Anna Kec — April 26, 2017 No doubt you’ve been privy to the huge amount of videos on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter in the last year. Even though it feels natural watching them now there was a time when it was unheard of. It’s fairly accurate to say video marketing is the next big thing.
It’s the ideal way to get your message out to customers all around the world. Facebook even came out and said their members are watching a whopping 100 million hours of content on a daily basis. You can imagine the numbers for YouTube is even higher.
It’s Not Just for Big Brands
In the past, it was only the bigger brands coming out with amazing videos that wowed their customers. On the far end of the spectrum you had those paying millions of dollars to display their products at halftime during the Super Bowl to audiences sitting at home.
Even on the low end of the spectrum you’d need to be a fairly success business. Nowadays it turns out anyone can do it easily, which includes your business. You can realistically reach more people with a viral YouTube video compared to a Super Bowl commercial.
Nothing Is Holding You Back
There are a couple of reasons why small businesses have been slow to act to this new video marketing revolution. It’s hard to blame them when they’ve heard whispers of what it took to create and distribute quality videos in the past. Let’s look at what was holding companies back:
- A Lack Of Money
- Not Enough Time
A Lack of Money
How on earth were you supposed to pay for airtime in order for anyone to see your videos? Maybe you could afford a 30 second slot at 3am on an obscure cable channel, but nobody would be watching. That would only be possible if you still had money left after renting out the equipment.
Not Enough Time
It would take a lot of time to acquire the equipment, because it’s not like you would have easy access to it. You’d also spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how to get eyeballs on your videos. Don’t forget the old equipment would have been slow and clunky too.
Everything Has Completely Changed
Massive brands like BMW and Bentley have shot commercials on iPhones more than once. It’s likely you own a more modern version than the ones they used. With the apps on your phone you’ll also be able to edit great videos, so it’s never been cheaper to use them in your marketing efforts.
We’ve covered the cost of equipment and it’s almost zero if you own a phone, but what about getting your videos in front of people? Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a number of other platforms are completely free. It might cost you a few hundred dollars to promote them with ads.
Time Is Now out of the Equation
It’s true you will need to spend a lot of time editing videos if you want absolutely quality, but do you want to know a secret? The quality of your equipment is so great nobody really cares how good your editing skills are if the video appeals to them.
You just need to be great at telling stories. If you master the art of storytelling there is nothing to stop you shooting, editing, and uploading videos in minutes. You’ll not create a big hit every time, but nobody really cares about that too.
You Have to Change With the Times
We now have a few stats about videos that shows it’s a terrible idea to ignore them. Two-thirds of people would rather see a video of a product than read about it, which isn’t surprising in the least because it’s the closest they’ll get to feeling it online.
1 in 4 people are actually turned away by companies who refuse to use videos. Also, if you use Facebook as an example their video ads get 50 percent more engagement than any other types of content. It’s impossible to deny what your customers want.
Test It out for Yourself Today
Perhaps you won’t be able to create a video in less than 10 minutes today, but you will with a little practice. With the right apps you’ll still be able to shoot one quickly. Test it out for yourself soon because it’s the future and you’ll need to master it.
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