Video content has been spreading over the internet like wildfire in recent years. That is primarily due to the turning tides of the online landscape that’s been gradually shifting from written to video content. Research even forecasts that video will comprise 80% of the internet traffic by 2021. With that in mind and the fact that the sales process has also been gravitating toward the online world, it should come as no surprise that marketers realized videos were a potent tool for increasing conversions.
According to Wyzowl’s video marketing survey of 2020, 85% of businesses utilize videos in their content marketing campaigns, while 80% of them found that videos directly helped them increase sales. That is quite a high number, indeed. That’s why we believe it would be foolish not to jump on the bandwagon and make the most of this potent tool.
Now, we understand there might be some skeptics out there. But even if the traditional sales techniques like cold calling served you well, according to Harvard Business Review, 90% of call calls are ineffective nowadays, with only 2% ever resulting in a meeting. We don’t know about you, but we’d find these numbers underwhelming at best.
So why not give videos a shot? They are sure to give you an edge on your competition. And we don’t expect you to take our word for it. The reason we wrote this article is to show you how videos increase sales. Here are the points we’ll cover:
- People Enjoy Watching Videos
- Consumers Use Videos to Inform Themselves About Your Product
- Videos Help Drive Organic Traffic
- Get Your Brand’s Video Content on Social Media
- Take Advantage of Video Advertising
- Include Videos in Your Email Campaigns
Without further delay, let’s jump right in!
How Videos Increase Sales According to Marketers
People Enjoy Watching Videos
This line might sound like a blanket statement at first glance, but it’s backed up by hard facts. Here are a few of them:
- According to Google, six out of ten people prefer watching online video content to traditional TV.
- As found on HubSpot, social media posts with video content earn 48% more views.
- The recently popularized video sharing platform, TikTok, has already garnered over 800 million active users.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. OK, but how does all of that help you boost sales? Well, as a salesperson or a marketer, your first step is to get your product in front of as many people as possible. And what better way to do that than by using the most popular medium there is?
So yes, if you create video content, it will find its way to the most significant number of consumers. “But reach alone won’t help me achieve conversions,” you may think. That’s true; it won’t. But it’s an excellent foundation for other effective sales methods, such as creating particular types of video content.
Speaking of which…
Consumers Use Videos to Inform Themselves About Your Product
It should come as no surprise that many people look up videos on a product before purchasing it. That way, they can see how it works, learn how to use it, or just further inform themselves about its specifications. Doing that can be invaluable in the consumers’ decision-making process. Did you know that 57% of consumers cited the “lack of information about a product” as their primary reason for abandoning an online purchase?
As you can see, the mere absence of a product video on the web can immediately take over half of the potential conversions out of the equation. On top of that, some retailers even reported that product videos alone managed to increase their sales by a whopping 144%!
So, as you can see, creating product and tutorial videos is a surefire way to drive sales. But how can you start? Well, an excellent place to begin would be creating a YouTube channel for your brand. There, you could post content for your consumers or use the platform to embed videos on your website. Either way, it’s an indispensable resource, so don’t miss out on using it to its fullest!
Videos Help Drive Organic Traffic
If you’re selling anything online, organic traffic and Google rankings are an essential part of your business strategy. And yes, videos can help there too. Boy, where do we even begin?
According to a 2020 research by Wyzowl, 87% of marketers found that videos increased their website’s organic traffic. But where are videos most effective? On landing pages, of course! Industry professionals noticed that having a video on your landing page can increase your conversion rates up to 86%! So combining these two factors is your best bet!
But even if getting a visitor to your site doesn’t end in a conversion, utilizing the interactivity and popularity of videos can increase your dwell time by up to 80%, according to Business2Community.
But how does that help you? Well, it’s simple — longer site dwell time, just like lower bounce rate, positively affects your SEO since it’s a clear signal to Google that people enjoy spending time on your website! That can, in the long run, boost your organic traffic even further, which can eventually snowball your sales.
Get Your Brand’s Video Content on Social Media
Because most marketers (85% to be exact) agree that social media is a fantastic way to get your brand noticed, it’s only natural we’d include this advice on our list. Namely, social network marketing has proven to have a high ROI, so many businesses have been focusing on their social media marketing strategies and presence.
But how can videos help your social network endeavors? Well, here are some stats you might find interesting:
- According to Wordstream, social videos are 12 times as likely to get shared than any other type of content.
- Video campaigns on LinkedIn reach 50% more people than any other alternatives.
- 93% of marketers claim they’ve successfully converted leads into customers on social networks.
As you can see, not only can social videos help generate leads and drive sales, but they can also increase your audience and boost brand awareness. So should you disregard their potential? Absolutely not!
Take Advantage of Video Advertising
It’s indisputable that businesses reach many leads through online advertising, and quite successfully if we might add. Even small businesses get a good ROI for online advertising. According to SmallBizGenius, for every $1.6 spent, most small businesses get a return of $3 when using Google AdWords.
But what happens when you use video advertisements instead of traditional banner or pop-up ads? If you take into account what you’ve learned so far about the effectiveness of video content, it shouldn’t surprise you that consumers are more likely to notice and view a video ad than a banner one. But why is that?
Well, for starters, videos (even sales-oriented ones) can be entertaining. And is there anything more powerful than a bit of humor? Here’s an excellent example of a video ad by Dollar Shave Club that they used to launch their business.
Now that’s an ad you’d love to watch at any time, right?
Also, there are plenty of other reasons and many different video ad formats, but, in a nutshell, video ads are more personalized and highly engaging. And with the recent technological developments and the appearance of VAST and VPAID ad tags, video ads can now even be interactive! For example, a user could be asked to play a minigame or fill in a poll. By offering such an enticing experience, video ads can get more consumers to visit your site and view your product, which leads to increased sales.
Another major reason video ads are so effective is that they are prevalent on and cater to the mobile market. Did you know that over half of the global internet traffic comes from mobile devices? So you see, if more than 50% of your potential customers are on phones, your ads should be as well!
Include Videos in Your Email Campaigns
According to research by Oberlo, email marketing has a high ROI, which means it’s excellent for driving conversions. And yes, you can boost this even further with videos! They can prove as a valuable asset to your email marketing strategy!
Let’s immediately talk in numbers. As found by CampaignMonitor, including a video in your emails can:
- up your open rates by 19%
- increase your click-through rates by 65%
- lower the number of unsubscribes by 26%
All of these are excellent indicators of the power of videos to increase your email engagement and their ability to appeal to an average consumer. So why miss out on such a unique opportunity to drive sales?
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Video!
As we have shown you, videos are powerful tools that can help you drive sales and even earn some returning customers. And the best part is that there are ways to utilize them in all areas of marketing — whether your primary sales funnel comes from online advertisements, social media, organic traffic, or email campaigns, videos can be an invaluable asset. So don’t miss out on the incredible opportunity to skyrocket your business through the power of video!
Best of luck to you!
