Although he didn’t coin the phrase, when Bill Gates proclaimed in 1996 that “content is king,” he was applying this advertising and marketing statement to the Internet. The Internet has come a long way in the interceding decades. Video content is now the new king. But for all the video on the Internet, too many businesses apparently still need to be convinced why video content is king because they certainly aren’t using video to their advantage.

If your business website doesn’t incorporate video, it’s time to jump in. Video is not simply an alternate form of communication alongside print. No doubt you understand how film transforms a novel. The book version and movie version aren’t the same.

Written content is also transformed by video. That’s why Google and Facebook see video content as their preferred content. That’s due in no small part because their users have made it clear. Given a choice between text and video, customers go for the video content in numbers too big to ignore. Use video and you’ll jump to the top of the listings.

Making the Move to Video Content

Do not underestimate the power of moving pictures. The switch from “content is king” to “video content is king” is as revolutionary as the shift from silent movies to “talkies.” Those companies that didn’t make the switch risked going out of business.

Think about the evolution of webpages over the past two decades. Think about the evolution of your business’s webpage. If you’ve had a website for 20-25 years, you very likely have seen these changes over time:

  • A text-heavy single page that scrolled endlessly.
  • A text-heavy single page that incorporated internal links to jump to a specific section of text.
  • A text-heavy webpage that inserted pictures to break up the text.
  • A website with a home page and a menu to link viewers to other pages.
  • A website designed specifically for mobile devices.

If that’s all the further your webpage has evolved, you run the risk of going the way of silent movies.

Numbers Tell the Story

Video content is king for good reason. Here’s what the research says about video content:

  • The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. That truly is in a blink of the eye!
  • According to Cisco, video content will account for 84% of Internet use by 2018. Yes—that soon!
  • Simply putting the word “video” in the subject line of your email can increase your click-through rate by 13%. Of course, that means you need video content!
  • The upshot? Adding video content to your website has the potential to land you on page one of a Google search. In fact, your odds are 53 times better with video!

If you like those odds, and you’re serious about improving your SEO, video content is the way to go. That is, unless you don’t want to reach more potential customers!

What Video Content Delivers

No more static websites! There will always be text, of course. However, from here on out, video content is king, so let the king rule!

Dynamic presentation

Movement simply captures our attention. Our eyes automatically track what they see. We can’t help it, so use it to your advantage!

  • Information about your business. Text can communicate what you want customers to know about your business, but it pales compared to what video content communicates. Put a fresh face on your business.
  • A visual tour of your product line or services. A picture shows what you have, but video shows and tells.

Tutorials

Who doesn’t need a “how-to” video at some point?

  • The young couple that just moved from an urban loft to the suburbs might need some help learning how to fix a drippy faucet or to weather strip a door.
  • You own a bakery and perfected your technique by age 12. However, your customers don’t know the difference between beating the ingredients and folding them. Which is more helpful—written instructions or a video demonstration?

Customer reviews and testimonials

Don’t settle for stars. Take your reviews to the next level.

  • If you own a bridal shop, wouldn’t you love your happy customers to upload a video of the bride walking down the aisle in one of your gowns?
  • The customer who bought plants from your greenhouse and watched your video tutorial on window boxes shows off her creation.
  • A lawn care contractor describes how easily the lawn tractor he bought from you converts to a snow blower, extending his business season. Thanks for the tip!

If you’ve been taught that, “you can’t believe everything you read” but that “seeing is believing,” why wouldn’t you use video? You’d be crazy not to, right?

Video Production

You might think that it shouldn’t be difficult to make a 60-second video; after all, it wouldn’t come near the cost or need the production quality of an Oscar-contending film. While that might be true, you would still be wrong.

Perhaps the video of your cat climbing the Christmas tree that you captured on your smartphone and uploaded got a respectable number of hits. Capturing your business on video isn’t quite that simple. So unless your background includes marketing and video production, video marketing is more than a DIY project.

Short videos have their own challenges. No pressure, but consider this: you have to grab your viewer in the first 10 seconds! And if your video doesn’t wrap up by 2 minutes max, your viewer will likely move on. Video content gives “short and sweet” new meaning!

Video Content Solutions

Your instinct might be to hire a video production company, but unless their specialty is web marketing, you might be making a mistake. Did we mention that nearly half of all videos are viewed on mobile devices?

That smartphone or tablet screen is not the same as a 60-inch home theater, and it demands a special approach. The guys who transferred your old VHS tapes and photos to DVD did a great job, but their background isn’t web marketing either.

You need someone who has the technical expertise to produce video and who also understands the demands of web marketing. You need Solutio.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Contact Solutio when you’re ready to add video content. We have the expertise you need to put together a complete digital marketing plan. Our full name says it all: Solutio Web Marketing & Design.

  • We can do more than just add video to your current website. We can integrate it seamlessly. Your new video shouldn’t be a brand new patch on a worn-out website.
  • And one short video won’t put you where you want to be. You need to add new video content the same way you need to add new content, period.

If you aren’t sure what to do next, call us for a consultation. We can answer your questions and walk you through the process. We’re one quick phone call away.

We’re eager to help you grow your business. Video content—the right kind—will give your business the visibility it needs to thrive.

So there’s only one question we have for you. Are you ready for your close-up?

 

 

 

 

Links:

https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/video-content-the-importance-of-video-marketing

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-primo/video-marketing-is-king-o_b_8112626.html