Top 3 Reasons to use Videos for Social Media Marketing

Consumers seeking input on their prospective purchases is nothing new. However, the process many consumers take to get that input is new and much, much shorter than before. This is thanks, primarily to video content on social platforms. The original process started with magazine or newspaper advertisements. Then continued with a TV spot and augmented with a conversation with a friend. It was then finalised with an in-store purchase. This is not the case now. The whole process is over in minutes, with customers gleaming everything they can about your product from online reviews, user videos, and how-to tutorials.

Social Media Video Content Popularity is Increasing

Think with Google aptly calls video content, “the new window shopping . . . the new store clerk . . . [and] the new instruction manual.” As the popularity of digital ads and social media video content increases, it’s no longer a question: your brand needs to use videos in its social media marketing. But in case you’re looking for some concrete facts that show just how beneficial it is, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together the top three reasons to use video content in your social media marketing. 

#1 Videos on Social Media are favoured by each platform’s algorithm—and they get more engagement

Each social platform has its version of video content. There’s IGTV, stories, and reels on Instagram. Video pins on Pinterest. Videos of all sorts on Facebook and videos on Twitter. But, no matter the platform, video content is championed above all other content—for a good reason. Video content gets the best engagement!

 SocialMediaToday reports some staggering video statistics: 

“Done right, video content can drive greater response than other social content types. 

• Tweets with video see 1x more engagement than those without […]
• Linkedin users are 20x more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post.
• Pinterest users are 2.6x more likely to purchase after viewing brand video content on the platform.
• Video generates more engagement than any other content type on Instagram.”

Videos get people to take action on your message, and they’re incredibly cost-efficient. According to Twitter Business, “Tweets with video attract 10x more engagements than Tweets without video. And Video Ads save more than 50% on cost-per-engagement.”

Mention reports soaring engagement rates on video content on Instagram with “an average of 150 comments” per video post.

Good engagement isn’t just good for that one post, either. When a video post starts to pick up steam with lots of engagement, it ensures that the video stays at the top of the category for longer. It also gets seen by more people, and in turn, gets even more attention! The more engagement a video receives on any platform means that the content has a much longer life on the platform. 

A good streak of videos getting a lot of engagement also encourages the platform to boost future video content from the same publisher. 

#2 Videos are popular with platforms and audiences alike

Around the world, internet users have spent just under 7 hours a week watching all kinds of video content. A number which has steadfastly been on the uprise, according to Limelight Networks.

While the skyrocketing popularity of video content is excellent for those who are already producing video content, it’s not such great news for those who aren’t. Consumers are increasingly expecting video content on each channel that answers their questions, fulfils their entertainment needs, and shows them what they would be interested in.

Think with Google reports that “70% of global viewers say that their moods dictate their content choices. Furthermore, 1 in 2 Gen Zers and millennials say they ‘don’t know how they’d get through life’ without video.”

Video Plays a Unique Role in Peoples’ Lives

The very fact that most people consuming video content use it based on their moods and to augment their lives speaks to the genuinely unique role that video has become in many users’ lives. It also explains the outrageous success that TikTok has experienced. On that platform alone, users aged 18-24 make up 35.3% of the platform’s demographic. And 25–34-year-old users are 27.4% of TikTok’s audience, with the age 35-44 demographic base growing to 17.1% on the platform, as reported by Adweek. Not only that, nearly all of those demographics are steadily increasing in numbers. This Shows just how hungry consumers are for video content.

#3 Video Sells!

And we’re not kidding. 93% of marketers say that they acquire new customers thanks to their video content on social media. There is no question that video content creates a more personable way to connect with and engage your audience. Video allows you to showcase your products alongside usage suggestions and operating instructions, where necessary. 

Not to mention you can showcase multiple products in use together! Video does something for products, brands, and audiences that static images or carousels just can’t convey (though there is a place and time for those too, of course!). 

Videos are upending the traditional online shopping experience so much that Google launched their “video shopping platform for discovering, evaluating and buying products, all in one place,” called Shoploop. Shoploop aims to lessen the number of apps it takes to see a video or watch a tutorial on a product and then shop the product independently. Shoploop is the newest in a long line of increasingly video-focused apps as an answer to the nearly insatiable desire for video content of all kinds. 

The Importance of Social Media

It has far surpassed its initial use of keeping up with friends and family. It’s now an e-commerce port, an entertainment destination, an educational platform, and a place to find and experience new places and products, among other things. Nearly all of these categories are best served by video content. And it’s devoured faster than brands and influencers can churn out! So if your brand’s video content on social media is lacking, now is the time to grab your creatives and start planning on how your brand’s videos will make a splash on each platform!

Do you want to create unique, innovative social media videos for you or your client? Then contact TBM today!