by Jaimie Siegle | Advertising Systems, Inc.
2013 is the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac. But in the world of marketing, it could be considered Year of the Video. Why? According to a recent article by Brafton, the video market has seen steady growth since 2011, and is projected to be a more than $8 billion industry by 2016.
Why is this medium all of a sudden all the rage? Think about it: If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many words is a series of moving pictures worth? (Kidding) Adages aside, video has the power to “hook” audiences in ways that stories and photos can’t. In fact, a study last year showed that websites with video kept viewers’ attention more than two minutes longer than sites without it, Search Engine Journal reports. Even the social media world seems to be adopting the trend: Vine, a Twitter-backed mobile app that allows users to shoot and share six-second videos with followers (let’s call it Instagram for videos), demonstrates the current cultural interest in video.
But while YouTube remains king of viral videos – and businesses are certainly continuing to take advantage of the platform – marketers don’t need their media to go viral for it to also be effective. Small Businesses, for example, can use video as a way to enter the blogosphere (via “vlogs”), promote client testimonials, or explain products and services to potential customers. Just make the intention of your videos clear, says Nathan Yerian of Business2Community. “Don’t start filming until you have a marketing plan ready for the end product,” he writes. Then be sure to push the content out through YouTube and social media to make sure it gets the exposure it deserves.
Photo courtesy of www.videobroadcastservices.com
