Nearly three out of four brand marketers (71%) who use video as a form of marketing content agree that brand video content converts better than other content, such as text and image content, sales, and downloads.
That comes from the Video Content Marketing: Identifying Metrics and Measuring Impact study conducted by Demand Metric for Vidyard. Of the 235 B2B marketers who responded to the study survey, 86% are actively measuring the effectiveness of their video marketing efforts, and more than two out of three are producing more than 100 content marketing videos per year.
A key finding from the study reveals those brands that distribute their videos through multiple channels are getting the best results. The report explains that 63% of B2B respondents are hosting their brand video content on their own sites as well as on at least one external site such as YouTube or Vimeo. Nearly half (43%) distribute their brand videos only through third party sites, and just 11% host their videos only on their own websites. ROI is reportedly higher for respondents with a multi-channel distribution strategy.
Just nine months ago, I discussed a different brand video content study here on the Corporate Eye blog that showed how much the use of video content marketing has grown in recent years. At the time, the 2013 Online Video Marketing Survey and Business Video Trends Report had just been released by ReelSEO, the Web Marketing Council, and Flimp Media. Of the 600 marketers surveyed as part of the study, 93% of those marketers were using brand video content (up from 81% in 2012) with 82% reporting that video content had a positive effect on their businesses.
Compare those statistics to brand video content data from 2011 and earlier, and there is no doubt that video content has become a critical part of brand marketing strategies. For example, research from Content Wise and the Custom Content Council, which I wrote about here on the Corporate Eye blog in April 2012, found that only 52% of marketers who responded to the study were creating branded video. Back in 2009, only 37% were creating branded video.
Key Takeaways for Brand Marketers
Today, branded video is an integral part of a content marketing strategy, and this new study from Demand Metric and Vidyard sheds light on the importance of diversifying your distribution channels to maximize ROI. As with all content marketing, consumers like to consume content in different ways and in different places. Brand marketers must provide a variety of opportunities for consumers to self-select how they want to interact with the brand’s content. Don’t try to force consumers to watch your branded videos on your website or on YouTube. Give them options to find and consume your video content, and they’re more likely to watch it and share it.
Image: Pawe? Zawistowski
Lucy is Editor at Corporate Eye