house versus outsourcing), your current digital marketing strategy, and your SMART goals.