Here’s a question for you: When was the last time you spent a whole day without using the Internet?
A hard question to answer?
How about this one: When was the last time you spent a whole day without watching a single second of video on the Internet?
Maybe a small portion of you are actually able to answer that second question, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the two questions are one and the same to most of you.
This is simply because you can’t get away from video online. It’s everywhere. I can’t remember the last time I scrolled down my Facebook feed and didn’t see the most random videos being shared by my friends or as paid advertisements.
A surfer fighting off a shark attack.
An action-packed trailer from the newest Hollywood blockbuster.
A heart-rending news report from a war-torn corner of the world.
A kitten stuck in someone’s flip-flop sliding across the floor.
Why is it everywhere? Because it works. The lure of that thumbnail with a circle and triangle in it, signifying that once you click it images will move and sounds will radiate through your speakers, is simply irresistible.
We feel a human connection when we see that moving picture. It fuels an urge to see what will happen next and compels us to click that mouse. It’s that urge that your business should be capitalizing on in order to turn mere viewers into buyers.
Why now? Some of you may remember a time before every business under the sun had a website. A time when maybe you questioned whether creating a website for your brand was worth the time and money.
When you think about it now wasn’t that way of thinking ridiculous?
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could hop in the Delorean with Doc. Brown, travel 88 miles an hour, and go back in time and tell yourself to get that website and get it now! You would’ve been ahead of the curve. You would’ve stood out among the crowd. You’re business could’ve grown bigger, faster, and who knows where you’d be today.
Now’s the time to jump on the online video bandwagon before everyone else is doing it. Trust me, more and more businesses will be using video, and here’s why:
- According to Cisco, by 2017, nearly 70 percent of all Internet consumer traffic will be through video.
- ZenithOptimedia’s reports that online video consumption is expected to raise 20 percent by 2016.
- BrightRoll found that 72 percent of marketing agency respondents believed online video advertising is as effective or more effective than TV.
- Invodo’s finds online shoppers are nearly two times more likely to buy a product after viewing video about it.
- A Forrester Research study finds that a minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words of text.
- MediaMind, a division of Nasdaq, finds that ads with video are over 27 times more likely to be clicked on than regular banner ads.
Aside from the numbers, video is simply the most effective way to grab someone’s attention, tell your story, showcase your personality and make a connection without meeting that person face to face. Making that connection leads to trust, and trust leads to loyalty.
A simple one-shot video of a person talking about the benefits of your company on the main page of your website is like having a sales person on the floor 365 days a year 24 hours a day without tiring or having a bad hair day.
Plus, with today’s technology, getting professional quality video has never been more affordable; video for your small business can be attained either by hiring someone to shoot and edit for you, or by buying the equipment and doing it yourself.
All this is simply the advantage of having a video. Next is the challenge of making that video captivating, as you need to hook that viewer within five seconds or they tune out. But that will have to wait for another day. FBN
Stephen Root is an award winning filmmaker and owner of Flag Film Productions LLC. He also has a decade of experience as a news videographer and off-air reporter for KPNX Channel 12 News. Reach him at 928-221-9767 or visit www.flagfilm.com.