Reaching the right consumers isn’t easy. Every person has different habits, and no one marketing method is going to appeal to everyone. That is why taking a diverse approach to your marketing campaigns is a must. Businesses that limit themselves to one medium or one platform can be missing out on a vast cohort of consumers that might’ve turned into customers. One strategy that often goes overlooked by marketers is video content marketing.

Video content marketing often is ignored by brands due to perceived restrictions. 16% of marketers that don’t use video say it’s because they lack the time, 17% say it’s too expensive, and 17% say they don’t know where to start. But video content is much more accessible than some would think, and its benefits can be massive.

Let’s look at why video content should be a component of your digital marketing strategy and how you can implement it.

Preferred by Consumers

If you want to appeal to prospective consumers, your goal should be to reach them in the way they want to be reached. Consumers are unlikely to go out of their way to view advertising, so it has to be on their terms if you want to connect with them. The data widely indicates that those terms include video marketing.

According to Wyzowl, 69% of people in a survey of over 800 said they’d most prefer to learn about a new product or service by watching a short video. 85% of people in the same survey indicated that they’d like to see more video content from brands. Video content is also easier to digest for consumers. According to Social Media Week, viewers claim they retain 95% of a message obtained via video.

A Top-of-the-Funnel Sales Method that Works

Video is an excellent top-of-the-funnel form of marketing, particularly short-form content. It is eye-catching, communicates a message effectively, and holds customers in place, which reduces bounce rate. Brands that have slick and catchy video content can see the immediate benefits of this form of marketing.

Research from Animoto indicated that 85% of marketers say that video is an effective way to get attention online and that video ads were the #1 way that consumers discovered brands they later purchased from. The same report from the Wyzowl mentioned above showed 78% of marketers say video directly helped them increase sales. Video content marketing can lure customers deeper into the sales funnel and provide businesses with a great ROI.

Effective on Social Media

For many brands, their advertising strategy primarily rests on social media. Social media is the most accessible place to reach consumers right now, and a targeted social media strategy can yield significant results. If you want to add to your social media yields, video content is a necessary step in that process. While photos and text work effectively on social media, video plays best on many top social media platforms.

If you need proof of the success of video content on social media, look only to the rise of TikTok, which is entirely based on the medium. TikTok ranks as the second-biggest app in consumer spend and has led to competitors such as Instagram pivoting towards short-form video content as a core feature with Reels. Video content is a staple on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok and needs to be a part of every brand’s social media output.

The Best Way to Implement Video Content Marketing

If you’re looking for a simple way to add video content marketing to your business’ marketing repertoire, influencer marketing is the easiest and most effective way to do this. Influencer marketing saves companies the cost of creating content themselves and outsources it to influencers experienced in content creation.

By hiring influencers with high follower counts to produce videos, businesses get user-generated advertising that can be repurposed throughout their marketing efforts. With TikTok and YouTube creators experienced in video marketing, they make for great influencers for brands to partner with. Tons of Instagram influencers will also create videos in exchange for products or payment.

Many businesses lack the know-how and budget to create their own high-quality video or hire a content creator full-time. That is why influencer marketing is a wildly effective strategy. Some creators will charge higher prices for video content, but brands can find many talented influencers willing to create video for a small fee or free product. This is a valuable tool for businesses looking to expand into video content marketing, a format that is profitable, effective, and desired by consumers.