Why You Should Start Thinking About Video Advertising

We see it everywhere – Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Snapchat, Vine and plenty more. But why is video everywhere? Simply put: people are busy and time is precious.

According to Hubspot. 55% of consumers pay close attention when watching videos in comparison to other marketing content types. 43% want to see more video content from marketers.

Video has become cheaper and easier to make than ever before, and conveniently free to distribute thanks to YouTube and other forms of social media. Who would want to spend half an hour reading an article when you could receive the same information in a tenth of that time? Video saves time and conveys information in a much more effective way than text on a page. Research has shown that the human brain processes visual info 60,000 times faster than text.

In this day and age it is growing increasingly harder to capture people’s attention. The average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds in 2013. The lesson? Those first few seconds of content are crucial to keeping your audience interested.

How does video benefit businesses?

Being able to show someone your business rather than just telling them allows viewers to relate to your business better as it offers some personality and emotion.

Not only are more people compelled to watch a video over reading an article, but they are also more likely to share it. Which is great for businesses as this leads to more exposure and can help your content engagement grow.

What can I avoid when making my own video?

The first thing that consumers don’t want to see is you sitting in front of your webcam with an unshaven face and a vague idea of what you’re going to say. As with any good project, you need to plan first. Look professional, write yourself a script and be confident.

One of the first things is to ensure your video is not too long. People won’t watch a 45 minute video on a single product you have to offer straight off the bat. Make it short and sweet but don’t leave out important information.

Another key tip for your video creation is, don’t make it all about yourself and your business. Talk about your customer, not at them. Explain your services from the point of view of the audience or potential buyer and they will be much more receptive to what you are saying to them.

While Facebook’s auto-play feature is giving brands huge impressions, the same principle should be applied to your website. Setting your videos to auto-play is like being a salesperson trying to catch people’s eye in the middle of a shopping centre. It is just going to frustrate people and cause more resistance. The best rule of thumb here is to let people opt in, not opt out.

If you’re not already sold on exactly why you should be pursuing video in your advertising, then here are a few things you need to remember:

1.You can produce a fairly decent video using a smartphone or webcam, so this is not out of scope for your business.

2.People will watch a video over reading, so your reach will likely be greater than anything you could achieve with static content alone.

3.The best advertising strategy is one that embraces multiple channels that are strategically relevant, so don’t skip over it because it’s new and seems hard.

Now the camera is in your hands, and you get to make the choice on whether video is right for your business… lights, camera, action!

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