27 Killer Reasons Your Business Needs Video Marketing

When thinking about content and online marketing, it’s easy to think, “Oh, that’s just about the words.”

But while killer copy is awesome, don’t forget about other types of content, like video, that you can use to enhance your online marketing. Video is a fantastic opportunity to produce content that informs, engages and converts.

Salesforce uses video marketing to increase brand awareness, improve conversion, and drive customer success.

27 Killer Reasons that Video Marketing is King

Check out these online video statistics to see the growth of online video and the positive impact video marketing can have on your bottom-line:

1. 70.8% of Internet users (up 7.1% from 2011) watched video last year.
Source: HubSpot

2. Mobile video viewers will reach 54.6 million in 2012; smartphone video viewers will reach 51.2 million.
Source: HubSpot

3. In a keynote address at CES, YouTube’s Vice President of Global Content Robert Kyncl said that video would soon be 90% of Internet traffic.
Source: Invodo

4. More than 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month.
Source: YouTube

5. More than 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube.
Source: YouTube

6. 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
Source: YouTube

7. YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google.
Source: SEOmoz

8. According to a poll conducted by interactive agency Digitas and research firm Harris Interactive, 46% of respondents said they would research a new brand or product after seeing it mentioned in an online video.
Source: BtoBOnline.com

9. In the same poll by Digitas and Harris Interactive, 49% of respondents said that if a brand they follow on social networks posts a video online, they are likely to click the link and watch the video.
Source: BtoBOnline.com

10. Companies using online video for promotion have seen sales lifts from 20% to 40%.
Source: We Capture

11. Consumers who watch product videos are 85% more likely to buy products, compared to those who do not watch product videos.
Source: TMG; We Capture

12. Online retail shoppers who watch video spend about 2 minutes more on that site and are 64% more likely to buy compared to others.
Source: TMG

13. Mobile and tablet shoppers are 3x as likely to view a video as laptop or desktop users. And tablet owners have the highest value per transaction at a $125 average sale, compared to $100 for laptops/desktops and $75 for smartphones.
Source: Forbes

14. Video email messages generate 2-3 X higher click-through rates compared to static emails.
Source: TMG

15. In The 2012 Digital Marketer Trend and Benchmark Report, Experian found that when marketers used the word “video” in an email subject line, open rates increased 7% to 13%.
Source: Experian

16. Marketing automation provider Eloqua found that video in an introductory email campaign led to a 75% reduction in subscriber opt-outs.
Source: Invodo

17. 80% of business executives are watching more online video today than they were a year ago.
Source: We Capture

18. 59% of senior executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic on the same web page, they prefer to watch the video.
Source: Forbes

19. 75% of executives say they watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.
Source: eMarketer; Forbes

20. 52% of business executives watch work-related videos on YouTube on a weekly basis.
Source: eMarketer; Forbes

21. 65% of executives visited a vendor’s website after watching a work-related video online.
Source: Forbes

22. 53% of executives conducted a search for a vendor/product/service to learn more, after viewing an online video.
Source: Forbes

23. 42% of C-suite execs made a business-related purchase after watching a business-related video.
Source: Forbes

24. 39% of executives have called a vendor after seeing an online video.
Source: Forbes

25. 35% of the C-suite contacted a vendor whose B2B ad showed up in online video.
Source: Forbes

26. 30% of senior executives contacted a vendor whose B2B ad showed up in a YouTube video.
Source:Forbes

27. According to a survey by the Content Marketing Institute, 50% of manufacturers surveyed had established a YouTube presence in order to build their brand and connect with consumers directly.
Source: Invodo

Online Video Marketing: Are you Onboard?

Video can net a variety of positive results, from increasing brand awareness to boosting sales. It can be used to capitalize on the growing number of people who are using smartphones and tablets to find products and services online. And video marketing strategy is not the sole interest of consumer-oriented companies; the C-suite actively watches online video and takes action, too.

Video is a smart investment for B2C and B2B companies.

Even with all these benefits, video remains an underutilized marketing tool. In the State of SEO and Internet Marketing, HubSpot & SEOmoz find that video still isn’t as popular as blogs, social media, e-newsletters or press releases.
Source: Hubspot & SEOmoz

But as they point out, there is a lot of opportunity in video. Your business can use video to differentiate itself from competitors in your industry/niche.

Is your company using video as a way to market your products and services online? Why have (or haven’t) you started using online video? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

~ Shannon
Shannon is a Content Specialist at Rick Whittington Consulting.

This article was originally written and featured on Rick Wittington Consulting here.