Creating online content for your brand is one of the best ways of targeting customers and improving visibility. You probably already have a social media presence on Facebook or Twitter, and possibly a blog as well.

But if you really want to reach your target audience effectively and create an impression of your brand that lasts, you need to be creating videos. Video marketing is one of the most effective methods of brand promotion there is. Here’s a look at why—and how you can use it to your advantage.

Using Videos to Resonate with Consumers

Having a blog is great. You can use it to keep people updated on your brand and products, give tips and instructions for solving common problems in your field, and more. And with proper SEO, you can use it to drive people to your site and provide them with the information they’re looking for.

But blogs can also be a turnoff for a lot of customers. They arrive at your site, and the first thing they see is big blocks of text that they don’t have time to read. Maybe they’ll skim it looking for something useful, but many will simply skip over your site and proceed to the next one.

That’s where videos come in. Videos are, on average, four times more successful than written text at presenting the same information. And a video can do everything your blog can do, only visually. You can use it to tell your customers about news and product updates, rather than writing about them. In addition to step by step instructions for solving common problems, you can provide actual demonstrations. You can even use SEO tactics to increase your video’s visibility, by entering common search terms as video tags.

According to one survey, 71% of customers made a purchase after watching a video about the thing they were looking to buy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So if you want to communicate with your target audience effectively about your brand and products, videos are the best way to do it.

Using Videos to Boost Your Marketing ROI

Sure, videos are effective, but creating high quality video content also takes a lot of money and resources, right? Well, not necessarily, but we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, let’s look at the ROI of video content, regardless of how much or little you spend on it.

According to the same survey we mentioned earlier, 87% of respondents using digital video marketing tactics reported a significant return on their investment. That’s because there are a number of benefits that video content can bring you.

Video marketing improves SEO. Google likes to include videos at the top of its search result pages when possible, as they catch people’s attention and draw them in. Because of that, your videos are 50 times more likely to rank on the first page of a Google search than blogs, articles, and other content that revolves around text. Video also works better when you send it to your target audience directly. Do you have an e-mail list? Next time you send out an e-mail blast, include a link to one of your videos. The simple addition of a video can improve your click-through rate by an average of 96%.

Whatever way you use videos, they can help drive more people to your site and improve your overall sales. With that in mind, video marketing is an avenue that’s worth spending a little bit of money on to do it right. The returns will more than make up for it.

Producing Successful Videos on a Small Budget

Do you have to spend a lot of money on producing video content, though? Not necessarily. In fact, the companies who produce the greatest amount of total video content (16+ videos per month) are the ones with lower overall revenues—under $5 million per year.

In today’s world, where everyone has a camera in their pocket, you don’t need a studio and a bunch of expensive equipment to make videos that will get your message across and appeal to your target audience. It’s all about what you do with what you have. Shoot demonstrations of your products and the problems they solve. Interview prominent people in your field, or even interview your own employees, to give your audience a look behind the scenes at what goes on in your company.

Just be sure to keep your videos short. The longer they go on, the more likely people are to leave before they finish watching. 53% of viewers will keep watching until the end of a 90 second video. Only 10% will keep watching to the end of a 30 minute video. So get in, make your point quickly, clearly, and succinctly, and then stop, leaving your audience wanting more.

If you do it right, video marketing can have a tremendous impact on your brand and your sales. If you don’t have a video marketing plan for your company, then it’s time to make one. Otherwise, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers and revenue. What are some ways you can use videos in your business? Let us know in the comments below!