In 2012, a start-up published a 90-second video that gave viewers an irreverent, but in some ways brutally honest, behind the scenes look at the razor industry. Their tiny-budget production became viral, and launched the Dollar Shave Company into a billion-dollar enterprise.
According to marketing insight trends, consumers rank videos first when it comes to discovering a new brand – and developing a relationship with a brand they eventually purchase from. Some other notable metrics when considering video’s viability for creating engagement with your consumer base:
- 85% of users report viewing video content
- 87% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool
- Eight out of ten people purchase software or an app as a result of viewing a video
- In 2022, 82% of internet use will be video streaming and downloads (Source: Oberlo)
The Dollar Shave Company is but one example of the way a short video can create exceptional visibility and success for a brand—and it anecdotally demonstrates how the statics listed above can actually play out. But what is it about video that resonates so completely with audiences? And why is shorter video promoted on social media the fastest-growing and highest-performing content?
- Video is multi-modal and highly sensual.
There are 4 basic modes of content the internet supports: textual, graphical, audio, and motion picture. Video has the capacity to incorporate all four modes at once. While human vision is often considered to be our “dominant” sense and the most effective for clear communication, the layering of sound, image, text, and motion captures nearly all of the human senses, creating multiple neural fires and pathways that burn the experience into the viewer’s memory.
- Video is more stimulating.
Because video engages multiple senses, it captures the attention of viewers in a more visceral way. And in a social media feed, your content is in fierce competition with everyone from your viewer’s grandmother to their high school sweetheart to your brand’s direct competitor. As your audience is scrolling through their social media feeds, they are more likely to stop and watch a video than they are to stop a read a block of text, or even consider a photograph. Tracking motion is part of our brain’s survival mechanism, and therefore we are more apt to stop and pay attention to a video based on primal principles.
- Video is the most effective at communicating information.
In addition to connecting the viewer’s full range senses and capturing attention, video is the most efficient method to get a clear message across. In other words, video can deliver the most information in the least amount of time. Also, with video you can craft a mood and style that is specific to your brand more accurately than you could with simple text or static graphic. With video, information delivery is fast, and you can control the message with more precision than with any other medium.
- Video is the most shared – and most shareable – kind of media.
When it comes to the real purpose of using social media, it’s simply to broaden the reach of your message. More eyes mean more potential leads, clients, and ultimately increased revenue. In the world of content, video is the most likely to be shared out of all the other kinds of content you could produce and promote. Therefore, any investment you make in video has the potential for an immeasurable, exponential return as your viewers share and like it, thereby multiplying your exposure as well as the number of interactions your message garners.
Video is memorable, emotional, and the easiest for the human brain to process. It is the best medium for engaging and converting audiences to clients, buyers, or loyal customers. Video is processed by the brain 60,000 times faster than text alone. And when it comes to video production, one 2-minute video used for a website or landing page can be edited and re-purposed to create a variety of shorter, “snackable” videos that your social media audiences will eat up!
Ryan Hayman, President ryan@haymanstudio.com
Melissa Beaverson, Account Services Director melissa@haymanstudio.com
