While you have been on the Internet recently, chances are you might have watched an online video. Video is everywhere. Our friends post funny cat videos on our timeline. Our coworkers pass along inspirational messages about becoming successful. Our favorite brands showcase their products in inventive methods. Nearly every site you visit has a video displayed in some form. As a result, video has rocketed in viewership--and there's no sign of it slowing down.
Here are 5 reasons why online video will soon take over your time spent on the web, and why if you're a marketer, you can use video to drive your business forward.
1. More and more users are consuming their video entertainment online. Several studies have shown that more people are using the internet to consume video. Over 4 billion videos are viewed each day. Most likely, the majority of those videos were short form videos. The definition of a short form video is one that is less than 5 minutes, but the majority are between 30 seconds and 3 minutes in length. The market is moving more toward catering to the Facebook generation's attention span--quick videos that are aimed to inspire, provoke, or excite. Desktop and laptop viewers and tablet audiences continue to consume more and more short-form video--and marketers are seeing a big opportunity arise.
2. Marketers are utilizing video to activate social media audiences. Brand marketers have found terrific ways to engage audiences and create brand loyalists by way of online video, particularly through their Facebook brand pages. Look no further than a brand like Red Bull to notice how this is being implemented perfectly. They have more than 27 million Facebook fans, so they need to be doing something more than just changing their status about their newest flavor. Their subscribers want the updates because it often features some of the world's best athletes doing incredible things. We don't actually drink Red Bull, but you can bet we share the videos every time we see someone in a wing suit flying through Yellow Mountain in China. This is what "going viral" is all about.
An interesting statistic is that when users watch video and visit your site, they are 5-20 times more likely to take action and buy than from an ordinary link or paid advertisement. Videos tell stories and people like stories. They tell a story and they create brand loyalty. The days of direct consumer advertising is dwindling, and the advent of marketing through storytelling has arrived.
3. Barriers to entry are low. With the barriers to entry continually being broken down with advances in technology, filmmakers now have the ability to create content--all in beautiful HD--for a much lower price tag than ever before. Videographers now have the ability to create amazing looking shots for a fraction of the cost of even half a decade ago. Throw in a nice microphone, a high-quality sound recorder, a tripod, and a bit of editing and you can make some very compelling videos. It is now easier than ever to teach yourself to create the next viral hit.
4. Quality is expanding quickly. Before, the sheer price along with barriers to entry projected that there was a very small portion of the population who will even be in the field. Now, that it is less expensive to create videos, there is more chance for younger talent to enter the market. As a result, quality is expanding quickly.
Vimeo and Youtube are amazing teaching grounds, with tons of professional how-to and DIY videos. Likewise, sites like No Film School are giving some of the best tips and tricks on the web, making at-home learning easier than ever. The result is a huge influx of high-quality video, which can only mean more viewers, more shares, and more enjoyment for all.
5. There are many avenues for dissemination. Everybody knows YouTube and it continues to dominate the market. But there are many other places to promote your videos. As explained above, Vimeo is the finest collection of artistic videographers on the web. Without outwardly getting rid of poor-quality content, Vimeo's homepage and search results make it easy to find amazing content and avoid the endless amounts of ineffective crap that often plague the YouTube experience. Along the same lines, Pinterest's new video option gives curators perfect opportunities to pin videos to their boards. Even more so than Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest has created a sharing experience so simple and effective, it creates the potential or virility even higher.
Until next time
Scott & Heidi
Here are 5 reasons why online video will soon take over your time spent on the web, and why if you're a marketer, you can use video to drive your business forward.
1. More and more users are consuming their video entertainment online. Several studies have shown that more people are using the internet to consume video. Over 4 billion videos are viewed each day. Most likely, the majority of those videos were short form videos. The definition of a short form video is one that is less than 5 minutes, but the majority are between 30 seconds and 3 minutes in length. The market is moving more toward catering to the Facebook generation's attention span--quick videos that are aimed to inspire, provoke, or excite. Desktop and laptop viewers and tablet audiences continue to consume more and more short-form video--and marketers are seeing a big opportunity arise.
2. Marketers are utilizing video to activate social media audiences. Brand marketers have found terrific ways to engage audiences and create brand loyalists by way of online video, particularly through their Facebook brand pages. Look no further than a brand like Red Bull to notice how this is being implemented perfectly. They have more than 27 million Facebook fans, so they need to be doing something more than just changing their status about their newest flavor. Their subscribers want the updates because it often features some of the world's best athletes doing incredible things. We don't actually drink Red Bull, but you can bet we share the videos every time we see someone in a wing suit flying through Yellow Mountain in China. This is what "going viral" is all about.
An interesting statistic is that when users watch video and visit your site, they are 5-20 times more likely to take action and buy than from an ordinary link or paid advertisement. Videos tell stories and people like stories. They tell a story and they create brand loyalty. The days of direct consumer advertising is dwindling, and the advent of marketing through storytelling has arrived.
3. Barriers to entry are low. With the barriers to entry continually being broken down with advances in technology, filmmakers now have the ability to create content--all in beautiful HD--for a much lower price tag than ever before. Videographers now have the ability to create amazing looking shots for a fraction of the cost of even half a decade ago. Throw in a nice microphone, a high-quality sound recorder, a tripod, and a bit of editing and you can make some very compelling videos. It is now easier than ever to teach yourself to create the next viral hit.
4. Quality is expanding quickly. Before, the sheer price along with barriers to entry projected that there was a very small portion of the population who will even be in the field. Now, that it is less expensive to create videos, there is more chance for younger talent to enter the market. As a result, quality is expanding quickly.
Vimeo and Youtube are amazing teaching grounds, with tons of professional how-to and DIY videos. Likewise, sites like No Film School are giving some of the best tips and tricks on the web, making at-home learning easier than ever. The result is a huge influx of high-quality video, which can only mean more viewers, more shares, and more enjoyment for all.
5. There are many avenues for dissemination. Everybody knows YouTube and it continues to dominate the market. But there are many other places to promote your videos. As explained above, Vimeo is the finest collection of artistic videographers on the web. Without outwardly getting rid of poor-quality content, Vimeo's homepage and search results make it easy to find amazing content and avoid the endless amounts of ineffective crap that often plague the YouTube experience. Along the same lines, Pinterest's new video option gives curators perfect opportunities to pin videos to their boards. Even more so than Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest has created a sharing experience so simple and effective, it creates the potential or virility even higher.
Until next time
Scott & Heidi
About the Author:
Scott and Heidi Shimberg are Serial Entrepreneurs who are keenly studying business opportunities in the online/offline marketplace. Know Numis, and tell your friends, family and begin to have Hope too.
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