Even if you haven’t been paying attention, it’s hard to miss the signs – video content is becoming bigger every year.

It’s dominating our social pages, it’s becoming an essential tool in every marketing toolkit, and it’s helping businesses big and small connect with their audiences more than ever.

Put simply, if you’re not using video in your content strategy, you’re really missing out.

On what exactly?

Well, on a great ROI, customer engagement, sales, reach, and a whole lot more.

If you’re wondering how to shake up your content strategy in 2022, here are ten great reasons to make room for more video!

WHY VIDEO MUST BE PART OF YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY IN 2022

Video Dominates The Internet

When you were young, your parents probably asked you if you’d jump off a bridge just because everyone else did. While the correct answer back then was “no,” the right answer for marketers should be – heck yes!

Going where the majority goes is a great content strategy – and the majority are going to video.

To give you an idea of just how significant video is, here are some impressive stats:

• One-third of all online activity is spent watching videos.

• There are around 38 million active channels on YouTube, and way back in 2019, 500 hours of video content was uploaded to YouTube every minute, that number is only growing.

• In 2015, Facebook recorded more than 8 billion videos per day. More recently, in 2020, 15% of all content on Facebook was video content.

• Every 30 days, more video content is uploaded than what major TV networks in the US have created in the past 30 years.

Videos Are Helpful To Your Customers

The mindblowing stats above show just how popular video has become, but let’s look at why it’s such a valuable marketing tool.

Video is a fantastic way to help potential buyers learn about your product or service. Instead of trying to explain what your product does and how it works, you can demonstrate it visually.

Optinmonster discovered that 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by watching a video.

Explainer videos are the most common types of video created by marketers, and 98% of consumers say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. That’s a lot of eyes on your business!

Videos Provide An Impressive Return On Investment

These days, you don’t need a fancy camera or expensive lighting rig to produce a decent quality video: you can create engaging, valuable content with nothing more than a smartphone.

That means video now provides a great return on investment. You can jump onto a Live to connect with people in the moment, get creative with your Reels, or make longer-form content over on YouTube - all without blowing your budget.

According to WordStream, marketers who use video as part of their content strategy grow revenue 49% faster than those who don’t.

People Love Watching Videos

You only have to glance at all the streaming services to see that people adore being entertained via video. But it’s not just the latest Netflix that we like to binge-watch.

Research shows that 9 out of 10 consumers want to see videos from the brands they support, too.

The average person is estimated to spend 100 minutes every day watching online videos, and users spend 88% more time browsing on websites that contain videos.

Videos Convert

Did you know that adding a video to your product or service page can increase purchases by 144%?

That could be a heck of a boost to your product sales! A content strategy that includes videos is essential to drive sales and convert those browsers into buyers.

Videos Build Relationships

People can get to know you through your blogs, your captions, and your photos, but nothing is faster or more engaging than well-made video content.

Humans are visual creatures. We use and read body language, tone of voice, and other unspoken signals to suss each other out.

If you want to connect with your ideal audience, show them the face behind the brand by making authentic videos reflecting your brand personality.

Live videos are particularly effective at creating connections, with Facebook live streams receiving double the engagement of pre-recorded videos.

Search Engines Love Videos

Have you noticed that when you do a Google search these days, you’ll often see a selection of YouTube videos at the top of the search results?

Google loves to promote videos, but don’t forget that YouTube is also a massive search engine, with the third-highest share of the US search market (after Google.com and Google Images).

Email And Video Are A Great Match

You may be aware that email marketing has the best ROI of any channel. It makes sense then that a content strategy pairing up email and video is pretty powerful: it’s like combining Godzilla with King Kong!

By simply including the word “video” in your email subject line, you can increase your click-through rate by 200-300%!

People Share Videos

Looking to increase your reach and build your brand identity? Video can do that, too. People love to share videos – across social media, by forwarding emails, and by recommending shows.

YouTube is the most popular platform for sharing videos, followed by Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Mobile Is Made For Videos

Thanks to smartphones, we no longer just watch videos when we’re perched in front of the TV or laptop. We now watch on our mobile phones while standing in line, sitting on the loo (come on, we all do it!), or waiting for an appointment.

Ninety percent of consumers watch videos on their mobile. That means your videos are more accessible than ever.

Mobile video views have increased by 233% since 2013, and they’re still going up. Even YouTube says that mobile video consumption on their platform rises by a whopping 100% every year.

Video Is Going To Keep Getting Bigger!

Can we predict the future by looking at the past? Not always, but when it comes to the power of video, the trajectory is pretty clear. Dealing exclusively in short-form video, TikTok is the fastest growing social platform around. Instagram has prioritised Reels, which are getting more popular by the day, and YouTube is still a powerhouse.

Clearly, video is not going anywhere. If you want a successful content strategy in 2022, it’s time to get on board the video train and enjoy the ride!

Want some advice on how to integrate video into your social media strategy this year? Then, let’s chat!