In recent years, there is a significant increase in the number of videos posted and watched online. This isn’t surprising at all considering that numerous video sharing sites and video editing tools have spread like wildfire on the Internet and most of them are highly accessible and were designed to make it easier for end users to watch, create, upload and share videos online. Any forward thinking business should capitalize on the opportunities that video marketing has to offer. Therefore, if you haven’t included it in your social marketing efforts, it’s about time that you do so. And below are some reasons why.

Appetite for Online Videos Is Constantly Increasing
Studies have shown that the interest in online videos is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, it is expected that by 2015, the number of online video viewers will double. Last year alone, the 2011 study carried out by Visible Measures found that consumers watch online video advertisements over 5.6 billion times. What’s more interesting about the findings is that 35% of the reported total views were actually campaigns that were launched prior to 2011. The process which is known as “viral reactivation” is a strong indication that even old social video ads are doing well online.

The Broad Adoption of Mobile Devices and the Introduction of Entertainment Application Further Fuel the Need for Online Videos
The quick adoption of smartphones and tablet devices along with faster mobile broadband speeds and the availability of different entertainment applications like YouTube and Netflix have made it possible for consumers to watch videos on the go. As a matter of fact, more and more consumers are becoming accustomed to enjoy watching videos on the small screen of their mobile devices.

One study noted that in 2011, the number of mobile-connected tablets have already reached to 34 million. By the end of that same year, 52% of the entire video traffic is attributed to mobile video traffic. These figure are a clear proof that video marketing offer a lot of profitable opportunities in both social media and mobile arenas.

Video Plays an Important Role in Inbound Marketing As Well As SEO Since They Easily Attract Attention
Hosting videos on your business website as well as on your social network pages is one of the most effective means to catch the attention of visitors and increase their engagement. Accordingly, visitors spend more time on websites that host a suite of informative videos compared to those that only feature text-based content. It has also been found that hosting videos on your website improves its score in terms of content quality, which in turn sends a signal to search engines such as Google to index your website higher in their search results page.

Videos Help Establish Brand Association Among Consumers
In a study commissioned by Unruly Media, viewers who get to enjoy the content of video demonstrated higher brand association (139%); higher intent of purchasing the brand (97%); higher brand favorability (35%); and higher brand recall (14%). The study also showed that viewers are more engaged in a video’s message if it was recommended by a peer than when found it while browsing. These statistics clearly demonstrate that compelling and interesting videos are powerful tools that can be used to engage consumers and to tap into a wider market.

Videos Also Appeal to B2B Market
You may have thought that online videos only attract end consumers, but this is actually not the case. A recent insights report by Forbes pointed out that even senior executives watch videos before making their purchasing decisions. Accordingly, 65% of these senior executives visit a particular website after they have watched a video of the product or service being offered. 83% said that they watch more online videos today compared a year ago. With these details, it is apparent that videos become essential tools that connect businesses.

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• image used – creative commons

The article was written by Robert Kirk who runs a Website Design and Search Engine Optimisation Company in Scotland, UK.