Make it move

Jamal Dayes, head of digital at Bladonmore, explains why you really need some filmed content in your digital repertoire.

The popularity of online video is clear for everyone to see. Whether it’s your kid’s obsession with TikTok memes, or your YouTube search for ”How to…” as you struggle with lockdown DIY, we’re all engaging with video content far more frequently.

The meteoric rise in consumption of this medium is in part thanks to social media and the proliferation of user-generated content. By the end of 2021, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times greater than just 4 years ago, according to Cisco.

A year of Covid has accelerated this trend even more with most meetings and group discussions taking place over Zoom instead of in person. We’ve reached the point now where we’ll spend upwards of 100 minutes a day watching online video content.

So what does this mean for brands and corporate websites?

Well… gone are the days of publishing up a stock montage film on your home page and ticking the ‘we have a video’ box. Video content must play a far more important role in articulating your organisation’s purpose.

In a crowded and competitive marketplace, organisations need a way to cut through the noise with engaging content. We know from analysing website audiences that people are far more likely to click play and watch a short video than sift through a page of text. Short attention spans, or limited time may be the cause, but it’s clear that video content works. Here’s some more reasons to take it seriously:

Reinforces your brand values

A well-produced video with real people within the business will add authenticity to your key messages. It does a far better job of creating a closer connection with your audience than a page of text.

Great for SEO

Google are the gatekeepers to our audiences with the majority of online visits starting from a search query. With YouTube in its ranks, it’s fair to say that it knows a thing or two about the value of video, so no surprise that Google search rankings give greater prominence to web pages that include video content. In other words, informative video content that adds genuine value to your site will also increase the chances of you reaching your audience.

Integration and amplification are easy

Expensive and overly complex video hosting solutions are a thing of a past, and thankfully, we’re now living in a world without Adobe Flash. Getting video onto your website and social media platforms really should be a walk in the park.

The standardisation of video file formats means that you can capture and upload video far easier than ever before without constant battles with what will and won’t work for your mobile audience. The same can be said for social media with all the major platforms providing in built video-hosting functionality to help spread your corporate video content further afield.

Popular platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and Sproutvideo make embedding video content onto your site far easier. And with licensed accounts, you can even determine your digital rights management e.g. protect your content so it can only be accessed on sites that you have approved.

If you’re interested in media training, or having a new film produced for your digital audience, get in touch.