After someone watches a video, they’re 64% more likely to buy a product online. There’s a big chance you (and I) fall into that statistic. The truth is that people just generally prefer video over, well, any other type of content. It’s no wonder video marketing is taking the world by storm.

When shopping online, videos are a quick, engaging way to learn about a new product or service before making the purchase plunge. Since videos help close the deal, they’re becoming an integral part of the sales funnel. Videos instill confidence in buyers and make them feel like they’re making the right decision and will be less likely to suffer from buyer’s remorse.

Content Might be King, but Video is the New Photo
Video, of all shapes and sizes, is king not only on YouTube, but on every big social media platform – Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram, even Twitter. A whopping 76% of users would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining.

And even more mind-boggling is that 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound, proving that video is giving static photos a run for their money.

Who knew video marketing could be so powerful? When done right, it’s an authentic and affordable way to engage with your audience, boost brand presence and nurture leads.

Organic & Paid Reach: No Matter How You Slice It, Video Takes the Cake
Since videos ignite emotion and require little effort to consume, they’re magnets for social sharing, helping to reach more people organically.

And if the studies aren’t enough proof of video’s tantalizing affects, maybe the way social media platforms are responding is. Facebook rolled out updates to its news feed algorithm in January to prioritize videos, helping to maximize organic reach.

Even in the world of paid media, video comes out on top. Out of all digital ad formats, video reigns supreme with the highest average click-through-rate (CTR) of 1.84%. The rule of thumb has always been: high-performing social content should be boosted. With a CTR that appetizing, who wouldn’t want to pay to play?

When you combine maximum organic reach with paid posts, you’re getting invaluable brand engagement and driving traffic to your website, providing an opportunity to capture leads.

(Social Sharing + Facebook Algorithm) x Organic Reach + Paid Posts = Lead Nurturing

In Videos We Trust, In Products We Buy
One of the most important things in any relationship is trust, even in brand-consumer relationships. By posting videos, you’re offering interesting and useful tidbits on your product or service, helping to build trust in your brand.

Trusted brands are more likely to maintain long-term relationships (and recurring purchases) with their customers. Even promotional videos can be done in a conversational way that makes the viewer feel valued, and even excited about your product.

Which Video Platform is Right?
Deciding which app to use for video marketing depends on your brand and the types of goods or services you’re selling.

Facebook is a great place to build a foundation of followers around your brand, while SnapChat and Instagram are growing in popularity like wildfire. Stories on SnapChat and Instagram are taking social video by storm, and make it easy-as-pie for brands to stay top-of-mind for their audiences.

Whether you want to convey a humorous, authentic and behind-the-scenes vibe with SnapChat, or one that’s captivating and inspiring on Instagram, your brand should have a presence on at least one of those.

The Perfectly Imperfect Video
Want to hop on the video train, but don’t have a big production budget? Don’t sweat it. As luck would have it, video that appears organic, in-the-moment and not-so-picture perfect is trending right now. That’s why national brands, like Plated and Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix, are partnering with video-platform companies like BeeRoll to crowdsource original video content to produce native advertising.

As a business trying to market your brand out in the social space, if you’re not using video marketing, why not and what are you waiting for?

It could be as simple as a behind-the-scenes video on how to make pie, like this one we did for the bakery at Dorignac’s Food Center.