Why Video Marketing’s Effectiveness is Growing

It’s never a bad idea to produce engaging video marketing strategies, but having great video content matters more to brand marketers this year than ever before. With a sudden spike in people working from home and more eyeballs on screens, video can be an even more effective tool in your brand’s repertoire.

The numbers don’t lie: video marketing’s effectiveness in the age of quarantine and shortened attention spans helps advertisers expand their reach. But how do businesses keep audiences engaged with video content in an evolving economy? Here’s what you need to know about the growing effectiveness of video marketing.

More Ways to Stream Means More Ad Dollars Shifting

With the aid of increased streaming options and the fact that many in the U.S. can’t enjoy typical outdoor or public activities, home viewership on streaming services has made a major leap — and ad dollars will follow.

The surge in March in reaction to coronavirus concerns only accelerated streaming’s growing audience. Relatively new platforms like Disney+ and HBO Max have emerged with libraries full of existing content, while other heavy hitters like Netflix and Apple TV expend their energies on original content in search of the next smash hit. All this has led to a perfect storm of viewership through the spring and summer months that has the average minutes per day spent on streaming services riding an all-time high.

Why Platforms Matter When it Comes to Your Video Content

With so much momentum behind streaming services and second screen usage, it follows that savvy advertisers will consider video content strategy the core foundation of their marketing campaigns, and no longer merely an appendage. Video content is more cost-effective than ever, with the ability for even the smallest business to shoot authentic footage with a smartphone and some clever lighting techniques — and even better, it’s the type of branded content most users actually prefer to see.

To implement video strategy successfully, the goal has to match the platform. It is expected that by 2022, more than 80% of internet traffic will be dictated by video content. Marketers must understand video ad formats on each platform and how to connect video types with a measurable goal. For example, live video on Facebook has already been adopted by 42% of social media marketers aiming to connect with users and make branded content feel personalized on a social platform with a wide range of demographics.

No matter the goal or the platform, the numbers all point to video as the undisputed champion of internet content.

How the Second Screen has Changed TV Viewership

People are streaming video at progressively higher rates, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t also keeping an eye on their smartphones. In fact, the majority of TV viewers use devices to explore topics relevant to their viewing habits — including information on products related to their favorite show.

For more than 40% of streaming TV viewers, the entertainment experience is incomplete without a second screen paired with their programming, and over 70% say they use a mobile device to look up a product they see related to the ads or content they are watching.

The increasing popularity of streaming services, video capabilities on various platforms, and the introduction of the second screen has improved the ability for viewers to discover and act on ads by 75%. Brands no longer have to wait for back-to-school season or Super Bowl Sunday to capitalize on a specific moment — instead, brands with a good beat on what has social channels buzzing can become a necessary companion to streaming services for consumers to enjoy.