Here is a revealing infographic from ReelGenie Marketing Associate Dianna Bai:

The Video Marketing Revolution” infographic highlights the explosive popularity of online video and its proven effectiveness for improving sales. These two factors will drive marketers to invest seriously in the medium in the near future.
While video was formerly seen as too expensive for production, the more pressing question for brands today is whether they can afford not to join the growing movement!

Mobile video Spikes 133%!

Here's an interesting article by Michelle Clancy in Rapidtvnews.com

Mobile video spikes 133% in 12 months 

Michelle Clancy | 12-12-2013
 

Mobile TV viewing has more than doubled in just one year. While mobile viewing levelled off in the third quarter due to seasonal factors, the overall share of mobile and tablet video views has increased by 74% since January, and by 133% from September 2012 to September 2013.

Ooyala data shows that as more premium, long-form content becomes available online, consumers are increasingly turning to mobile phones and tablets as first-screen devices. Mobile and tablet video viewers spent nearly 60% of their total viewing time watching premium, long-form content running more than ten minutes.

Mobile overall accounted for 9.2% of streaming video views, while tablets accounted for 6.4% of all online video plays.

Additionally, for digital distribution in general, live video continues to outstrip video-on-demand (VOD). PC viewers in particular are drawn in by live linear streaming, breaking news, sports and special events, watching live video for 30 minutes on average, 11 times longer than VOD. Audiences on smart TVs, gaming consoles and set-top boxes watched live video nine times longer than VOD, for an average of 46 minutes per play.

Long-form content is beginning to make inroads, the study showed, with tablet TV viewers spending 25% of their viewing time watching videos more than 60 minutes long. Connected TV viewers spent nearly a third of their time watching videos longer than an hour.

Google's New Search Algorithm

Google has unleashed a brand new search algorithm, it's called Hummingbird and it helps the search engine be more capable of interpreting queries. The idea behind Hummingbird is to understand the intent behind a search rather than just interpreting  keywords contained in the search. This is huge and will change much of what we do now to optimize for search.
In other words, previously a search for "how to change an automobile tire" would focus on keywords such as: automobile and tire. Consequently the results would yield a plethora of ads and information based on those words rather than what you were actually searching for. 
This has changed! The new algorithm places emphasis on the fact that you are looking for how to information (in this case on changing a tire).
Now, user intent is more important than keyword phrases.
What this means to your video marketing efforts is that it is more important than ever to think about what question are you answering or what problem you are solving with your content. If you are not doing either of these things then what exactly does your content offer the viewer? 

Why Video Is A Must For Marketers

Amazingly, we still get asked why video is a must for marketing!
Here is an excerpt from a recent post on the Business 2 Community website that helps answer the question:

Today, video marketing’s status as the fastest growing online marketing media format is unrivaled. It’s impossible for anyone with an internet connection to avoid video marketing. Friends share links to viral videos via social networking sites. Brands use video to sell their products and services, before producing further how-to videos to help buyers use their purchases. Videos start playing when you visit websites, whether you’ve requested them or not. Businesses are flocking to video marketing, impressed by its wickedly effective conversion rates and incredible shareability, and video advertising is growing at a phenomenal rate. Yet, it was only April 2005 that YouTube published its first video (and less than a second since it published its last one). So why is video marketing so effective? And how has it
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Today video's status as the fastest growing marketing format is unrivaled.
Businesses are flocking to online video due to it's effective conversion rate, sharability and cost effectiveness.
Video demands attention. You can't skim read a video you either watch it or you don't. It would take 1.8 million words to convey the combined meaning expressed in a one minute video! Online video works differently than TV ads. For an online video campaign to be succesful it must have impact and engage viewers. It should have something that they want to share with friends. 
Smart Brands use online video to tell a story and elicit an emotional response from the viewer. This starts a conversation with potential customers. This is where the impact factor comes in to play. The more impact and conversational engagement  you can create the more the impact of the investment grows and is shared further spreading the message.

The B2Community article uses statistics from kickstarter campaigns to make it's point: "Kickstarter projects with great video are 85% more likely to achieve their funding targets"!

The days of thinking video would be a nice to have marketing tool someday are long over. Video is the must have in any marketing effort!

The Value of Video Video is based on artistic and creative forms of art that have been around for thousands of years. We’re no strangers to these individual concepts online. Visual art is represented with images and web design, aural art is captured by music and voice, and the conceptual story is told through text. However, when you combine these different elements, you create a little piece of magic. Because one minute of video can represent the combined meaning that it would take 1.8 million words to express. Yet it takes only a fraction of the effort to produce than those 1.8 million words would.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Businesses are flocking to video marketing, impressed by its wickedly effective conversion rates and incredible shareability, and video advertising is growing at a phenomenal rate. Yet, it was only April 2005 that YouTube published its first video (and less than a second since it published its last one). So why is video marketing so effective? And how has it become the ultimate game-changer for online marketing?
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Today, video marketing’s status as the fastest growing online marketing media format is unrivaled. It’s impossible for anyone with an internet connection to avoid video marketing. Friends share links to viral videos via social networking sites. Brands use video to sell their products and services, before producing further how-to videos to help buyers use their purchases. Videos start playing when you visit websites, whether you’ve requested them or not. Businesses are flocking to video marketing, impressed by its wickedly effective conversion rates and incredible shareability, and video advertising is growing at a phenomenal rate. Yet, it was only April 2005 that YouTube published its first video (and less than a second since it published its last one). So why is video marketing so effective? And how has it
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Today, video marketing’s status as the fastest growing online marketing media format is unrivaled. It’s impossible for anyone with an internet connection to avoid video marketing. Friends share links to viral videos via social networking sites. Brands use video to sell their products and services, before producing further how-to videos to help buyers use their purchases. Videos start playing when you visit websites, whether you’ve requested them or not. Businesses are flocking to video marketing, impressed by its wickedly effective conversion rates and incredible shareability, and video advertising is growing at a phenomenal rate. Yet, it was only April 2005 that YouTube published its first video (and less than a second since it published its last one). So why is video marketing so effective? And how has it become the ultimate game-changer for online marketing?
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Today, video marketing’s status as the fastest growing online marketing media format is unrivaled. It’s impossible for anyone with an internet connection to avoid video marketing. Friends share links to viral videos via social networking sites. Brands use video to sell their products and services, before producing further how-to videos to help buyers use their purchases. Videos start playing when you visit websites, whether you’ve requested them or not. Businesses are flocking to video marketing, impressed by its wickedly effective conversion rates and incredible shareability, and video advertising is growing at a phenomenal rate. Yet, it was only April 2005 that YouTube published its first video (and less than a second since it published its last one). So why is video marketing so effective? And how has it become the ultimate game-changer for online marketing?
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Today, video marketing’s status as the fastest growing online marketing media format is unrivaled. It’s impossible for anyone with an internet connection to avoid video marketing. Friends share links to viral videos via social networking sites. Brands use video to sell their products and services, before producing further how-to videos to help buyers use their purchases. Videos start playing when you visit websites, whether you’ve requested them or not. Businesses are flocking to video marketing, impressed by its wickedly effective conversion rates and incredible shareability, and video advertising is growing at a phenomenal rate. Yet, it was only April 2005 that YouTube published its first video (and less than a second since it published its last one). So why is video marketing so effective? And how has it become the ultimate game-changer for online marketing?
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/why-online-video-is-the-ultimate-game-changer-0585397#6jg9ZEsPpbgG8RvG.99

Will Your Business Benefit From Online Video?

Look at it this way:

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world and it is all about video. Twitter is up there with Vine video. And now Facebook has turned on video in Instagram (you need the latest updated app to use it).

Do you think they're trying to tell you something?

Great news for marketers, YES. If used properly.

If not... well,  look out for what your competition will do to you! 

If you don't know by now that conversion rates and sales are indisputably higher when video supports a product, (this is true in both B2B or B2C) then you have managed to stay blissfully far from what you could achieve in business!

The real question to ask yourself is why would you hesitate to fully engage? 

Bear in mind:

Facebook Users Watch 500 years of YouTube video every day!
700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter each minute.
Instagram had 5 million videos uploaded in the first 24 hours.
We'd call these some pretty compelling stats.

 

Mobile Screens Matter!

If you are still on the fence about whether to include mobile in your marketing mix take a look at this image from the MIT techreview page on Twitter/  (twitter.com/techreview)

More people have access to mobile screens than toilets!




Enough said!

Getting More You Tube Views

Ok, so with 24 hrs. of video being uploaded to YouTube every 60 seconds it would seem impossible for your video content to be found or stand out.
Don't fret, you know you have to be on YouTube and there are things that you can do to help be found.
Here are a few good ways to get started:


First: Use links in your video description. Keep it short and to the point since YouTube will cut your text off after about two sentences so put your link at the beginning of your video every time you upload. Embed your video's on your website so Youtube can be used to help refer traffic there.

Go to: My Videos/Edit Video/Description 

 
Also, YouTube now has Social Media sharing badges on its video pages! Viewers can connect their SM accounts to YouTube and share videos. No need to do anything special here just be aware of this feature.

Use YouTube Bulletins to post links to your video on subscribers pages!
Go to: My Channel/Bulletins


USE AutoPlay  Set this for one of your videos and every visit to your channel will rank as a view!
Go to: My Channel/Video Playlist 

Enjoy! and GET STARTED