The “hot happenings” in social media are constantly changing. As a business owner, it’s important you stay on top of social media trends and evaluate how you can harness their power to stay connected with your audience. Video has been found to be one of the biggest trends in social media today. However, we’ve also found it’s one of the marketing tactics most underutilized, especially by small business who think video is out of their technical and financial hands.
We’ve done some digging on what makes video such a popular and must-use social media tactic, plus included some tips on how to incorporate it in your marketing strategy, so you can stay up with the trends and in front of your audience.
As we briefly touched on, 2019 was a big year for video and it isn’t going anywhere. By 2021, approximately 80% of the world’s internet traffic will be video. Research has shown that people watch A LOT of video online; 16 hours per week in fact! This makes perfect sense when you consider how much quicker and more enjoyable it is to watch a how-to, for example, than read a lengthy content piece. Wyzowl’s State of Video Marketing Survey determined that 96% of people have watched an explainer video, most people prefer to learn more about a product or service that way, and 84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
Not sure where to start? Here’s some quick tips to get you going:
- Use your phone! Even a short self-shot video is attention grabbing. So, pull out your camera and snap a quick video of a new product you’re getting ready to launch or tell your audience about a sale you have going on. Authentic video is very valuable, no fancy video crew required!
- Check out YouTube! If your budget doesn’t allow you to produce your own video, share one that’s already been created. Just be sure it’s relevant to your brand, product, and/or service. As the second most used search engine (behind Google, Facebook is 4th!), there’s bound to be a video related to your brand or even created by a parent company on YouTube.
- Research local video production companies. More often than not, there’s a video crew in your area that can offer the creative and technical expertise you need to create your own, branded videos. While this can seem like a hefty expense, think of it as an investment. Recall those stats above and remember that if it’s done correctly, video can be re-purposed and utilized for years to come.
The research behind the power of video is extensive. The bottom line is that consumers want video. It’s how they prefer to learn about products or services, how they engage with brands, and even influences what they share with their friends (they’re TWICE as likely to share video content than any other content!). Still not convinced? maybe these impressive YouTube statistics, will convince you to add more video into your marketing plan.
At LŪM Studio, we’ve worked with many of our clients, some with very small budgets, to incorporate video in their social media strategy and we’re happy to do the same for you! Contact us today!
Interested in learning more about Social Media marketing? Check out these related posts and resources:
- Get on the Social Media Train
- Developing Content for your Social Media Audience
- Which Social Media Platforms Should You Be Using?
- 5 Types of Social Media Ads You Need to Be Using
- Top Social Media Metrics to Measure Your Goals