We appreciate the value of relevant stats here at Switch Media and will highlight how recent stats corroborate how quickly this global trend is growing. The Wyzowl “State of Video Marketing 2021 Report”,  shows that the number of businesses using video as a marketing tool has increased by 41 percent since 2016 and 93 percent of marketers who use video say that it’s an important part of their marketing strategy. WordStream reports that marketers who incorporate video into their campaigns experience 34 percent higher conversion rates, and 84 percent of marketers say video has helped them generate leads.

COVID-19 and “stay at home” orders have played a huge part in the streaming boom. Fitness and remote education are two of the sectors seeing huge increases in content and followers for obvious reasons. UScreen says that live streaming events increased by 300 per cent between March and August 2020 and health and fitness verticals saw the most rapid adoption of live videos, with a more than 1300 percent increase in minutes live-streamed between March and August 2020. Remote education (via live stream) experienced an increase of over 980 percent in minutes live-streamed between March and August 2020.

These stats show “the proof is in the pudding” as companies that regularly use video content as part of their overall branding and marketing campaigns will see greater returns. The benefits are multiple as companies build stronger and more open relationships with their audiences who, in return, feel like they’re getting a more authentic experience. Video is an excellent tool to explain your company’s philosophy, strategies and goals, and make your audience part of the experience. This can be done by sharing your history and story in an ‘about us’ video. You can also showcase your technology and experience with product demos, tutorials and explainer videos, or share your knowledge with thought leadership presentations.

Video testimonials from customers as also a great way to further support your credentials. The Wyzowl report highlights that a whopping 94 percent of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service, and 84 percent of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

The Wyzowl report also highlights that webinars were the video success story of 2020. In 2019, 46 percent used webinars and this rose significantly to 62 percent in 2020. As highly engaging online events, live-streamed webinars are a great way to share knowledge and interact meaningfully with your community.

The power of video content is providing a face to the brand, which is extremely important in the modern world. It gives your company a human edge and allows you to highlight unique qualities with ‘culture content’. What’s more, incorporating video blogs alongside written blogs can increase engagement. Plus, don’t forget to share your videos across your social platforms. Brand awareness is significantly strengthened via social media networks and by word of mouth. Research from Forrester shows that 60 seconds of video is the equivalent of 1.8 million words, and an Adobe Spark Social Media Trends 2020 report shows that social video generates 1,200 percent more shares than text and images combined. Social media platforms engineer their algorithms to show users more video content. Companies can reach far more people in many more territories, plus they’re also building a bridge between their in-person and digital worlds thereby creating a fully integrated approach.

When asked how they’d most like to learn about a product or service, the Wyzowl report explains that 69 percent of respondents said they’d prefer to watch a short video. Want to give it a shot? Get in touch and we’ll get you streaming your video content online in no time so you too can join the small business streaming revolution and reap the rewards!