Power of videos for small business

What is a VIDEO?

In its most basic form, video is the combination of these three perceptions. It is image (visual), music (aural) and story (conceptual) all combined into one. Therefore one can argue if a sculpture could be viewed as three dimensional painting, then a video is a two-dimensional theatre.

The value of  VIDEO

Over the past few years, faster connection speeds to the internet enabled the Nigerian market with smoother streaming of HD video on both desktop and mobile devices, making videos instantly accessible to internet users and a necessary form of engagement for brands and small businesses alike.

Hence video marketing is of constant increase on today's social media platforms. Therefore almost any type of business would benefit from the production of a short video to introduce their products and services. Consumers are at least 64% more likely to purchase a product or service that has video representation.

This trend highlights that establishing a personal connection with buyers through the means of video marketing is and will be a key element in the future of online marketing.

The traditional marketing philosophy was that attaching a picture of one's products or services was enough to entice buyers. Certainly images can enhance a business visibility and communicate with a consumer, however videos have a much further reach in today's media driven society. People are presented with so much information that they have to make a decision about what they take in.

A clear advantage of video promotions is that it will bring a clearer understanding of the benefits of a product or service. Videos are also more likely to be shared through social media outlets such as Facebook if compared to text based information.

It has to be understood that in this digital age businesses now have the ability to reach a larger viewing audience by creating or sharing memorable videos, as video ads and promotions will entice a person to an emotional response. Video is therefore a different method of engaging audiences than image and text. With video, the experience of comprehension is more immediate. The amount of information that can be displayed through one second of video greatly outnumbers the amount of information that can be read. This means the emotional response often comes before the full appraisal of the content or the comprehension of the meaning.

Example:

Through video, businesses are able to recreate the experience of being face to face with someone much better than through audio, image or text. Videos enable businesses to display their identity, through physical and verbal expression. This is of extremely importance, as it allows companies to display their human side more efficiently if compared to image, audio and text.

This coupled with the growth of e-commerce has resulted in more consumers becoming comfortable with the idea of making their purchases online. Businesses that utilize videos to draw the attention of the viewer have an immense advantage over those that rely on simple text and images.

While the techniques used for promotions are constantly evolving, consumer behavior remains stable. Therefore purchases are made when a personal connection has been established. Videos bring that association to a consumers mind and thereby trigger greater trust and confidence in a business or brand.

For any business it is vital to understand that video is an integration of text, image and music towards a unified goal, the most common mistake made by companies creating videos, is to view a video as content such as a blog posts rather than as a form and media type.

In conclusion in today’s society businesses need to be aware of the power of Video and Digital marketing as a whole. Ever evolving marketing tools and strategies enables businesses with a clear digital agenda, to increase in visibility and reach.

Therefore it has to be understood that the power of video is to reshape a company’s digital footprint, as a memorable video will have many benefits such as optimizing the companies search engine status. In addition videos are trending (getting shared on social media) noticeably better if compared to text and/or pictures on their own, this will reflect in customers engagement towards the companies brand through social media/website.

A complete digital partner such as RDM understands the ever changing nature of the digital landscape, furthermore as a classified Google partner RDM can anticipate, recognize and solve challenges within the digital landscape and is therefore perfectly placed to assist SME’s to evolve in this market.

Article written by Micheal Kalu

This is a feature by RDM