Video has been touted as “the future of marketing.” Well, the future is here, and YouTube is where it’s at! YouTube is the second largest search engine, ranking only behind Google Search itself. In 2018, it received more than 1.5 billion users per month and played over 1 billion hours of video each day to users – and studies show that the demand for video content is quickly increasing. According to Cisco, a whopping 82% of consumer internet traffic will be video by 2022! If your brand doesn’t have a YouTube channel, you’re missing out on a great opportunity for increased visibility.
Demand for Video Marketing Is Increasing
Some think of search and video as two distinct channels that require different strategies, with many giving less value to the power of video marketing. In reality, people don’t experience them in silos at all. Rather, they use them together as critical resources on their path to conversion. Thus, the roles of Google Search and YouTube are both essential in the customer journey.
Stats You Can’t Ignore
Seventy-two percent of people prefer to watch a video about a product rather than read a product description (HubSpot), and 54% want to see even more video content from brands. Here are a few more stats for consideration:
- More than half of people say online video has helped them decide which specific brand or product to buy. They seek out comparison, review, and even how-to videos to help narrow down their list. Video searches for “which [product] should I [buy/use]” have doubled since last year. In fact, 90% of consumers state that video “helped them make purchasing decisions” (Forbes).
- Based on the 2018 State of Social Video Marketer Trends report, 73% of consumers claim that they have been influenced by a brand’s social media presence when making a decision.
- Actively utilizing video marketing has shown a 54% increase in brand awareness, with clients receiving 66% more qualified leads per year (Optinmonster).
- According to the Pew Research Center, YouTube is now used by nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%).
- Google, the proud parent of YouTube, reports that 80% of people say they typically switch between online search and video when making purchasing decisions. 55% of people search for a product on Google, and then learn more about it by going to YouTube before making their decision.
- They also state that 51% of people are looking to YouTube to connect with others from a like-minded community. (Cough, cough, can we say “unbranded” opportunities, too?!)
There is simply too much traffic on digital video – and too much intent, in YouTube’s case – to ignore. More and more, people are turning to video for information, support, community, and most importantly, to educate themselves before making decisions on a particular brand. If your brand hasn’t launched a YouTube channel, why not? I bet your competitors have …
Cricket McAnally is a senior SEO specialist at Intouch.