6 Reasons Why You Should Use Video in Your Digital Strategy

Getting your small business in front of your target audience can be tough. Especially when you're trying to do it organically using content marketing.

Yet, numerous brands are doing this successfully every day. And that's because they have a strategy.

When you look at the top-performing content on the web, you'll find a common theme: visual content -- particularly videos.

If you're not already using video content in your marketing strategy, then here are six reasons why you should.

1. Improve the Odds of Making it to Page One on Google

Getting to page one of Google can be complicated.

There are only 10 spots open for the keywords you're targeting, making it tough for high-competition markets. But there is a way you can spear ahead of your competitors.

With video content, you're 53x more likely to show up first on Google. So consider embedding videos into your web pages. If you sell products, consider adding demonstration videos to your product pages.

Or, if you offer a service, then demonstrate how the service works.

Speaking of which...

2. Product Demo Videos Can Help Boost Your Sales

It just so happens that product demo videos can help grow your revenue. Stats show consumers are 1.8x more likely to make a purchase after viewing a product video.

Yet another reason to add video content to your product pages.

You can also upload your product videos to other platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, and other social networks.

Why do product videos work?

Because they help to explain the product better. Visuals always trump words when it comes to understanding the way a product looks and operates.

3. Get More Site Visitors to Stick Around Longer

Let's face it -- people enjoy watching videos. This is why most Americans spend hundreds of hours per month binging Netflix shows.

But how does this benefit your business?

Well, you can use video to capture the attention of your visitors, so they stick around longer. And there's research to back this up.

Numbers show people spend 2.6x more time on web pages that contain video content.

So if you're trying to improve the customer experience of your site, this is a great way to do so.

4. Boost Your Social Shares

Social media is one of the most powerful tools you can use to get the word out about your business. However, merely posting promotions on your page isn't going to cut it.

Especially if no one's engaging with it.

Going viral is the goal for most marketing campaigns, but it's difficult to guarantee. But this shouldn't be your goal.

With video content, you can kill two birds with one stone:

1. Capture the attention of your target audience
2. And get them to share your content with others

This turns your customers and prospective customers into word-of-mouth marketers for your brand.

And once again the numbers showcase this:

Seventy-six percent of users say they'd share a brand video with friends. As you'd imagine, video content can also boost other forms of social engagement, such as comments and likes.

5. Attract More Mobile Users

It's safe to say there are more mobile users than there are desktop users. In fact, most people who use a desktop likely own a smartphone or tablet to browse the web.

This means you need to have ways to engage with mobile users.

And guess what -- video helps you to accomplish this.

Since mobile devices have small screens, it makes sense that users wouldn't want to spend time reading large amounts of text.

So meet them halfway by offering video content to consume instead.

Food for thought:

More than half of video content consumption is done on mobile devices.

6. Build Trust with Your Audience

Seeing is believing. That's how it's always been and always will be for human beings. It's difficult to trust something or someone we can't see with our own eyes.

Sure, text can help build authority and trust for your blog. But when you're trying to sell products and services, you need visual content to seal the deal.

This is why you'll see business websites showcasing their offer in both images and video.

Video makes companies feel real and authentic, making them easier to trust. If you can include people in the video, even better.

Just be sure your videos are high-quality, or they'll rub visitors the wrong way.

Quick Tips for Creating Engaging Video Content (that Ranks)

If you're trying to boost your SEO efforts, then you can use the following tips for your video content:

1. Keep your videos short and sweet (no more than two minutes).
2. Include a transcript of the video (for Google bots to crawl).
3. Optimize your videos with keywords (description, title, meta tags).
4. Create a high-quality thumbnail (something high-catching and relevant).

Video Marketing is an SMB's Best Friend

Don't worry if you're not already using video marketing. You can always jump in and get great results.

The key is to ensure your videos are high-quality and relevant to your audience.

And if you're worried about equipment -- if you have a smartphone, chances are you have a good enough camera to shoot a hi-def video.

Over to you -- how do you plan to use video in your marketing strategy?