Let’s consider that your brand’s website and social media are the building blocks of your online identity. It follows, then, that video content and blogging are the central supporting elements. The synergy between these four essentials is what helps brands to build thriving online identities.

Thanks to its human-to-human interaction, video is a powerful medium to connect with your audience on a more intimate level.

Video has shaped the way social media platforms operate, largely because of the higher engagement rates it gets.

Here are seven reasons video content should be part of your brandโ€™s marketing plan:

  1. Video offers the highest ROI of any media format.
  2. ย  In 2022, 82% of all consumer web traffic would be from video.
  3. ย  The average time people spend on pages with video is 6 minutes, while the average on pages without video is 4.3 minutes. (Google views this margin as massive.)
  4. 1 in 3 marketers plan to invest the most in video marketing in 2022.
  5. 86% of businesses today use video as a marketing tool, as opposed to 61% in 2016.
  6. 86% of marketers say video has helped them generate leads, and 81% say video has helped them directly increase sales.
  7. Consumers spent 14.6 billion minutes watching video in 2021; thatโ€™s a 20% increase from 2020, and 121% from 2019.

In today’s digital-first landscape, video content is an integral tool for consumers. They can discover and research new brands or products easily and quickly.

Compelling video content can drive consumers further down your marketing funnel. But before you can convert them, you need to nurture them and build trust.

The main goals companies have with video are aligned with top- and middle-of-funnel efforts. These include:

  • ย Driving brand awareness (22.4%)
  • ย Product education (21.6%)
  • Driving customer engagement (18.4%)
  • And generating leads (18.4%).

According to Wistia, most companies want to create original video content. Yet, only slightly more than half said they had a concrete video strategy in place.

GNL considered five criteria to help your brand create video content that matters.

Five ways to make your video content matter:

  1. Strive for brand synergy:

Video is an opportunity to be inventive and to express your brand’s identity in exciting ways. Ensure, however, that your core message remains in line with your brandโ€™s unique persona.

Establish a set of guidelines to ensure that a “golden thread” of brand identity is evident in your videos.

  1. Find your brandโ€™s creative sweet spot:

What is it about your brand that sets it apart from the rest, and that makes it so relevant to your audience? Be imaginative with your video content and look for honest ways to draw your audience in. Video is your opportunity to show your brandโ€™s inventiveness.

  1. Social video is all about story:

Consumers overwhelmingly prefer to watch a short video as opposed to spending time on most other forms of brand communications. With video, you can compile a compelling brand story thatโ€™s easily digestible yet layered. Make the moment count, and make sure the telling is done in such a way that it will be remembered. Also, be prepared to invest in its professional production.

  1. Befriend TikTok:

62% of marketers plan to increase their investment in TikTok, and for good reason. Since its arrival on the scene, short-form video has made massive strides. Some are even claiming that TikTok will take over social media, leaving other platforms to adapt.

  1. Show awareness of the bigger picture:

Video content is not just about projecting your brand to the world. It’s also about showing a keen awareness of what else is happening around us. To connect with audiences who are quick to scrutinise brands, itโ€™s become expected of brands to take a stand on social (even political) issues. This is the new normal, and brands are increasingly making social responsibility part of their social video campaigns. Consumers want to perceive your brand as human, after all.

Brands, nowadays, are more than their products or services. Find the deeper meaning in your brand that resonates with people. Make that the core of all your marketing efforts. Use the full power of video to bring this to life.

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