At this point in the digital revolution, there’s simply no denying the power of social media and video marketing. According to recent research, 82% of the US population 12 years and older now uses social media in some form. Ironically, 82% is also the amount of consumer web traffic devoted to video content.
Needless to say, those statistics should put a bounce in any sales and marketing team’s step. The question, of course, is how to tap into all of that potential and use these powerful tools to build brand awareness and drive audience engagement. And that question is best answered by understanding why social media algorithms are so head-over-heels in love with video content to begin with.
Algorithms Drive Ad Revenue For Social Media Platforms
The driving force behind every social media algorithm comes down to a single old saying – follow the money. Simply put, the goal of every channel is to keep users on the site or app for as long as possible. Because the longer a person is on the platform, the more ads they can serve and, thus, generate additional ad revenue for the platform.
That's why these algorithms are singularly focused on maximizing engagement with the user base – ad revenue. Further, they'll use engagement indicators to identify what content they should add to feeds for users with similar interests. And since video is the most engaging format of all, it’s only natural for the algorithms to gravitate toward video content.
To see this dynamic in action, let's say Instagram's algorithm has identified a particular user as someone who enjoys cooking content. And it just so happens that this user recently watched an entire video on making a Panini, well above the minute that the average user might spend watching the same video.
In this case, Instagram's algorithm will take notice of the user's interest in this specific Panini video, serving that same video to other users with a similar interest in cooking. From a marketing perspective, you can see why such algorithms can be your best friend, assuming you're able to create video content that's engaging in the first place. But we have you covered on that front.
Numbers Don’t Lie: Social Media Engagement and Your Business
But what does all of this mean in the real world? Sure, we all know that video content moves the sales and marketing needle and, just as importantly, is a perfect pairing with social media. For companies on the outside looking in on social media video marketing, however, is it really worth adding yet another responsibility to your team’s already overflowing list of tasks and responsibilities? I’ll answer that question with some revealing statistics.
- Video content on social media generates 1200% more shares than the typical combination image/text post
- Tweets featuring video content see 10x more engagement
- Pinterest users are 2.6x more likely to buy a product after watching brand video content
- One-third of the most-viewed Instagram Stories come from businesses, with 20% of business-based stories garnering a direct message from a viewer
- Mobile-optimized video on Facebook increases brand awareness by 67%
- LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to share video content than other formats
As the numbers indicate, video content is powerful across several social media platforms, not just Instagram, and increases engagement with your target audience more than any other format. Therefore, the more videos you post, the more you draw the attention of the different algorithms, driving brand awareness, engagement, viewers, followers, and exposure as you go.
Obviously, that’s the goal of marketing on social media in the first place. So to answer the question – is video marketing on social media worth it? – the answer is a resounding yes, as long as you create video content that tells your brand’s story and doesn’t bog down your workflow. And that, not coincidentally, is exactly what makes OneDay’s video sales and marketing platform such a valuable asset for your organization.