Better late than never, right? Maybe you feel like you may have already missed the train when it comes to online video, but that’s truly not the case. If you haven’t embraced video as part of your overall content strategy, though, you are missing out on a world of opportunity. Don’t be intimidated by the prospect, because there’s so much to be gained from embracing video in 2020.
Here are five of the best reasons why you should get into video in a big way this year.
Foster the Human Connection
Long gone are the days when content could more or less stand on its own. I mean, it still can, but a much bigger part of the equation now has to do with nurturing the relationship you have with your readers and followers. Your content still needs substance and value, of course, but the fact of the matter is that your readers can consume all kinds of similar content from hundreds or thousands of other content creators.
What makes you unique is, well, you. Let that personality come shining through and demonstrate that you are indeed a real, three-dimensional, living, breathing human being. You are a real person with real depth and feelings and insights. It’s only when you do this that your readers can develop a sense of trust with you.
Words can only go so far, and people have become increasingly skeptical of heavily edited photos. Video, especially in-the-moment and increasingly unedited and authentic video, really connects.
Captivate the Mobile Audience
The best place where you can see the biggest impact with online video is on mobile. When people sit down at their computers, they’re much more inclined to read an article or sift through other forms of content than when they are on their smartphones (and tablets).
The latest stats reveal that mobile video consumption is growing by 100% every year. Whereas watching a video on a mobile device only made up about 14% of all online videos in 2013, that figure has skyrocketed to over 60% as of the second quarter of 2018. Nearly two-thirds of all online video is watched on a phone or tablet. You need to get in on that.
Make It Easy to Consume
This ties in to the previous point. Let’s be perfectly honest with one another here. People are lazy. Articles like these can be useful and I’m happy you’re here to read it. But, if we were to convert this text into a short YouTube video, there’s a good chance that you’d rather watch that, right? I know I would.
This is a big reason why video plays such a big role here on John Chow dot Com, as well as on countless other websites and across various social platforms for many a blogger, marketer and influencer alike. People want things to be easy, and watching a video is way easier than reading a chart, perusing an article or even listening to a podcast.
Explore the Possibilities
True, YouTube is very much the elephant in the room here. That’s obvious enough. But what you’ll find is that even if you don’t want to put in the effort to carefully plan, script, shoot and edit a video for that platform, you can still take embrace video in 2020.
Keep it simple and spontaneous with Facebook Stories or Instagram Stories. Share slightly longer videos on IGTV, or throw something together to share with your followers on Twitter and Facebook. Do your demographics skew toward a younger, hipper generation? TikTok might be where you’ll find your biggest following.
Leverage The Search Advantage
You’ve likely heard this before and you’re probably going to hear it again, but it’s even more important in 2020 than ever before. From a search engine optimization (SEO) standpoint, video offers a HUGE advantage. Google LOVES video and you’ll find that relevant YouTube videos often appear right at the top of the search results.
This means that if you produce a high quality video on a topic and it ranks well in YouTube, it could also land on you on the first page of Google, above equally good written content on other websites. But even if it’s not on Google search itself, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine.
Many people search for topics on YouTube before they even search the rest of the web. Get in on that video action.
Just Get Started
It’s a common misconception that you shouldn’t bother with online video unless you have the best possible equipment. Sure, better equipment can produce better-looking video with higher production value, but stellar content shot on mediocre equipment will always be better than mediocre content shot on stellar equipment.
You don’t need that expensive camera. You might find that a $200 vlogging setup is more than adequate. Realistically, the camera on your smartphone is probably already better than what you’d be able to get out of a point-and-shoot. If you’ve already spent upwards of $1000 on a phone (if not more), why not leverage it as a business tool beyond mobile games and silly selfies?
The point is you just need to get started with what you have. And it starts with embracing video right now. What are you going to shoot first?