By Beth Anthony Special to The News-Post, Jul 14, 2019
There’s no denying it: Entrepreneurship is on the rise, and small businesses face stiff competition as they look to capture the attention of consumer markets. In fact, the internet has become the great equalizer when it comes to accessing information, allowing consumers to connect with businesses of any size in just a few clicks. But even if your business offers a unique product or service, you could find yourself lost in the digital clutter. While there are many tactics small businesses can use to stand out, few will prove more effective in today’s digital age than video marketing. Capitalizing on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter provide businesses the opportunity to reach new and existing customers, often at little to no monetary investment. But according to a study done by Wyzowl, 48 percent of people said they’d be most likely to share video content with their friends ahead of any other type of content. This means if you want to drive higher engagement and more interactions, a portion of your posts need to incorporate video. In addition, videos in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter automatically play in your newsfeed, making your posts more eye-catching to consumers than just text. But it isn’t just social media platforms garnering the attention of video. Google now owns YouTube, and that in itself should mean a lot to any business owner. There are varying statistics regarding how many times more a website with embedded videos gets exposure, but most put this figure above 50 times. This means if you’re looking to capitalize on organic traffic, the only way you’ll get to the top is with video, and considering 75 percent of people never venture past the first page of search results, adding video to your website is well worth it. In addition to boosting your online presence, video also provides an opportunity for businesses to connect with consumers on an emotional level. According to Medium, 94 percent of respondents said they would be “highly likely to recommend a brand they were emotionally engaged with.” This means using video to connect with consumers on an emotional level will help increase audience engagement, while also providing the opportunity to promote your product or service. In fact, 80 percent of viewers can recall a video they’ve seen within the last 30 days. Can anyone say the same about a blog post or Facebook update? There’s no doubt that the internet has become an increasingly crowded space to advertise in, and when it comes to online marketing most small businesses change their marketing strategy based on the audience they’re trying to reach. For example, younger users spend more of their time on Snapchat, while millennials dominate Facebook. That isn’t the case with video marketing. From the youngest to the oldest internet user, everyone loves video, which means your small business can reach any audience at any time. Yet even with all the evidence and statistics that demonstrate video marketing is essential for propelling your business forward, a surprisingly large number of small-business owners still shy away from video, presenting a huge advantage to their competitors. The fact is if you’re not using video, you should be. On average companies who use video grow 49 percent faster than those who don’t. Conversion rates nearly double for websites using video and 72 percent of consumers say they’d rather watch a video to learn about a product or service. Bottom line: Video marketing is the most effective and powerful tool a small business can use to advertise, increase sales, and expand their customer base. Whether it’s a product review, a testimonial or a webinar, having video content will surely grab your audience’s attention and keep them wanting more. Beth Anthony is a SCORE subject matter expert. She has worked in the video production industry for more than 15 years and specializes in digital content creation and video marketing. |
Marcus Guiliano
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