Cory Abry — September 12, 2019 — September 12, 2019
Video content in marketing (and sales) is here, people. If you are eager for growth, do not take this post lightly.
Video isn’t an “it’s the next big thing” situation anymore. That time, much like the great Fidget Spinner boom of 2017, has come and gone. If you’re in the waning percentage of industries or companies who still have not implemented video as a fundamental part of your content and brand strategy, now is the time to get nervous because you’re officially in catch-up mode.
Video content is irresistible for two key reasons
There are two reasons we Big Sea creatures believe this monumental shift has taken place. Ironically, both of these are tied to the same concept: our evolution as a species.
One stems from our past and how we’re primitively programmed to connect with other humans. The other is directly correlated to our present and how our brains have been rewired over time regarding how we prefer to consume new information.
#1: Human connection
Regardless of how advanced technology becomes and how that translates into our personal or professional lives, nothing will ever replace our innate desire to connect on a human-to-human level. No email, texting/messaging or chatbot can possibly replicate the chemical reaction that happens when meeting another person face-to-face – or, at the very least, seeing who they are and actually conversing with them. Their tone of voice, demeanor, personality, sense of humor, warmth – all of that and more is powerfully tied to your first impression, trust, comfortability, and confidence gained in any new relationship.
Enter the magnetic appeal of video content and our intrinsic pursuit of what “used to be”.
Have you noticed the rampant outbreak of retro themes with entertainment and pop culture in recent years? The countless live-action Disney film remakes, or the remakes that Hollywood is rattling off like Top Gun: Maverick and Bill & Ted Face The Music, or the global obsession with Netflix’s golden child, Stranger Things? (hurry up Season 4!) Large media companies have tapped into one of the strongest dopamine triggers humans have: nostalgia.
Anything that takes us back in time (almost always to a simpler and happier time) sparks immediate comfort and longing. It’s just how we’re wired. And while there’s abundant proof on the media side, this is also directly tied to why video has surged to the #1 form of in-demand content relating to branding and marketing.
It launches us back to an era where businesses and partnerships were built through handshakes and hellos. Actually seeing the people you’d be working with. Watching them speak with emotion, personality and humor. You actually feel connected again. This biological yearning for that connection can never be replaced; at least not in our lifetime.
#2: Our deteriorating patience
When was the last time you cursed out (in your head or under your breath) the WiFi, the rendering time of a website page you were looking at, or one of your phone apps for not loading fast enough? Two hours ago? Two days, max? Cue the perfect spot to reference one of the more reality-checking comedic takes of the last decade to summarize: Everything Is Amazing and Nobody is Happy (YouTube Clip).
When you share a Facebook post with your friends or family, how many of those posts include a video versus just written content? How much would you say that scale has tipped toward posts with videos in your last 1-2 years of sharing content? This trend is clearer than the Bahamian bathwater of Exuma, feral pigs and all.
Long gone are the days of understanding that for technology to work its magic, it would take time. Time is now our enemy and something we’ve become accustomed to not having to sacrifice when it comes to accessing the internet, gathering information, answers to our questions, research on products or services, etc. We all want it now. Faster. Bigger. Better. Case and point in this statistic ? “Pages that load within 2 seconds have an average bounce rate of 9%, while pages that take 5 seconds to load have a bounce rate of 38%.”
This is where the patience part of the engagement riddle gets solved. From your perspective as an active buyer, how would you prefer to learn about a company’s:
- Products and services?
- Value proposition?
- Skills and expertise?
- Team, history and culture?
- Working process and support?
- Success stories and testimonials?
Numerous pages of written website copy and downloadable content pieces you’ll most likely have to reread a few times — or — easy-to-digest videos where you can kick your feet up, listen, watch and learn all about a brand and the people you’re considering doing business with?
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
TL;DR
If you haven’t gotten the gist of this post yet, I’ll sum it up with this: please start creating video content for your organization across both your marketing and sales channels.
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It will humanize your brand in a time where people the world over are craving it the most, both for convenience and that personal touch. If you write off this advice or throw it in the “maybe later” idea bin, fair enough. Just don’t be so sure your competitors will have the same nonchalance around such a monumental growth opportunity for their business.
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