In an evolving digital age, the question among communicators is whether visual content such as video is more effective in communicating brand messages than text.
A survey by Usurv revealed that, if you want visitors to your website to share and interact with your content, delivering it via video is the best way to go. Consumers are 39 percent more likely to share content if it’s delivered via video, 36 percent more likely to comment about video and 56 percent more likely to “like” it on social media.
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) concurs. It says that video is among the most versatile tactics marketers can use. Yet, as beneficial as video can be in communicating your message and evoking viewer emotion, it is not always the right format for your content. The best way to determine whether to go video or print according to CMI, is to ask yourself if there is anything about your story that would be lost if you told it without the benefit of visual and sound. If the answer is “no” and you’d still like to venture into the video realm, consider starting with something small that won’t take much time to produce and consume. Or, to play it safe, start with text first. If the text is well received, then consider repurposing the content as video for even greater impact and reach.
While video’s popularity continues to grow relative to static content on platforms such as websites, blogs, social media, and email, it’s not without its challenges, including:
To get the most from your video investment, CMI suggests the following:
Videos can be powerful purveyors of emotion over text when used purposefully. According to Psychology Today, “while reading is all about thinking, video is better at getting us to feel. If you want your audience to fall in love with your content, deliver it on video because it’s easier for us to become emotionally attached to something we watch on a video than something we read in an article.”