We live in a world of moving images. Television, video games, film, and streaming content have come to define the imaginations of millions throughout the world. Young people today have been raised on a constant diet of sitcoms, video clips, and cinema; and their interests and attention spans have been ineluctably shaped by it. This is why for better or worse, modern businesses need to market themselves through video or risk becoming anachronisms.
The Dominance of Video
Film has eclipsed the written word as the primary method of storytelling in modern times. It is estimated that the number of movie attendees exceeds that of worldwide book buyers by at least 4 to 1. Just think about how many people you have met who never or rarely read books. But how often do you meet someone who never watches movies? The simple fact is that watching a video is easy, while reading requires an investment of labour. So if your business is advertising and marketing itself exclusively in print, it is grossly limiting its potential audience.
Getting Attention
Video has the power to grab you and suck you in. It is a fundamentally consumption-driving mechanism. It requires the viewer to sit back and absorb––to consume. It requires no action––only passive receptivity––and so it imposes itself without demanding any effort from the viewer. Instead, it is likely to arrest whatever action the viewer is engaged in and engage them instead in simply watching. It captures attention and puts people in the mind frame of consuming. Can you imagine a better marketing apparatus than that?
The New Shape of the Internet
Frankly, video is reshaping the Internet. Look at the success of sites like YouTube, DailyMotion, and Vimeo, and the evidence is undeniable. Clearly people are entertained by video and enjoy getting their information from it. Which is why more and more sites are beginning to incorporate video clips and streaming content. In fact, it is hard to find a major site these days with heavy traffic that doesn’t use video.
The aim of all marketing is to capture attention and spark the imagination. Video has become the most effective tool for achieving both in today’s fast paced world. As our systems for storing and transmitting information continue to evolve and expand, our advertising and marketing methods must change along with them. Anything short of this is just bad business. If there is a better, more succinct, and more easily accessible way to ensure that your business gets exposure and improves its public image, there is simply no excuse for failing to take advantage of it.
About the Author: Jonny D works in online marketing for UK company Ladbrokes.
