According to the Chinese horoscope calendar, it’s the Year of the Red Monkey. But according to social media, it’s the Year of Video.
2015 brought live social streaming to the forefront of social media with apps like Periscope and Meerkat, and the launch of Facebook Live, a native live-streaming service rolled out to verified brand pages.
In November of 2015, Facebook hit the 8 billion daily video views mark (up from 4 billion just a few months earlier).
Snapchat also had a great year in 2015, counting more than 200 million active users and moving beyond its reputation as a niche network.
Recently, IT giant Cisco published a whitepaper forecasting the future of video on the Internet. In short:
So, what does that mean for 2016?
“Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.”
-Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook creator
That’s what you are going to see continue to grow exponentially this year, not just for personal accounts, but for businesses as well.
Brands will be investing more and more in reaching customers where they are, which is on social and mobile.
How do you get your business on board the video train?
Facebook Video Ads
- From our own video ad runs, we’ve seen the cost per click dip as low as $0.00 per video view. That means Facebook is showing your video ad to your target audience without charging you a cent.
- The goal of video ads is to catch the attention of your audience in the first 3 to 5 seconds, so makes sure your ad gets straight to the point.
Live Streaming
- Take advantage of Facebook Live, which will notify your followers when you are live and save the video to your business page for later accessibility
Incorporate video into your marketing plan
- A 2015 B2B Video Content Marketing Survey reported that 96% of B2B organizations are engaged in video content marketing.
- Prioritize your ad budget to fund digital videos rather than traditional ads (radio, television, etc).
Start NOW!
- Don’t wait for your competitors to start with video before you decide to take the leap! Be ahead of the curve!
- You don’t need fancy, expensive video cameras and boom mics to get started. All you need is your iPhone (or Android). Pan around your office, or get a shot of your employees hard at work. Chat with your audience about a new service or give tips or advice.
Video offers endless opportunities to reach customers. Make sure 2016 is the year you take advantage of it!