Since the dawn of television, it’s become increasingly clear that videos are an effective way to keep viewer attention and to get a point across. While many businesses use their company’s website or TV ad breaks to showcase videos, social media is also a good way to share video content. Facebook in particular is a great platform for video marketers. Five hundred million people are watching videos on Facebook every day, and they are not just viewing content from family and friends, as a recent study from Animoto suggests.
Millions of people watch millions of hours worth of content every day on Facebook. While much of the video content are things from family, friends or purposefully comedic videos, Facebook viewers also spend a lot of time viewing branded content.
According to Animoto’s survey, 60 percent of consumers say they watch branded videos on Facebook every day. This makes sense when you think about it. Companies and brands are posting videos so the content is out there; and with FB ads, branded video content can be easily integrated into the Facebook experience.
Furthermore, it’s not just about people seeing the videos. Getting a people to see a video is only part of the challenge for video marketing platform; the other is showing that video marketing platform is effective at turning online views into conversions. The researchers for Animoto found that branded videos on Facebook are driving engagement and influencing buying decisions: 64 percent of consumers say watching a marketing video on Facebook has influenced a purchase decision in the last month.
“We are living in a video-first world, and you need to look no further than your Facebook News Feed for proof that video is now the most popular form of communication online,” said Brad Jefferson, CEO of Animoto. “Businesses need to learn to ‘speak video’ fluently if they want to connect with their customers on social media. Our study shows that marketers recognize the importance of prioritizing video marketing on social networks, and are taking the steps they need to succeed in reaching their customers in the most engaging and authentic way.”
The report from Animoto had some other data that shows the usefulness of social media for video marketing. For example, 84 percent of consumers say they watch social video content on mobile devices.This shows that using branded videos on social media can serve as social, mobile and video marketing audiences in one place.
The study also provided a few tips on based on the survey results for creating better video marketing materials. To create a video that motivates consumers, the most important thing is being believable. In the Animoto survey, “Authenticity” was ranked as the number 1 quality that leads consumers to trust a brand.
The results also stressed the importance of having a coherent marketing campaigns. While there are a lot of people who like unusual advertising, the majority of consumers want something more down-to-earth. According to the survey, 53 percent of consumers said that the way to create an authentic video was to have a clear, cohesive narrative.
This report is another piece of the ever-growing body of evidence that shows the value of video marketing and the value of Facebook as an advertising and marketing platform. For more recents reports about marketing tactics, read this article on tips for email marketers.