Before Facebook and Instagram, YouTube came on the scene in 2005. And that was the beginning of video marketing.

Fast forward to present day. According to Wistia’s latest State of Video Report, over 40% of companies make at least one video a week. Among them, mid-sized companies make about three a week — twice as many as they did in 2023.

Building your video strategy: The why and the how
Not only are videos a great way to showcase your product and services, they’re also valuable for SEO. You can use them in a variety of ways and today’s audiences love them. If you’re just beginning to incorporate videos into your content marketing, keep the following tips in mind:

Speak up…or don’t. According to Wistia, engagement is highest when videos are on the shorter side. Videos under a minute had a 50% engagement rate, while videos one to three minutes in length had a 46% engagement rate. So does length matter? If really depends on what you have to say. If it’s good quality content, your audience will stick around to watch. But longer isn’t always better.

Know your audience. Wistia reports that product videos, social media videos, educational videos, webinars and customer testimonials are the most popular and effective video types. When conceptualizing your video, think about the format and where it will live by considering your demographic, what they prefer and where they’re hanging out online.

Keep them tuned in. Buyers are tuning in, but to keep them watching, you need to tick the boxes by consistently offering content that’s useful, engaging and interesting. For videos under a minute, how-to videos have the highest engagement rate at 82%, while company culture videos have a 55% engagement rate. What type of content can you offer to keep customers watching?

And ultimately, drive conversions. How are you turning viewers into leads? Don’t leave your audience hanging. When you incorporate interactive features like a lead generation form, a call to action or an annotation link, you’re more likely to convert your viewers into customers.

Let videos play a leading role in your marketing strategy
Ready to bring your content to life? The optimal video format depends on your goals, your products and where your prospects are in the sales funnel. Here’s some guidance to choose the right video style.

And if you don’t think you have enough time for marketing video creation, we can help point you in the right direction.