The Art of Moving Images: Video Content Take Over the Web

When we do a quick Google search or scroll through our social media feeds, there’s a high chance that a video will appear. This shows how video content has grown throughout the years. Before, we were used to blog posts with just images and blocks of text. Nowadays, we are surrounded by moving images and an endless stream of videos.

Although the first video that circulated on the Internet was in 1993, it was YouTube that made this type of content extremely popular. Dubbed the second largest search engine (after Google), YouTube wasn’t always this popular. In fact, before they only had a dozen videos on their platform.

A dozen is nothing compared to what they have now, which is 720,000 hours of content uploaded per day— now that’s a lot of videos.

The growth of videos can be related to its growing popularity. It’s engaging, easy on the eyes, and it caters to our visual needs. Due to its benefits, many businesses— big or small have resorted to using video content in their marketing efforts.

Did you know that explainer videos have an impact on sales and revenue? According to research, 81% of consumers said they purchased something after watching a video about that product.

Around 90% of video marketers see positive results from their video marketing campaigns since they gain 66% more qualified leads every year. How does a quick video rake in sales? Well, they have the ability to portray the product or service well and are informative. In the end, people want to buy products they can see.

So, you’ve seen a glimpse of how videos can benefit a business. Here are three more reasons why you should be investing in these quick videos for your business:

1. Easy to Digest

We’re visual creatures— there’s no denying it. Show a stranger to remember a block of text or a picture. There’s no way anyone would be able to recall the information in the block of text unless they had a photographic memory. However, when shown an image, people are more likely to remember.

If you could convey a message with just an image, imagine how effective it would be to convey a message through a video. The truth is simple, they’re just easier to understand.

Other than retaining attention, videos are highly engaging and can convey a message in an efficient yet effective way. According to research, 95% of their customers would prefer to watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

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2. SEO Loves Videos

Google loves videos and when Google loves something, everyone has to do it. Search results with videos have a higher chance of appearing on the first page. In fact, a site is 53 times more likely to appear on the first page if a site has a video.

This is important because there can only be 10 websites on the first page of Google’s search results. Over 90% of customers who buy your products will most likely stay on the first page of Google search results than click “Next”.

These work really well for “how-to” videos. When you search for information on how to do something, Google usually shows a variety of videos and an article with a video.

In conclusion, videos have the upper hand when it comes to content marketing and appearing in Google’s top search results. They’re much more informative and easier to digest compared to the usual articles.

3. User Bait

Videos are just more attractive. Not only do they boost your website ranking, but they also increase your organic traffic by 157 percent! Also, an audience is 41% more likely to click through video search results than text results alone.

A video is also proven to attract up to 3 times more monthly visitors. Imagine how much traffic you’d be getting if you have a video on your landing page.

Although getting people to visit your website doesn’t guarantee they’ll stay on it for a long time, a video still increases the average time spent which Google will deem as relevant.

What’s Next?

Now that you’re convinced that videos are a must-have in your content marketing arsenal, it’s time to find out how you can kickstart a video marketing campaign successfully:

1. A Solid Foundation

First things first— you need a strong concept and goal. What do you want to be the center of attention in the video? Whether it’s a product, service, or company— you have to know what to showcase. The next thing is to figure out what the goal of the video is.

What do you want the audience to do after watching the video? At the beginning of your brainstorming session, list some goals you want the video to achieve. Without a goal or purpose, the video will be aimless and probably will leave your audience confused.

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2. Target Market

After finding out what you want the video to focus on, it’s time to figure out who your target market is. You can do this by creating profiles of your audience demographics. For example, how old they are, what their occupations are, lifestyles, range of income, and many other aspects.

Profiling your potential consumers can be really helpful however, it’s important to keep in mind not to have an extremely narrow customer profile. A market that’s too niche can do the opposite of gaining traffic. If you go after a narrow market, you might end up with little results.

3. Keyword Research

When you know who your target audience is and what the focus of the video will be, the next step is to do keyword research. Gather popular keywords related to your topic. There are many ways to do this.

You can start with a simple mind map or use online tools such as Google or YouTube’s search bar. Type in a word or a phrase and a drop-down list of suggestions will appear. You can create your content based on these keywords since these keywords are suggested based on their popularity.

Or if you have the budget, use keyword research tools such as Ahrefs or Buzzsumo to help you out with finding the right keywords. There are also tools for looking for the right keywords on YouTube.

4. A Script

Now that you’ve got the basics down, it’s finally time to work on that script. Just because videos are mostly made of moving images, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the audio completely. In fact, it’s important that you invest time and effort into crafting a good script.

In the end, the video is aimed at people and they don’t want to hear lifeless robotic monologue. People want to hear an engaging, conversational dialogue. So, ditch the long scripts with complex words from a textbook and aim for something that’s short, sweet, and digestible.

5. Editing Tools

An idea, check.

Target audience, check.

Keyword research and a script? Check.

Now comes the hard part— creating the video. Everyone knows creating a video marketing campaign is no easy feat. You need footage and some equipment to start working on a video. If you’re camera-shy, you can utilize stock photos and videos.

Explainer videos aren’t instant. It takes some effort and skill to craft a compelling one. Especially, if you’re looking to tell a story to your customers about your brand.

Nowadays, the Internet is filled with endless resources. Depending on what you’re looking for, there’s something for everyone, for every budget, and every need. So, go ahead and have a look around the web. There are various how-to guides, tips and tricks, and tools.

Keep in mind, regardless of the video editing software you choose, we recommend that you back up your source files before starting to edit the video. This will help you avoid the loss of your footage in case you make a mistake when editing the video, or if the software you use fails to save the file.

Also, there may be cases when you end up with a broken video file as a result of some glitch during the post-production process. But don’t panic! If your video file appears to be damaged, you can still repair it with the help of video recovery tools.

6. A Call-To-Action

Don’t forget to include a call-to-action at the end of the video. Most of the time, your viewers aren’t sure what to do next. So, it’s important to lead the way so you don’t lose a potential visitor. Calls-to-action doesn’t have to be salesy or annoying. It can be simple and subtle. You can simply tell your viewer to visit your website, check out your blog, or reach out to you if they have any questions.

7. Publicity

When you’ve finished creating your video, don’t just publish it on one platform. You can’t expect your video to do all the work— you need to put in some effort too. Make sure you publish your video on different platforms such as your website’s landing page, product description pages, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and even your Facebook feed.

Exposing your video online can help you gain traffic and potential customers. Also, don’t be shy to share it with your friends and family. Word-of-mouth is a great marketing tool.

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8. Mobile Optimization

Lastly, optimize your video for mobile use. Whether you want to make it vertical or use bigger fonts for better readability, keep the largest global audience in mind.

Since everyone is constantly on their phones, it’s easier to access information on mobile. When uploading it on various platforms, remember to make it optimized for viewing on mobile devices. No one wants to constantly flip their phones to watch your video.

Now that you have these tips, it’s time to create that video you’ve been thinking about.

This article is written by Andre Oentoro. Andre is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order). Follow him: Twitter | LinkedIn.