Of all types of content, video is, perhaps, the most laborious and difficult to put together. It takes a lot of time, research, effort, skill, equipment, coordination – so it’s understandable why it wouldn’t be your go-to. However, for all the work videos require, they also offer returns that are par for the course. In 2022, video is the most powerful tool in business. 

Video content is much more effective in engaging your audience, and retaining their attention for longer than the 10 seconds it takes them to get bored of reading a blog post. There is information, music, color, movement – these keep the viewer’s interest, help persuade them, and most importantly – can determine your viewer to share your video. 

Video content is the most shareable content, and in an age of quick social media interactions and short attention spans, that is your best chance to retain customers and even generate new leads. 

Video Is Engaging

Perhaps the most important attribute videos have over other types of content is that they are highly engaging. Think about reading a blog post, looking at a chart, or even listening to an ad or a lecture – these types of content engage certain parts of your brain, but are ultimately limited in their ability to make you focus and interact with the content. 

Video, on the other hand, is a riot of engagement. It’s much more interesting to consume, easier to understand, and less time consuming, because it delivers information in a more efficient way. In fact, users find it so engaging that they can’t get enough of it, and in 2022, it is predicted to account for 82% of internet traffic. 

How you can improve your videos: Are your videos engaging enough? Remember to make full use of everything you have at your disposal. Convey information through text, image, and sound, and use all of them to engage the viewer with your storytelling. Ask questions, and address the viewer directly. Have them think about the content and process it, not just consume it. 

Video Retains Attention

The other secret weapon video possesses is that it makes it much easier to retain the audience’s attention. There is only so much you can do with written content, audio, or even images. At the end of the way, it’s going to be pretty similar from beginning to end, so it becomes harder and harder to keep people engaged the longer your content is. 

Video, however, benefits from a much wider range of flexibility when it comes to storytelling. Through use of music, color, images, dynamic movement, you can change the way you present the information from one moment to the other in order to achieve a unique, interesting, unexpected experience. This unexpected quality is what keeps the viewer interested and does not allow boredom or fatigue to set in, which can happen in long-form written content. 

How you can improve your videos: The worst thing you can do is create video content that is linear, predictable, and boring. If you don’t take advantage of all the capabilities of the medium, then you are wasting it. 

Experiment with new ways of telling your story and catching the customer’s eye. It is what you do differently that sets you apart. Consider injecting humor, animation, or a new style of editing to separate yourself from other similar content.

Video Is Persuasive

Why simply make claims, when you can demonstrate them? Statistics show that a vast majority of customers make up their minds or are otherwise convinced to buy a product or service after seeing a demonstrative video. 

A video gives you the opportunity to highlight the very best about what you want to sell to the customer, whether it’s a product or service. You can address all sorts of aspects or issues, and demonstrate the quality of what you are selling. That way, you are being open with the customer and sharing all the pertinent information. That establishes trust. 

How you can improve your videos: Don’t make your videos “fluff pieces” and very obvious ads. You risk being dismissed. It’s not enough to just make claims, but in video form – put them to the test and show your customer the value you are offering. 

Video Is Shareable

One of the most valuable assets of video content is that it’s so easily shareable and can easily go viral and spread like wildfire. Simply put, because of its other qualities, like engagement and succinctness, video content is the most efficient way to convey information to others. You will not find many people sharing long-form blog posts anymore – because who has the attention span for that? – but many will share videos. 

Better yet, with the recent trend of short-form, bite-sized video content, it’s easier than ever before to share content and go viral. Users can view your content on their phones and tap the share button. While YouTube is still popular, if you want to capture younger audiences’ attention, you need to cater to them with much shorter videos, like TikTok and Instagram Reels. 

How you can improve your videos: Work on your editing skills and learn to summarize the gist of your videos. You want the most valuable nuggets condensed into a video that is under a minute. Think of it as Twitter in video format. It’s a good exercise and it makes your content extremely shareable.

Video Generates Leads

Because of its incredible shareability, video content is ripe for lead generation. Everytime a video of yours gets shared, that is an opportunity to create new customers, so you need to make it count. Some of it is built-into the content itself, like demonstrations and thorough presentations. However, there are other details that are just as important. 

Where the content gets posted is crucially important. While posting on your website is great, you will never achieve your real potential unless you target specific platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook. Posting in the right place is half the battle. 

How you can improve your videos: Clear calls to action are always welcome in video content – have you ever noticed that YouTubers always start and finish their videos with a heed to like and subscribe? It’s important and it works. 

Bottom Line

Video content is essential to any marketing strategy in 2022. If you haven’t yet added video to your content repertoire, then this is the time to do it. Yes, it’s an investment of time, effort, and resources, especially compared to other types of content. But it is also much more effective than more traditional forms of content. 

Videos can engage your customer, entice them, persuade them, and retain them for longer than the usual 10 to 20 seconds they would usually spend on a blog post. It is the most important marketing component to focus on this year, and a great way to generate leads and engage your customers. 

With just a few changes to your current storytelling strategy, you can improve your existing video content and transform it into a surefire way to catch the attention of demographics you haven’t tapped into before and increase overall retention rates.

Hope you enjoyed this article, and if you have any questions or if you’re interested in working with us, don’t hesitate to reach out using our contact page!

By: Victoria S.