MOVING PICTURES

animals playing – filmmakers soon MySpace quickly became the most started to incorporate storylines and used social media site in the world. music into their works. Between the But in this brave new world, changes years of 1890 and 1927, thousands were happening fast, including the of silent films were produced with advent of Facebook in 2004. the ever-increasing sophistication It was only a year later that of storyline and technical crafts- YouTube launched its videomanship. A new art form was born. sharing app, which allowed users

By the late 1920s, television to experiment with self-produced stations started content, to appear in while also America, with If you’ve logged in to any creating the the world’s first electronic TV social media platform blessing – or is it blight? – of being invented in recently, you might have self-appointed 1927 by a 21-yearold inventor noticed video content influencers. From makeup named Philo within the first ten seconds. tutorials to viral Taylor Farnsworth. ‘Gangnam style’ It was also the Why? Because it grabs our dance crazes, year that The Jazz Singer – the first attention far more effectively YouTube proves that just about feature-length than words or still images anyone or movie with synchronized ever can. anything can go viral on the sound – appeared. internet. Now,

By 1971, some 20 years after US the channel sees more than four engineer Charles Ginsburg led the billion daily views and has more than team responsible for the video one billion users worldwide. It wasn’t recorder, our good friends Sony long before pretty much every other stepped into the consumer market social media channel incorporated and introduced videocassette video into their platforms. recorder (VCR) decks and tapes, If you’ve logged in to any social allowing us to make our own movies. media platform recently, you might

Then in 2000, things became even have noticed video content within more personal with the advent of the the first ten seconds. first mobile phone incorporating a Why? Because it grabs video camera, Samsung SCH-V200. our attention far more effectively than words The birth of the internet or still images ever Developing in parallel was a medium can. This explains why that would give video the platform it videos on Instagram needed to become fully integrated and Facebook generate into our daily lives: more engagement than

The first of January 1983 is any other content type, considered the official birthday of the and Tweets including internet, with the first social media videos see ten-times platform appearing in 1997. more engagement.

Six Degrees, created by Andrew Social media Weinreich, was popular with users platforms know this, until 2003, when Tom Anderson and therefore give an came up with MySpace. This new site extra boost to new let users make profiles that played video-related features. their favourite music, and they could Instagram, for example, even design their own backgrounds. is still heavily promoting Instagram Reels, making it one of the best growth-hacks a business can use on the app right now.

In 2019, users spent an incredible weekly average of six hours and 48 minutes watching online videos, a 59% increase from 2016. And that’s before we consider the impact of the pandemic on our video consumption habits.

Today, consumers expect brands to deliver ever-more engaging, entertaining content, and video is one of the most effective formats to do so. And it doesn’t just stop at social media.

Let’s look at website content. If you’re a small business owner, you’ve likely heard the motto “content is king” to describe the importance of content marketing. And while written content is effective for many audiences, visual marketing is an even more powerful tool to increase interactions and actions. Remember the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” – go one step further by adding that “a one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words” (Dr James McQuivey of Forrester Research).

Considering that 46 percent of people who watch a video ad on a business website act after viewing it, it is criminal for you not to include video in your marketing strategy.

PRESENT YOUR PRODUCT

And present yourself, too. People react to people and an engaging smile works wonders

So how can you use video help boost your website?

Rank better in Google One of the key factors that Google uses to rank your website is the amount of time people spend on your site. So sites providing a short, compelling video will generally see higher engagement rates, higher click-through rates, and higher conversion rates. In fact, 80 percent of people who watch a video ad will recall it even a month later. You therefore not only get the benefits that come with using video, as discussed above, but you get Google turbocharging this by driving more people to your site.

Showcase your brand’s personality

In today’s digital world, more and more people shop, work and communicate online. While this is convenient, it means that we aren’t putting faces to names as often. To humanize your brand, use video to connect to your audience with as close to a face-to-face interaction as possible – people love doing business with those they like.

Provide video testimonials

Credibility is a crucial element for any business, no matter whether you’re a start-up, or an established brand. A great way to impart credibility is straight from the mouths of real people who have purchased your product or service and are genuinely happy with it.

Include mobile users If you’ve ever tried reading a long article on a relatively small Smartphone screen, you know how slow-going it can be, even on websites with responsive design. Receiving the same information via video can make the process much easier for the average person.

Demonstrate your product Your product may come across at first site as complex and off-putting – remember the first time you learnt to drive? A video can make apparently difficult concepts far simpler, and therefore more appealing to your target audience. If they ‘get’ it, they’re far more likely to buy it.

Take note: the opportunities for video are immense. Act on this.