Video content is booming! On most social media platforms you will come across a lot of video content in your timeline. This makes sense because, unlike textual content or a photo, messages that contain videos are visually much stronger, they attract the attention of your target group faster and they also hold their attention longer.
Online impact
Videos come in many different sizes and shapes. There are animations, promo videos, behind-the-scene videos, and so on. Videos give your brand or organisation more of a face. The message is often more personal and you reach a larger audience in a shorter time. There is also a major shift from offline to online, which means that, for example, purchases increasingly take place online. With a smartphone in your pocket, you always have the online world with you.
Impact on consumers
How big is the influence of a video on social media on consumer behavior? A survey of 580 American consumers, looking at how they interacted with companies and what persuaded them to make a purchase, yielded different results. A summary of this can be found in the infographic below.
This research showed that consumers prefer video content to a text or photo message, in order to obtain more information about a new product or service. The most popular platforms from which consumers get this knowledge are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 93% say a video is very important in the purchase process. Almost three-quarters indicate that they have bought a product or service after seeing a product video.
Videos on your own platform
As an entrepreneur, it is also smart to look at your own video platform. It is tempting to think of platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and soon Facebook Watch when thinking about your online video strategy. These platforms are visited daily by millions of people, which means they generate a considerable reach, which in turn contributes to your brand awareness. But using these platforms should be considered carefully. What people often forget is that if these platforms are free, you 'pay' in a different way. For YouTube, this is reflected in their goals:
- Attract visitors with your content
- Learning from your visitors and your reach
- Show your visitors advertisements.
Risks of free video platforms for companies
When reading these objectives, you may wonder who is pulling whom. By using free platforms, you run risks as a company. These risks must be included in the video strategy and in determining the right platform. Five risks are listed below:
1. No control over your video material
What does this mean? The moment you place your content on a free platform, you often give up your rights. You can no longer change or republish the content. You then no longer have control over what happens to your images. Curious about the conditions? Then always read the service conditions of the relevant platform.
2. You may be sharing critical business information
Video platforms, therefore, learn more about your users and your reach than you do. They then use this knowledge to create a so-called company profile of your customers, your company, and the market in which you operate. Do you really want this vulnerable data to fall into other hands?
3. They entice your customers to your competitors
Free video platforms (like almost all social media platforms) use algorithms. These are often based on your interests and the content you engage with. The moment a potential customer clicks on your video, the video platform generates suggestions of potential content that the viewer also finds interesting. So there is a good chance that your competitor will end up in the suggestions.
4. They pull viewers away from your website
Video platforms seem to generate traffic to the website. But is this true? Even before your video has finished, new suggestions are already being offered, in the hope of keeping the viewer on the platform as long as possible.
5. Your competitors can advertise around your videos
Companies that place video content on video platforms have no say in which advertisements are shown before their video. So it may just be that the competitor - even before the potential customer sees your video - has already hijacked your potential customer with its advertisement.
Different use of free video platforms
Don't worry, you don't have to completely write off YouTube and Vimeo just yet. You can also use these video platforms to your advantage. For example, you can only place teasers on free video platforms. In this teaser, you refer the viewer to your own video platform on your own website. If you do so. then don't forget to add Call-To-Action so that your customer also generates a conversion with you. This way you lead the viewer to your platform, you generate more conversions, a longer time-on-page and you boost the site rank!
Do you want to produce videos, but don't know how? Or do you want your own video platform on your website? The Dare Company has several in-house specialists who can help you with any issue! Contact us without obligation!