As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1000 words, and this has never been the case more than today. Video and photography are now an integral part of modern life and they are becoming increasingly crucial to the marketing of products and services than ever before.
The advancement of modern technology means that most of the kit we own, from laptops to smart phones, have in built cameras. Furthermore, social media has evolved to value photography and video above all else, particularly through platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest.
Video and photography should therefore form a key part of any marketing strategy or communications plan. But if you’re still not convinced of the benefits, let us outline some of the main benefits for you.
Grab and retain customer attention
According to Industrial Marketer, an article with relevant imagery gains 94% more total views than an article without. Equally, a press release containing images is likely to have a much bigger impact than one without. Furthermore, video has been shown to demand more consumer attention than any other medium. In an age where everyone is putting out content all of the time, grabbing attention is key.
Not only are consumers likely to be attracted by photography or video content, they are also far more likely to engage with it. According to the Content Marketing Institute, audiences are around 10 times more likely to engage, embed, share and comment on video content than blogs or social posts.
As people get busier, photography and video offer audiences a convenient alternative to having to read long product descriptions, allowing them to see the product or service in action. It is a great way of targeting even the laziest of audiences.
Whilst readers are likely to switch off and move away part way through an article, around 65% of viewers watch more than three-quarters of a video, so if you’ve got a message to get across, video is the best way to go.
Improved SEO
Video can help you to increase the amount of time visitors spend on your website and improve search engine optimisation (SEO). This increased exposure signals to search engines that your site has good content and helps you to move up the search engine results pages (SERPs). In fact, Comscore claims that you are 53 times more likely to appear on Google’s front page if you have a video embedded on your website.
Its important to ensure that you use the tools available to their full potential, however, by optimising their SEO. The best ways to do this are ensure that your videos have interesting titles and descriptions and include a link back to your website.
Increased CTR, Conversion rates and ROI
The use of video in emails has been shown to double click-through rates (CTR). What’s more, adding a product video to your landing page has been shown to increase conversions by up to 80%.
In a recent survey by Wyzowl, 83% of businesses interviewed said that video had provided them with a good return on investment (ROI). So, whilst creating video content may not be the easiest or cheapest task, it does pay off.
And its not just video that brings these benefits. There is also a direct link between utilising high-quality images in marketing and the growth of sales. Photographs help consumers to visualise themselves using a product or service and allows them to imagine it improving their life in some way.
Build Trust
Building trust with customers is the foundation of customer experience (CX) marketing. Not only is trust the foundation of conversions and sales, it is also crucial for building long term relationships with customers. It allows us as marketers to stop “selling” and to, instead, bring customers to us by providing them with interesting and useful information.
The use of video helps to build this trust. It allows customers to get to know a brand and understand its values rather than feeling bombarded with sales strategies. Video engages customers and ignites emotions, and this is why YouTubers and social media influencers have now become the most powerful social media figures to promote brands.
Optimised for Mobile
Depending on what sources you read, mobile is now responsible for between 50% and 55% of all web traffic. Optimising marketing activity for mobile is therefore crucial for brands. And there is no better way to do this than with video.
Video and mobile go hand in hand. 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile and as people like to watch videos on the go, and the number of smartphone users is growing, video audiences continue to grow.
Social Media Friendly
According to Statista, Instagram now has over 1 billion users, and Pinterest claims to have over 250 million users each month. To stand out from the crowd, engage with your audience and generate those all-important shares in a social media landscape that is increasingly dominated by images, it is therefore crucial to put time and energy into the imagery you put out.
With the relatively recent introduction of Facebook Live, Instagram Stories and Periscope on Twitter, video is increasingly important on social media. It is important to remember, however, that users share emotions, not facts. So, whilst it may be tempting to simply share branded videos, ensuring they are entertaining is crucial to encourage social shares.
Effective video and photography bring great value to the communication of ideas. Not only are these media a cost-effective strategy to build brand awareness and loyalty, they are also more likely to engage audiences and encourage shares, ultimately increasing conversions and sales.
When embarking upon a video or photography strategy for your business however, it is important to take the time and effort to create high quality media. Video and photography can be the most prominent representation of your brand, with the potential to be seen by a much wider audience than other marketing collateral. The quality of your media reflects the quality of your business, so it is important to get this right.