As you’re building your overall social media strategy, have you considered the impact of online video? If not, it’s time to take a look at the latest stats. Experts estimate that by 2121, 82% of all global web traffic will be video streaming and that over 10% of that will be live video. People already watch over 1 billion hours of YouTube daily, and most of them are more apt to purchase a product recommended by their favorite YouTube personality than by a nationally-recognized film or TV star.
All the Kids are Doing it
We also pay closer attention to video than to other forms of content and highly prioritize watching new videos as they come out — young adult YouTube subscribers will put other tasks on hold to immediately watch something new by a favorite creator. And if that younger audience is one you’re looking to capture, you definitely need to be posting video on Snapchat, which boasts the youngest average user age and gets 10 billion video views per day, and YouTube, where the majority of teens claim they’ve watched something that has significantly impacted their lives.
What does all this mean for you?
Businesses with video users tend to increase their annual profits by 49% over businesses without, so make sure video content is part of your digital marketing plan. Not only will it boost your ability to rank organically, but sharing your videos on social can help them go viral. Both Facebook and Twitter report that users are much more likely to engage with posts that include video.
Ready for Your Close-Up?
What kind of content should you be posting? The answer depends on your product and your culture, but consider tutorials and how-tos, reviews and vlogs, event footage, animation, and behind-the-scenes footage. While your video posts should always be thoughtful and intentional, they don’t always require a script, a huge budget, or even a big time commitment. Sixty seconds of insight into your culture and practices might be all your audience needs to bring you their business.
Check out the accompanying infographic for more stats and stories to reinforce the importance of adding video content to your marketing toolkit. Give the people what they want — informative content in a highly engaging form — then sit back and watch as your ratings soar.
