Video content has emerged as the preferred format of consuming content. You don’t need statistics to figure that out. Just think of your own browsing choices. If you wanted to know about the top 10 places to holiday (or any other topic), would you read about it or watch a three minute video? Here are some staggering statistics that shows the popularity of videos: > Video traffic was 73% of all consumer internet traffic in 2016. This will rise to 82% by 2021. (Cisco VNI, 2016) > YouTube has one billion users. That’s two third of all internet users. > 87% of online marketers use video marketing. (Outbrain) > 10 million videos are watched in Snapchat everyday > More than 500 million hours of video is watched on  Youtube everyday Why Do We Prefer Video? So what is it that makes us prefer video over text? It’s our lazy brain. Our brains need more work to construct meaning from text. On the other hand, comprehending visuals is easy for our brains. The eyes are our most active sense and we have used visual communication for thousands of years.  The combination of visuals and auditory input is what makes video a more natural way of communication for us. 90% of information sent to the brain is visuals and the interesting fact is that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. This is the reason videos need fewer steps to extract meaning and are perceived with ease. What Video Marketing Can Do for Your Business? Videos can do all that a successful marketing tool should do for your business. It can increase your conversion, builds your brand and sell your product convincingly. Consider the following numbers:

• Videos on landing page improve conversion rate by 80% (Eyeview Digital)
• 4 in 5 consumers believe that demo videos are helpful
• Online shoppers who view video are 1.8 times more likely to make a purchase than non-viewers. (Animoto,2015)
• Using the word ‘video’ in the e-mail subject line increase the open rate by 19% (Syndacast)
• Visitors spend 2.6 times more time on a page with video (Wistia)

Videos also help in SEO as more time spent on page and greater shareability of videos boost rankings on search engines. Product videos explain your product in an easy to understand and captivating way. Check out this video of Ultra Ever Dry that went viral. In his book Influence, Rober Caildni gives six techniques to influence anyone. Videos use all these techniques effectively which makes them great for marketing. The six factors of influence are reciprocity, likeability, trust, authority, social proof and scarcity. Videos can play on all of these techniques. Videos featuring founder or employees naturally build trust and likeability among viewers. A video where someone is speaking to you is much more personal than reading text. This builds relation with the brand and personifies it. Although a text article can also show your expertise, a video gives more information to build authority. For example, authority is also built by the expressions, tone of voice and clothing. Testimonial videos are a great way to build social proof. A compilation of your satisfied and happy customers makes visitors more likely to make the purchase. Finally, the principle of reciprocity is also used when you give lots of information in the form of video which is easier to consume but harder to make. Your customers are more likely to notice the effort and pay you back. Our natural preference for visuals and human interaction make video marketing the most powerful tool for business. Here are some tips to make sure your videos drive consumer action. #1 Keep videos short and to the point According to Animoto, Almost 75% of consumers prefer video under 60 seconds. Consumers are impatient with their attention and penalize brands that waste their time. Ask yourself if there is a shorter way to tell your message. #2 Prefer Humans over Animation Videos with people get more engagement than animated or whiteboard videos. We naturally connect more to a smiling human face and a trusting voice. However, animation may be a better option for explaining complex concepts and processes. #3 Use the right type of video There are many categories of video. You can make a product video, testimonial video, founder story video or an entertaining content video. Use the right video on the right page. For example, a testimonial video would be great to convert leads on landing page whereas founder’s story would fit well on the homepage of your website. You must also choose the video based on your industry. A product business will require a product video but a law consultancy will do well to produce videos with legal tips for clients. #4 Budget Videos A popular video doesn’t have to be expensive. Many small business owners shoot regular videos from their desk and get good results. The important part is to understand what your customers would like to see and deliver that in the simplest way possible. Make sure the lighting is sufficient and voice is audible.