When we talk about demand gen today, it is an ever-growing beast akin to the mythical hydra, spawning two heads for every head lost. Indeed, businesses today deal with an exponentially growing number of components in each demand gen campaign, which now warrant a dedicated team member, if not a full team, to handle. Traditionally, demand gen’s content engine relied heavily on the written word and other data-driven digital content. However, the wild popularity of video assets, brought on by a generation raised with YouTube, Vine (RIP) and Snapchat, throws a curveball into traditional demand gen content strategies.
Fear not, businesses that incorporate video into their overall demand gen strategy wager minimal risk for great reward. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then, as Forrester’s Dr. James McQuivey put it, 1 minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. So if you’re tiptoeing the diving board, unsure of whether or not to take the plunge, here are three reasons to give you that needed push to think video!
Video is digestible
Would you rather read a 2,000-word whitepaper, or watch a 90-second video? The majority of senior executives today (59 percent) lean toward the latter. Don’t get me wrong – a fleshed-out whitepaper is still a valuable asset to have and use. However, people are consuming more content at a faster rate than ever before. Instead of taking unabridged adventures into full-blown thought leadership essays, your buyers only have time for the quick and dirty version.
Video is a happy medium – excuse the pun – between in-depth storytelling and tightly packaged content. Within the span of 1-2 minutes, video can cover pain points, industry context, innovative solutions and more. Furthermore, instead of a name and title on a byline, your thought leader gets quality facetime with your prospects as what we like to call a “talking head.” While face-to-face communication still reigns supreme as the most effective way to convey a message and build a relationship, video comes in as the close second.
Video is convertible
OK, it might not do 0-60 mph in a matter of seconds, but it is most likely the best-looking and most powerful vehicle you have in your demand gen garage. According to our Tech Marketing Content Survey, video is tied with social media as the most effective medium for content. And the numbers don’t lie. Videos on your homepage increase conversion rates by 20 percent. Videos on your landing pages increase conversion by 80 percent. Better yet, videos in email campaigns result in a 200-300 percent increase in click-through rates (CTR), and 64 percent of consumers are more likely to buy product after watching a video.
As such industry research proves, video is without a doubt a fast and furious accelerator to your demand gen campaigns.
…I’ll stop now with the dad puns.
Video is scalable
Regardless of your company’s size and success, and/or where your buyers are in the customer journey, there is always a time and place for video. If you’re trying to establish brand awareness, company overviews and customer case studies can quickly establish who you are and what you have to offer. As your company continues to expand, videos that highlight your products, as well as those that promote recruitment and culture, will help you maintain momentum. Finally, once you’re ready to establish yourself as an industry leader, a healthy helping of video blogs (vlogs) and consistent sales kickoff (SKO) and Year in Review videos will do just that.
That’s a wrap!
Content consumption will continue to trend toward smaller, faster, more visual assets. In order to keep up, and more importantly stay ahead, businesses must invest in video to bolster their PR, marketing and demand gen efforts. For a sneak peek into how this looks when put into real-world practice, swing by ProMotion Studios and take a quick look at our recent content survey to learn more.
By Webbo Chen
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