Not too long ago, larger businesses considered video advertising as something that was “nice to have”, while smaller businesses would only wish they could have budget big enough for video ads. However, because of the rapid rise of technology and social media, video advertising has become a significant part of marketing strategy for businesses of all shapes and sizes (not to mention, budgets).
Brands already embracing video ads have had a great advantage over their competition.
Soon, video advertising for small businesses will become essential. Without it, they may not be able to compete for new customers. Video ads provide so many advantages that small businesses without a video marketing strategy may very well get left behind. Here are the top three benefits and defining reasons your small business should consider using video ads.
1. Continuing to Grow with No Signs of Slowing Down
These days, video is everywhere! People watch over 500 million hours of video on YouTube each and every day. An estimated one-third of all online activity is spent watching video. That’s incredible.
Business owners should know that digital video is not just a “fad.” It’s a real trend that reflects our evolving preferences and use of technology. It shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Video uploaded to social media has also quickly gained traction. Since Facebook introduced native video in 2013, it has grown to have over 500 million people watching at least one video in a given day.
Mobile is the main reason behind this huge growth in video production and consumption. As smartphone adoption rates rose and device owners gained access to cheaper data plans, the simultaneous explosive growth in content production and audiences looking to be entertained by video created a full-blown phenomenon.
2. Video Communicates Emotion More Than Words or Images Alone
Video content combines sight and sound with motion to create a unique experience. By combining moody imagery with soothing music, for example, small businesses can make viewers feel emotion more effectively than images or text can just by itself.
Look at explainer videos for example. A two-minute explainer video is capable of delivering over 200 words from a script. It will also show deeper information with animations, and things like visual cues.
It’s also well-known that folks tend to remember video far more clearly compared to text alone. According to a recent study, the average viewer claims to remember nearly 95% of what they saw in a video compared to just 10& of what they read. That is a giant difference!
This info shows that video does more with less. Your viewers will get more of your message, enjoy it as an experience, and remember it better overall. It’s worth the money for a small business.
3. Rank Higher in SEO and Social Media
YouTube is the actually considered the second largest search engine in the world. It’s also owned by the largest search engine in the world, Google. Google’s search index algorithm gives video about 50 times higher chance of appearing on the first page of results compared to any page that just uses text or imagery.
Video search results tend to show at the very top of SERPs (search engine results pages) or near the top-five overall results. By having your video more likely to appear at the top of the search results, you can get more clicks from searchers. This is a huge advantage to pay attention to. So, using videos can help your website get ranked higher than you’d ever be able to achieve through traditional SEO alone.
There it is, folks. Three very good reasons for your small business to get into video advertising. With the technology to produce and edit high quality video at our fingertips, it has never been cheaper or easier to produce exciting video ads that only big corporations could make just a few short years ago. Remember that you can start small, experiment, and have fun. Because it can be done for cheap, or even free, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
