When the competitive arena is full of content, overload and content burnout make it harder than ever to reach a consumer. Even if you are able to reach them, viewer retention is a constant battle. Traditional media is ideal for SEO, but one format outpaces other forms of content. Video enters the fray and easily takes the title of heavyweight champion. Why is video so valuable? Keep reading for details on the content brawl.

Entering the ring as the oldest competitor is text-based content. Text has always been important and has easily won its fair share of promotions through direct, personal communication. However, as web content flourishes, text-based content begins to take a back seat due to the vast amount of text on social media.
Images have increasingly won matches over text, as they receive 94% higher views than their text only counterparts. Text is also playing a declining role in emails. Whereas text email communications continue to serve an important function, images and other visual content have assumed a dominant role. Images are important, as many readers simply scan emails. They establish an emotional connection with the reader and a visual identity for lifestyle branding. Many people find that it is easier to consume images than text because it uses less brain power and it garners attention more easily in crowded content spaces. Imagery is a winner in email efforts because videos are limited to image thumbnails in email. However, research suggests that including “video” in the subject line of an email can increase open rates by 13%.

There is more competition between video and image-based content. Video throws a left hook with higher viewer retention and engagement. This is directly related to consumer behavior and can be effectively demonstrated by an important concept in web design known as F-layout. Through consumer behavioral studies using eye-tracking, it was deduced that most written web content is consumed in an F-shaped pattern. The average user will read the headline and the first few lines of content, but reads less of the content on the right side of the page, as they get further along in the text. F-layout can be seen as a common pattern in site heatmaps. Since video avoids relying on eye movement and is the most visually stimulating form of content, more information can be shared with the viewer before attention is diverted. Video may also have more suggestibility, as the brain enters the alpha brainwave state when watching video content and this can be better for processing new information.

While content overload shows no signs of slowing down, video continues to be a heavyweight contender. It even gives websites a leg up in search rankings and paid advertising. Embedded video can increase web traffic by 55% and adding video to a site can “increase the chance of a front page Google result by 53 times”. According to Hubspot, 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide named video as the type of content with the best ROI and it shows no signs of slowing down. A report by Cisco stated that in 2022, “82% of all consumer Internet traffic” is in video format, which is up from 73% in 2017.
As video takes the reins, companies need to learn the best ways to incorporate it in their marketing mix. Video can be an effective way to introduce a brand and create awareness of a consumer need. It’s vital to develop a winning video content strategy, as well as to develop ways to understand performance of video content across diverse channels. Often a video marketing content strategy can be developed around consumer pain points and information they can utilize in product adoption.

GUEST BLOGGER AUTHOR:

ANDREW NOLL