How Animated Videos Can Help To Promote Your Business

Why Animation Videos Are So Popular?

Animation is not all about just children’s pictures and something that you fool around with at some point in your lifetime. It has been found that animation, if used properly, can bring about great success for a business.  The use of animation in digital marketing sphere has shown promising results in recent years.

Another reason why the current popular trend of animated videos is set to grow is only due to high-speed Internet and its market penetration.

An animated video presents information on the screen using colourful graphics and engaging motion. Industry gurus opine that with animated videos the marketing possibilities are endless.

Many companies of different sizes and types are all getting on the bandwagon of using animated videos as part of their online marketing strategies.

Animated videos are used extensively by the more established companies to explain how their products or services work. So much so, even start-ups with limited budgets are foraying into the world of animated graphics to promote their business and are viewing it as an integral part of their business strategy. Read on to find out why you can use animated videos to promote your business.

1. People are visual learners

It is a known fact that of 65% of people can learn more by viewing pictures, that is, they are visual learners. Over 90% of information that reaches the brain is visual in nature. Visual information that reaches the brain is processed faster than any other type and can  understand easily.

For all of these reasons, there has come about a noticeable increase in the video content that is streamed through social media and the Internet.

The fact that Facebook streams an average of over 4 billion videos in a day bears evidence to this fact. In short, pictures and videos are more remembered in people’s minds than just text.

2. Animated videos can be produced quickly

Many companies, even today, think that only large corporations with big budgets sell their products through the online video channel. It is true that live action video, in addition to a substantial budget, has all the ingredients depending on outside influences: shooting the video, actors, wardrobes of the actors, and location to shoot the scene.

It needs more equipment to create. The end video can, therefore, make or break the message that you intend to spread to your prospective clients.

However, it should be understood that live action video is not the only way in which you can make your customers understand about your product or service. Animated videos can be created quickly in a definite and controlled environment.

The tools are available within your organization and there is a total control of the final product. It works out cheaper and it is possible to deliver the message that you want your audience to see and understand in a powerful manner using an animated video.

3. Animated videos can help to improve your Google ranking

One of the metrics that Google uses to rank websites is the amount of time that a user spends on the site. The average website user is known to spend only 10 or a maximum of 20 seconds if no other reason compels him/her to stay further. If the visitor leaves the website within a few seconds, your Google ranking can be affected.

An animated video can do help to improve the rankings. Animated videos are entertaining, educative and fun to watch. The chances are very high that a visitor to the website will watch an animated video that is playing on the landing page of your website before leaving the site.

It is estimated that for a site having animated videos, the website average time for a visitor is found to increase from 8 seconds to about 2 minutes.

4. Animated Videos can help to increase conversion rates

According to surveys that have been conducted, over 85% of respondents admitted that they have ended up buying a product after seeing an animated video that explained the use of the product.

More than keeping the visitors at the website for longer periods, they help to convert prospective clients into customers. In this light, it is important to note that the videos should be created in the most exciting and innovative manner for conversions to increase.

5. Animated videos can go viral

Most animated videos are made with characters that represent prospective clients. They are made in such a way that they are informative as well as entertaining.

If the video is something that they can relate to, the level of engagement is high. It is possible that they will share it with like-minded friends.

The video can then go viral and this directly translates to a huge exposure and an increase in the number of new prospective clients. The increase in the amount of interest brings along more business growth and sales.

The best stories are when the customers-to-be form the stars. Always project the company as a supporting character in the video.

6. Animated videos serve to draw the viewer’s attention

Animations with the right mix of movements and colours can draw the viewer’s attention and keep them hooked on to the movie. The story-telling techniques that are employed also play an important part.

Visual aids are proven to be more persuasive (43% more) than verbal attempts to persuade. Animated videos have both the audio and visual communication that significantly enhances perception.

7. Animated videos are easy to understand

The characters and elements in an animated video are combined in such a way that the most complex data and concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. The best part is that the simple format is easy for the viewer to remember.

The characters in an animated movie can be made to act in any manner for you. They can fly, speak, sing or dance to convey your message to the audience.

Animated Videos can be used to highlight the key points of your product or service in an effective manner. They put across important matter across to the audience in a matter of few minutes which otherwise would have taken hours to read and understand. The recommended length for an animated movie to advertise your product is 90 to 120 seconds.

8. Animated videos are economical

Animated video is one of the cheapest ways that you can use to promote a product or a service that your business offers. All it needs is the creativeness of a team that will put together an idea using animation skills.

Animated videos are not very expensive to create and are seen to provide optimal ROI and lead conversion rates for just about any business (an increase of about 80%).

Animated videos need not be updated as frequently as live-action videos as they remain fresh for longer periods unlike the latter.

9. Animated videos help you to stay ahead of the pack

A good-quality animated video is what can make you beat the competition. A high-quality video places you in the market as an innovative and futuristic company and sets you apart from the rest of the pack.

10. Animated videos are a great way of engaging with customers

People all over the world watch videos every day. It is estimated that over one-third of the time that an individual spends online is for watching videos. Therefore, making use of animated videos is seen as one of the best ways to catch the attention of a prospective customer.

It can be considered as the very first step in making a sale. Therefore, making use of content that engages the audience is crucial to make your product or service a success.

11. Animated videos help to improve SEO

Google loves animated videos as much as your prospective clients. As Google rankings improve when you place videos on your website, it is also a good way to improve your SEO and  your website to rank higher in Google’s search listings. This is one major reason why animated videos are being used more.

If you host your animated video on YouTube and embed these on your website, you can do a smart job of including keywords in the video andaccording to statistics, the chances of your video making it to the first page of Google search listings increases by over 50 times.

#12: Animated videos appeal to everyone

Animated videos appeal to a much larger group than just children. Many animated videos boast of millions of subscribers (e.g., Kurzgesagt in YouTube).  Animated videos do not promote any specific race, age, religion or nationality.

This is important for your business because the whole world is the market for your online business. Therefore it needs to appeal to everyone and reach different demographic groups, cultures and races.

13. Animated videos are helpful tools that aid in building your brand

Animated videos give your business fantastic opportunity to build a brand. The creative team that builds the video can incorporate brand images, logos and colours of your business into the video every time. They can even build a series of videos that will help to place the brand successfully in the market.

In the light of the above discussions, the reasons why an online business owner would want to make animated videos on board the marketing campaign are as follows:

  • They pave way for increased sales
  • They serve to increase conversions
  • They improve search engine rankings
  • They put forth easy-to-remember marketing messages
  • They keep up the customer engagement
  • They reduce the consultations because of a better understanding of how the product/service works
The Bottom Line

If you are a business owner and you have not added animated videos as part of your marketing strategy, it is time to get started now. There are cloud-based programs that help to create animated videos quickly and easily with simple tools that can be used to drag and drop figures.

More than 64% of prospective clients are likely to buy a product online after watching videos and that over 50% of viewers are looking for more information about a product or a service after watching a video should be reasons enough to get started.

10 Distinct Benefits of Video Marketing for Small Businesses

‘Less is more’ is the thumb rule of marketing.  There is no better way than a video to convey your brand message in lesser time with a deeper meaning to a broader audience.

Videos are the best marketing tool for small businesses. It has high ROI and a better reach. With many marketers vying for the small internet space, videos are a useful tool to make your presence felt online.

There is no denying the fact that video marketing is one of the newest entrants in the promotion mix, something that gained popularity after the advent of digital marketing. However, small marketers still have many doubts before venturing into video marketing.

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Is it worth the time and effort to consider using videos for promotion or not? Do I have enough resource to create one?  Such questions regularly pop up in their minds to which they do not always get a satisfactory answer.

Here are 10 reasons why video marketing is a profitable way to promote business for small business owners and how they can use it to their advantage.

1. Videos generate trust:

Based on building relationships, video marketing works on the simple fact that ‘Action speaks louder than words.’ When you convey your message to your audience through a video, you establish an emotional connection with them.

Videos give you the flexibility to capture the sentiments of your audience. Therefore, it empowers you to build a long-term relationship with your clients.

2. Boost conversion:

Yes, videos boost conversion by 80%. When you add a product video to your landing page, it helps your viewers make an instant and informed decision. They make the purchase which eventually increases your conversion and your sales.  It is, therefore, a wise decision to add videos to your promotion box and consider it more of an investment rather than an expense.

3. Google finds it easily: Ever searched for ‘How To’ on Google observed the striking results it offers. It is because Google loves videos and display them instantly when someone searches for it.

Videos, when embedded on your website or present via a Youtube link, have a higher chance of drawing customers to your website. This results in more traffic and more ROI.

4. Videos are self-explanatory:

While website content and blogs can sometimes be long to read, videos engage a customer for a few seconds to a minute to explain the concept.

Consider a new product you have just launched and want to inform customers about the same, which option you would choose, a blog or a video. Certainly creating a video works like 98% users say that they watch an explainer video to learn about a product or service.

5. Easy to share on social platforms:

When we talk about viral content, it is always the video that comes to our mind. Videos score over any other marketing tool when it comes to create viral content. Since videos are easy to share on social platforms and also on platforms such as Whatsapp and Hangouts, it has a wider reach and chances of more people viewing it are always high.

Today, more than 60% of social marketers make use of video content to convey their message and finds it more effective than any other marketing tool.

6. Improves search engine rank:

We all love to watch videos, and it is a great tool when it comes to sales and conversion. It is also good for how search engine evaluates your website.

With tools like Google Analytics, you can check the number of times visitors accessed your website and how long they stay by checking the bounce rate. You will observe a stark difference in the bounce rate and other parameters after you have implemented your video marketing strategy.

7. It makes you look modern:

Video marketing is considered as the latest and the most advanced marketing tool. When customers saw your product or brand video, they perceive your company as one with a modern approach. They appreciate businesses which are up-to-date and want to associate with such companies.

8. Videos are still not used by many small businesses:

Accept it or not, there are marketers who despite knowing the importance of video marketing, are not using it in their promotion mix. This gives you an advantage over other small businesses and even your competitors. You can create your niche with the help of videos and customers will remember you for a long time because of your video marketing strategy.

9. Power of Live videos:

Everyone is using Live streaming via Periscope or Facebook Live. Although a bit difficult and not everyone’s cup of tea, it is still prevalent among business owners and celebrities. The most significant benefit is it encourages people to engage and post comments. It instantly involves people as they can see response to their comments. It becomes easy to reach your target audience with such a tool.

10.Video appeal to mobile users:

Mobile phones and videos go hand in hand. Most of the consumers watch videos on their mobile, and since the number of mobile users is increasing, videos will gain more popularity.

Tying It All Together

Video advertising has now become more widespread and affordable too. It has a global reach and has the potential of reaching every consumer, be it any location, age and interest group. The key however still lies in creating an enticing video with precise content. It requires a creative mindset and knowledge of human psychology to create a video.

Small business owners should make it an integral part of their business promotion and use it to the maximum of their advantage.

How Much Does It Cost to Make a Promotional Video

A promotional video has inherent great worth in it. Those appear genuine as characters in them display real facial expressions and body language.

The dialogue of the characters in the video simply adds meaning and power to the ideas behind the creation of the product. Lending the product a bit of candor, the promotional videos lend credence to the concepts of utilities in the product.

More often than not, promotional videos are most effective in giving detailed product demonstrations. Moreover, the videos have proven their mettle in engaging the attention of the viewers.

As entertainment and educational values are ingrained in them, the videos are great marketing tools.

As the videos are really persuasive, the messages in the products and services stay etched in the minds of the customers forever.

Making a commercial video includes several types of costs.

Let’s make a list of them.

  • Cost of camera
  • Selection of location and cost involved
  • Fees of models or actors
  • Post production costs

Although the above costs would vary from case to case, there are certain factors that influence the costs. Let’s know them one-by-one.

Script and the idea behind it

“Ideation” or generation of an idea is the most important part of making of a promotional video. For this, a creative script writer could literally cast a magic spell through an interesting script. Usually, a good idea leads to compilation of a good script.

A witty script writer simply transforms the idea to an interesting script. A good script writer could charge between 4000 to 10000 rupees. For a commercial video, a good script is the first stepping-stone for making a successful commercial video.

Shooting of the video project

Cost of transportation

This part of the making of the commercial video is the costliest. It has many things that simply add to the piling of the expenses. Let’s begin with the cost of transportation.

The production houses charge 20 to 30 rupees per kilometer. They could even charge a fixed amount for the same.

Cost of camera

The cost of camera with the operator could cost an additional expense of 20,000 to 30,000 rupees in a day. This amount is applicable for a commercial in a national television.

But if the commercial video is being made for a local television or simply for a cable network, the complete all inclusive costs could come to 30,000 rupees.

Cost of additional equipment

Besides the above, the producer would have to incur additional types of costs, such as charges for track and trolley, chains and jibs, and lights etc.

Actors and models & their fees

The popularity of actors and models plays decisive part in the cost of making promotional videos. When the advertiser makes up his mind to hire popular models and actors, it certainly adds to the cost of video. If the budget for the promotional video is less, the producer could opt to hire new faces in the industry.

While the budding actresses or models would, of course, work for the producer for a paltry sum of five or ten thousand rupees, the fees of the established models or actors could come in huge amounts. Nowadays, successful television actors charge whopping amounts for their roles in the videos.

Post-production expenses

Usually, the making of a video goes through three phases, such as pre-production, production, and post-production. Editing matters the most in the aftermath of production.

The video production companies could charge up to 5000 rupees per hour for editing the video.

In some cities in India, the production companies charge 2000 to 3000 rupees for editing the video. In case the producers include motion graphics or animations, the expenses for editing even could go higher.

2D & 3D Promotional videos- a new dimension in product’s marketing

As new technology is breaking ground, 2D & 3D animation technology helps a lot to showcase products in concise and clear way.

As multi-media and video animation services are now going through a boom time, the animated videos could literally bring revolution in products’ marketing.

Moreover, animation videos are literally wonderful to explain products and concepts or ideas in the marketability of services.

To add to it, the videos are fully entertaining and those have the versatility to deliver the messages to the core audience.

No need to hire models, actors, and select location and props-great advantage in cost

The promotional videos made with the help of 2D and 3D technology have great advantages in the cost of its production. Those are as follows;

  • The advertisers could create animated videos by completely adhering it to the brand guidelines.
  • In case of necessity, the advertiser could make such videos without hiring actors and models.
  • As locations and props add great expenses to the making of promotional videos, those are not even necessary, when videos have the applications of 2D and 3D technology.
  • Last but not least, the making of 2D and 3D promotional videos could take place completely through in-house productions.
Other benefits of 2D Animated Video
  • As business houses functions in stiff competition, brand building has now become tougher. Invariably, the business leaders look for means for simple but effective business promotion. A 2D animation video works in a simpler way, establishing a quicker rapport with the customers.
  • The moving objects and characters in the 2D animation video literally work wonders by keeping the viewers engrossed for longer periods.
The power of 3D Animated Video- simply unbelievable
  • The integration of 3d promotional video could integrate an immediate sense of production value as it has proven its mettle for adding a sense of depth and special effects of lighting. With apt movement of camera in 3D technology, the video seems to acquire a new high of professionalism.
  • The 3D animation not only adds dynamic movement to the video but also makes the video clip colorful with varying compositions. As a result, the transitions in the video could easily catch the attention of the viewers and convince them to buy the products and services.

 

10 Distinct Benefits of Outstream Video Ads

As digitization steps in with its innumerable benefits, social media has grown by leaps and bounds. At this crucial point of time, marketing strategies are fast evolving new changes that could bring richer dividends.

Out-stream videos are the latest in this trend to bring in a new type of ad format, which would allow the publishers to display their video ads at different places in the content. Such videos appear in text line or in the web-page corners.

Although, out-stream videos have not gained massive popularity, the usage has now increased rapidly. As the publishers felt hurdles in the past in the creation of ads for the users, out-stream videos have brought a new lease of life, which would benefit both users and advertisers.

Let’s know about ten distinct benefits of out-stream videos.

Out-stream Videos ads- most dependable independent units

Out-stream videos work as independent units without becoming introduction to another video. For this, various distinguished publishers such as Mashable and Rolling Stone have begun using out-stream ads through in-read formats. What does it actually mean? Let’s understand.

When someone is going through an article, he or she would be able to watch an auto-play video. When the reader scrolls down the video, it simply leaves his or her area of vision. It also gives the reader another advantage to unmute the video in case he wants to listen.

Highest monetization of sites- a distinct advantage

Out stream ads allow publishers to monetize their sites without pestering the readers, which is a striking advantage. Moreover such ads have the catchy and cool formats with proven utilities to reach middle ground and bestow opportunity on the publishers to monetize their sites.

With these utilities, such videos would become immensely popular in the world of online video advertising in the upcoming years.

Unique positioning of ads in the editorial content – capable of running in any device

Out-stream ads have great innovative formats, which could position the video advertising in the center of the editorial content. Once the reader gets it inside his vision, the video begins playing. But it starts pausing, once it is less than 50% visible.

And it merges continuously back into the web-page as the reader completes viewing the content. The other distinct advantage of such videos is that it could run in every device, browser, and operating system without any problem.

Best usage in mobiles- handy and convenient

As research has shown already, highest number of readers prefers to read content via cell phones, out-stream ads run excellently on the mobile phones, especially on smart-phones.

Normally people spend more time in looking at the videos in their smart-phones, the out-stream videos have proven their efficacy.

Out-stream ads- more contextual and less insidious

As the customers have always felt that such videos appear almost like organic content, those are not invasive and naturally related to content.

It gives the liberty to the readers to view completely or partially and this advantage certainly adds worth to the overall content presentation, while adding value to the information presented in it.

Publishers enjoy out-stream ads the most- popular with brands, bloggers, and traditional media

Nowadays, all types of brands, bloggers, and traditional media have begun using out-stream video. As earlier, the readers were habitually going through grey text, addition of multicolored videos makes the content visual friendly and for this reason, the readers like to stay on the page for longer time.

Out-stream videos add dimension to story-telling- a new dimension to learning

Such videos have altogether added a new dimension to story-telling. It gives the readers alternative ways to explore. Making the information accessible to every learner, who is having problems such as lower reading skills, shorter spans of attention, and vision impairment, such ads have proven their mettle in the world of online advertising.

New way of presenting information- publishers’ delight

As the publishers have forever looked for ways to present information, out-stream videos have proven their worth in this area.

Just think of the online cooking videos, those are really great sources of passive learning. Watching such videos really adds fun as it is sometimes boring to browse a written recipe.

Unique solution for the marketing needs- complete engagement of audience

Out-stream impressions are completely unique as solutions because those do not come attached to any other content. Unlike You Tube ads, which begin even before the commencement of the videos, the out-streamed ads appear alone in the placement of ads in the articles of the websites.

This endows unique benefits on the ads to grab the attention of the audience, while the ads do not interrupt the viewing experience of the readers.

The advertisers have always found that such ads give great opportunities for their marketing needs. They have opined that such ads give them real opportunities to buy video solutions programmatically as those give better satisfaction to users.

Simply speaking, the business houses find the buying experiences of such ads extremely satisfying as their customers feel less disrupted, while they go through the content of the article.

Behavioral targeting-easier by out-stream ads

The out-stream ads enable the publishers to keep a list of videos to meet the rising demands of people, who want to place good but related ads in their content.

This helps the publishers to make the behavioral study of particular group of users and guides them to identify new chunks of essential users.

The following are the three distinct advantages that out-stream videos certainly bestow on the publishers and readers;

  • Improvement in viewing of a content
  • Better rate of clicking on the ads
  • Greater versatility in the placement of ads in the article

As a result more than 70% of advertisers and 77% of the agencies have found the out-stream ads to be uniquely effective and essential for their purposes.

Literally, such videos have brought a halt to search for new formats for making of videos that could enrich their efforts for developing engaging videos.

 

 

Why Video Marketing is So Powerful for Businesses

Video content has emerged as the preferred format of consuming content. You don’t need statistics to figure that out. Just think of your own browsing choices. If you wanted to know about the top 10 places to holiday (or any other topic), would you read about it or watch a three minute video?

Here are some staggering statistics that shows the popularity of videos:

> Video traffic was 73% of all consumer internet traffic in 2016. This will rise to 82% by 2021. (Cisco VNI, 2016)

> YouTube has one billion users. That’s two third of all internet users.

> 87% of online marketers use video marketing. (Outbrain)

> 10 million videos are watched in Snapchat everyday

> More than 500 million hours of video is watched on  Youtube everyday

Why Do We Prefer Video?

So what is it that makes us prefer video over text? It’s our lazy brain.

Our brains need more work to construct meaning from text. On the other hand, comprehending visuals is easy for our brains.

The eyes are our most active sense and we have used visual communication for thousands of years.  The combination of visuals and auditory input is what makes video a more natural way of communication for us.

90% of information sent to the brain is visuals and the interesting fact is that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. This is the reason videos need fewer steps to extract meaning and are perceived with ease.

What Video Marketing Can Do for Your Business?

Videos can do all that a successful marketing tool should do for your business. It can increase your conversion, builds your brand and sell your product convincingly. Consider the following numbers:

  • Videos on landing page improve conversion rate by 80% (Eyeview Digital)
  • 4 in 5 consumers believe that demo videos are helpful
  • Online shoppers who view video are 1.8 times more likely to make a purchase than non-viewers. (Animoto,2015)
  • Using the word ‘video’ in the e-mail subject line increase the open rate by 19% (Syndacast)
  • Visitors spend 2.6 times more time on a page with video (Wistia)

Videos also help in SEO as more time spent on page and greater shareability of videos boost rankings on search engines. Product videos explain your product in an easy to understand and captivating way.

Check out this video of Ultra Ever Dry that went viral.

In his book Influence, Rober Caildni gives six techniques to influence anyone. Videos use all these techniques effectively which makes them great for marketing.

The six factors of influence are reciprocity, likeability, trust, authority, social proof and scarcity.

Videos can play on all of these techniques. Videos featuring founder or employees naturally build trust and likeability among viewers. A video where someone is speaking to you is much more personal than reading text. This builds relation with the brand and personifies it.

Although a text article can also show your expertise, a video gives more information to build authority. For example, authority is also built by the expressions, tone of voice and clothing.

Testimonial videos are a great way to build social proof. A compilation of your satisfied and happy customers makes visitors more likely to make the purchase.

Finally, the principle of reciprocity is also used when you give lots of information in the form of video which is easier to consume but harder to make. Your customers are more likely to notice the effort and pay you back.

Our natural preference for visuals and human interaction make video marketing the most powerful tool for business. Here are some tips to make sure your videos drive consumer action.

#1 Keep videos short and to the point

According to Animoto, Almost 75% of consumers prefer video under 60 seconds. Consumers are impatient with their attention and penalize brands that waste their time. Ask yourself if there is a shorter way to tell your message.

#2 Prefer Humans over Animation

Videos with people get more engagement than animated or whiteboard videos. We naturally connect more to a smiling human face and a trusting voice. However, animation may be a better option for explaining complex concepts and processes.

#3 Use the right type of video

There are many categories of video. You can make a product video, testimonial video, founder story video or an entertaining content video. Use the right video on the right page.

For example, a testimonial video would be great to convert leads on landing page whereas founder’s story would fit well on the homepage of your website. You must also choose the video based on your industry. A product business will require a product video but a law consultancy will do well to produce videos with legal tips for clients.

#4 Budget Videos

A popular video doesn’t have to be expensive. Many small business owners shoot regular videos from their desk and get good results.

The important part is to understand what your customers would like to see and deliver that in the simplest way possible. Make sure the lighting is sufficient and voice is audible.

Why Videos are so Popular in Social Media Marketing Campaigns

It is said that what you say is as important as how you say it. Marketers are always finding better ways to reach out to their targets and engage them in a meaningful way. The Cisco Visual Networking Index has forecasted that video will account for almost 70% of consumer internet traffic by 2017. Videos are more likely to be shared in social media as compared to a written article. According to Nielsen 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in coming years. This is why social media marketing services are also emphasizing on creating more video content for their clients.

Here are the reasons why videos are gaining popularity in social media and are one of the best ways to connect with your audience:

Visually appealing

Do you remember the colorful pictures in your textbooks disappearing as you graduated to higher grades? Didn’t the books look scarier and less appealing each year?

There are four primary learning styles: visual, read-write, auditory and kinesthetic. Each person has a predominant style but using more of these means that the learner, or in our case the audience, finds it more enjoyable to consume, learn and understand content. Videos can use all of the four styles together and give a richer experience to the users. It is because they engage more of the senses that they are so appealing to social media users.

Ease of Absorption

The human brain always searches for the shortest way to do a task. Generally speaking, our brain has to do many processes to take in the meaning of a written content. In contrast to this, videos give us easily digestible visuals, audios and mind maps to take in. Videos are simply more effective way of getting the meaning of a message compared to a written article. They are also more useful to communicate complex concepts by including animation, simple relation- charts and diagrams.

Reducing Attention Span

The attention span of readers is decreasing day by day as it is proved by the popularity of sites like Instagram, Vine and Twitter. Although the rate of hearing in humans is less than the rate of reading ( 250 words/ min for reading  vs 150 words/ min for hearing), a video packs in more content in a shorter span of time. This is because a lot of information on product/concept is given simultaneously in a frame which would otherwise have required a lengthy written description.

Social media users are hence more drawn to videos and are more likely to share it with their friends who are equally hard-pressed for time in this world of information overload. Many social media marketing services run analytics to understand the attention span of users and determining factors on what content is shared.

Human Touch

Humans are social animals and we are wired to interact with others. In fact, our brains reward us with happy hormones on interacting with others and lack of interaction leads to depression. Videos are closer to reality by enabling users to see the people, their expression and actual demonstrations of tasks being performed. Videos also fulfill our need to know more people and are hence, a more rewarding way of information consumption.

So, when you conduct social media marketing campaign for your client make sure to invest more time and money on creating engaging videos. These videos can surely attract your target audience, generate leads, and thereby leading to conversions.

 

Video Marketing and Its Impact On Your Business

 

When it comes to digital or online marketing, the use of videos is gaining in popularity. The reason for this is the impact they provide. It is far greater than mere words as text and even static images. Research by top digital marketing agencies says that on Facebook, videos are clicked more often than mere pictures or text. And we know that Facebook‘s move to auto play videos is only going to increase video viewership.

Sharing of videos through social media has become the recent trend and statistics has shown that sharing of videos is 267% more when compared to posts.

Recommended Read: Video Content Marketing Trends 2015

Why Videos?

What videos have achieved is not a big secret, but what has led to this boom in video marketing is something to be analyzed. So, what is so special about videos?

  • The engagement power of a video is very high. While a reader may leave a post mid way, a video is capable of holding him onto his seat, simply because it has the capability to tell a story.
  • A video can easily convey an emotion to the viewer when compared to a reading an article or any other content.
  • Time is an important factor. A thousand words article may take some time to read, whereas the same article can be explained elaborately through a video.  1.8 Million Words = 1 minute video is something to keep in mind.
  • An average user of the internet sees 32.2 videos in a month and 16 minutes and 49 sec is the time he spends on watching online videos in a month.
  • A 2010 survey showed that the advent of videos increased the click through rate by 96%.
  • Moreover videos can also increase brand association by up to 139%.

How to Make Videos that Can Make an Impact?

While it is true that videos can make the impact that can push your products online, one should be really careful about the videos that they make. A bad video can be as viral as a good one. If not made properly, a video can do more damage to your business and you may not even realize it. So how to make videos that can boost your business?

  • Knowing what the audience wants is the key. When marketing a product online using a video, it should target the audience to whom the product or service is intended for. The viewer should easily relate to the video and understand what it is.
  • What is the product, how it works, how it helps the user, how can the viewer get the product, are the common question that the video must answer.
  • Remember, the idea of making a video is to free the viewer from reading a lengthy description page and hence save his time. Therefore making a 5 minute video can be suicide. The video should be short and simple.
  • Videos that are 15 sec or shorter are shared 37% or more than those between 30 sec to 1 minute.
  • The video should be engaging right from the beginning. If not, viewers may choose to skip them midway. 8 seconds is the amount of time within which the video must grab the attention of the viewer. VisibleMeasures, a popular consumer behaviour research team found in their research that 20% of viewers click away after 8 sec or fewer.
  • The video must be visually appealing to the audience and there should be clarity in the idea presented.
  • It was also found that 16% of YouTube videos that are liked or shared are on Tuesdays between 11 am and 1 pm. Hence, care should be given about when and where to post a video.

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The importance of videos is clear. But one should also keep in mind that video alone cannot help boost your product or services. Giving importance only to videos may also affect your online marketing strategies.

When combining videos with full page ads, it can boost engagement by up to 22% as compared to using them individually. It is noted that while 80% of the visitors go for videos, the remaining 20% prefers text. Even though it is a smaller percentage, it is an important one. A comprehensive technique is vital for online marketing.

Video Content Marketing Trends 2015

Human are visual creatures. We believe what we see. To sell any idea, marketers should get consumers to visualize an idea. That’s where video content marketing comes to the scene. Imagine the effect movies, music videos and TV ads have on our psyche. Now, redirect that effect to your business. A digital marketing agency can finish the intimidating task of making videos with ease.

The Emotional Quotient

The video of a silly dog running around a laughing infant has million views in YouTube. Why? The video has no logic or purpose, but it strikes an emotional chord with the viewer. The audience find the video amusing to watch. That’s the strategy. Any valuable product sold with an emotional touch will make all the difference in the revenue.

The videos need not be all about the product. The focus should be on gaining customer loyalty. Make videos of your work culture, the non profit organisations you work with, the brand’s values, team events, etc. When it gets emotional, it gets personal.

Keep It Short

The videos should not lag. The shorter a video, the greater it’s reception. That’s why TV ads are more powerful than full length movies. The tiny-videos put the spotlight on its message before the audience gets distracted. It is the little things that a digital marketing agency does that matters.

Create short Q&A sessions with customer queries as videos for your online site. It will show the customers that you care. Ask your buyers to share their picture with your products and create small montage videos with that.

Entertainment

Video content marketing should never be boring. The visuals should be attractive, well shot and funny. People never forget a famous movie dialogue or a catchy song chorus. It’s because of their entertainment values. Anything wrapped in humour will bring positivity all around. Customers will feel at ease when they see the glamorous or goofy side of your business.

Make funny videos with your workers or share funny stories. Film highlights of the year or show your audience the perks of using your products. Add some catchy tunes to it. There you go! These are some simple equations to videos which one cannot forget.

Information

Boost the value of your products with video content marketing. Watching a video makes a person understand better than reading a book. A digital marketing agency’s videos provide much information about the products in short amounts of time. It’s creative, effortless and efficient.

Make instructional manuals in video formats and upload those to your site. It helps your customers to get the most out of your products. Give a virtual tour of your site to enhance the user interface. Document how your products are made and show them to your customers.

Visual Attraction

The huge advantage of video content marketing over others is that it’s attractive. But, a shabby video will backfire. It’s important to put in efforts to make catchy videos. The length, visual aesthetics, the concept and everything matters. A digital marketing agency can help you with a dedicated video team.

Every single thing that comes on screen is essential and must be given attention. When there are millions of options available, a customer will never waste time on a bad video.

Do follow your competitors’ activities to stay updated with your video content marketing. You learn more by watching videos than reading about videos. It also avoids the same videos being made again.

With many advantages to its side, Video content marketing is a powerful digital marketing tool. By focusing on making quality videos, you help, entertain and guide your customers. When made to feel included, your targets always stay loyal!