The dark was absolute. The cave was filled with the quiet breathing of the tribe. It smelled of sweat, unwashed bodies, and ash. There was a flicker of light. It grew as it came closer, drawing with it the tall, painted man. A murmur rustled through the tribe.
The shaman stuck the torch in a hole on one side of a rocky wall. He dipped his fingers into shells filled with liquid red and yellow ochre, white chalk, and black soot. In the flickering light, he drew on the wall with swift, confident strokes the images of bulls, hunters, and gods. As the images came to life, he told the tribe stories of great hunts and spectacular victories. The tribe leaned in to hear more. And then he told them what to do next.
But that was back then, right?
Not much changed over the centuries, except the cave. For large tribes there was cinema. For family tribes, it was videos in the comfort of their own homes. And these days, when our caves have become our laptops or mobile devices, it’s still those flickering images and their stories that draw us in.
Why is video so powerful in marketing?
Research tells us that we love watching video because by our brains process it nearly 60,000 times faster than it processes text. When you tell someone a story, and you add those enticing, beautifully shot images, you have a potent mix. Your story now has viewers visually and emotionally engaged. It’s no surprise then that video has become an integral, vitally important part of highly-successful marketing strategies.
But does video have any real effect on your bottom line?
- Videos as window shopping. A static ‘window’ display, no matter how artfully presented in a bricks and mortar store, or on your website, may grab people’s attention. But consumers want far more information about your product or service than a static display can tell them. And with video, you can tell them everything they need to know in a very short amount of time – on your website, social media, and YouTube. With compelling videos as an integral part of your marketing, you can shrink your sales funnel from 4, 6, or 8 steps, down to two: view, and purchase.
FACT: 70% of today’s consumers decide, thanks to video marketing, whether or not to purchase your product or hire your firm before they step foot inside your store.
- Landing page videos. Because video taps into our inherited ‘flickering image of the cave’, users have a fundamental ‘leaning into’ that is buried deep in our DNA. That ‘leaning into’ is the basis of trust. So with a video, half your battle is already won. Done well, the power of video marketing makes you look amazing.
FACT: 74% of users who watched a video about a product went on to buy it.
- Explainer videos. An explainer video that a member of staff, or a consumer, can watch in their own time, and rewatch until they are proficient in the task, will save you hours of expensive training. It also means that staff will become more productive, and the consumer better informed, more quickly. They can also revisit the video whenever they want.
FACT: 98% of users say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
- Videos have global reach. With video, you can reach a much larger audience than ever before. Whether your potential customer uses a mobile device or a laptop, an excellent video is the quickest way to impress them. They want to see who you are and what you do. And they want to see it now. A video will bring them into your world, and your story, in seconds.
FACT: 100% That’s how much video engagement on YouTube rises every year. Can the same be said of your bottom line without video engagement?
Are you using video to engage with your customers, and your staff?
You should be. Let’s talk.
Animation, Photography, Video – Opus Media. Films that win business.
Contact us on info@weareopusmedia.com or 0333 358 3335