If your company isn’t using video in your promotional materials yet, you need to consider it now. Since Youtube is 2^nd largest search engine, after Google, video is a powerful tool in your marketing toolbox, providing a great return on investment. If you haven’t started incorporating video yet, here’s why you should:

1. Drives Traffic to Your Website

Facebook alone generates 8 billion video views every single day. Four times as many people prefer to watch a video about a product than read about it. When potential clients see a video about your company, product or service, they are increasingly likely to click through to your site and stay there longer, since people spend more than double the time on a page if it has video.

2. Increase engagement

Video is much more appealing to many users than chunks of text on a page. Using “video” in subject line increases the chance of the email being opened by 19%. Just be aware that, if you are promoting your video on Facebook, most people watch with the volume turned off. Including relevant text will help and will also appeal to audiences who are deaf or hard of hearing.

3. Increases Brand Recognition

Remember the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? It still rings true today, and applies to video as well. People are much more likely to remember you, your product and your brand when they have viewed it online, especially if they see it multiple times. An astounding 80% of people remember video advertising that they have seen in the last month.

4. Tells Your Story

Video allows you to engage with your audience by telling your story. If people can develop an emotional connection to you and your product, they will be more likely to make a purchase in the future.

5. Provides a Clear Explanation

Images and video can often convey information about how things work, more clearly than text. Video can help you show off your product and highlight benefits that might be missed in images and text.

6. Converts to Sales

Video drives sales. People are much more likely to make a purchase after watching a product demonstration and marketers find that video increases conversion faster and more often than any other type of content.

7. Can be Used for Different Purposes

Professionally produced video, with precise sound, lighting and animation is effective for promoting your business. Likewise, lower quality, quick updates and live streaming can be useful for nurturing brand loyalty by taking care of current customers. Video is a great way to repurpose current and past content, like blog posts.

8. Makes You Stand Out from Your Competitors

Telling your story through video allows you to set yourself apart and helps potential clients see you as unique in your market.

9. Easily Shared with Consumers and Influencers

Video content is much more likely to be shared than text. Sharing with media or a potential client base is a cinch on any platform.

Some effective ways to use video include how-to clips to help consumers install or use your product correctly and explainer videos to show your customer why they need your product in the first place. Introductions, interviews and Q & A’s can position you as a credible authority in your field and your customers will be able to relate to client testimonials.

Whether you are looking at a Canada-wide media campaign, or social media blasts directed at your current clients, video marketing is a valuable tool for PR agencies and campaigns.