Online marketing has turned into an art form of sorts, creating promotional material that can reach millions, all the while providing tons of statistical data, which enables better targeting and the creation of better marketing material. However, for inexperienced online marketers, it may be problematic to pick out the marketing method that works best for them. This is usually achieved with a trial and error method and it takes time to figure out what works best for individual situations.

One exception to this rule is video marketing, which is as effective online as it has previously been through our TV screens. The possibilities for the application of quality video material seem boundless. A single video can perform multiple marketing roles; in this article, we’ll go over a few of its key benefits and capabilities:

Social sharing potential

Promotional material doesn’t tend to thrive in boring environments; no matter your audience, they want immediate answers relayed in a casual, playful, and straightforward way. Video marketing has great viral potential and allows you to play with a lot of elements that can increase its chances of catching the sharing wind through social media.

What’s more, video provides the unique advantage of letting you time when your audience loses interest and stops watching.

Managing boring subjects

Not all material is easy to advertise. B2B companies in particular know that it can seem next to impossible to make technical language and abstract concepts pop out of the screen.  Even potential clients who are well versed in your business sector’s language don’t tend to have the patience to read through your company’s information.

With a video, much of the wall-of-text malaise that comes from technical language can be improved by simple animations and diagrams. A well-made video not only helps to hold a viewer’s attention as they learn about your product, it also makes it more understandable.

Driving traffic

There’s little way around it, the most immediate, obvious (and free) way to start driving traffic with video marketing is via YouTube. Not only is it the single largest video platform online, YouTube recognized early on the power of social media, and its interface has been optimized to make it as easy as possible for your viewers to click share.

It can take work to develop a steady fan base, but will pay off in the long run. The rules for running a decent YouTube channel are quite similar to running a successful blog:

• Punctuality: Keep viewers fed with a steady stream of helpful tips and resources. Just as every blog post you write needn’t be 1,500 words long, nor do regular videos need to be overly steeped in details. Short, happy updates often suffice.
• Quality: A no-brainer, but it needs to be re-stated: There’s no point investing time and energy into videos unless you have something valuable to say. Focus on churning out good content as opposed to filling a quota.
• Responsivness: Like all user-generated content, YouTube and other video platforms thrive on user comments. If a user comments on your video, be prompt and helpful in responding to them.

Statistic and customer information

Your audience’s attention span isn’t the only bit of data you can glean from your video analytics. Different analytics allow you to gain information about your viewers’ gender, age, nationality, location and more. This information is invaluable for future decision-making and for the creation of better targeted marketing material.  On top of this, you can ask for additional information through “squeeze windows” – pop ups that encourage viewers to click or subscribe.

In the past, the production of video material for advertising purposes was expensive, but these days, the whole process costs a lot less and it doesn’t really need to be top-notch from the technical side of things in order to be effective. If we look at things across the board, most successful video blogs were started by teenagers from their bedrooms and dorm rooms, with rudimentary budget equipment and video production software. All it takes is a bit of research and a good idea to boost your website traffic, increase conversion along with your fan base. Video material can be combined with your blog in order to network better. The benefits are too great to disregard.