Maintaining a successful online business can be a very difficult and time consuming task these days.  The era of an Internet where there were few competitors is long gone, and most business types find themselves with thousands of online competitors.  Add to this rapidly changing technologies and an increased need to be on top of the latest trends in order to retain market shares and it is easy to see why it is critical to have the best marketing tools and strategies available to you.  Research shows that not only is video marketing one of the best ways to increase sales and views, but also that video marketing is poised to soon hold the majority in terms of Internet advertising methods.

Without a Marketing Strategy, Business Flounders

The simple truth is that running an online business that is profitable and successful is incredibly and increasingly difficult.  A large percentage of online businesses fail, many in their first year, and most people who achieve online business success do so on their second, third, or even later venture.  Why?  Because there is a lot of competition out there and there are numerous variables that come into play.  But there is one fact that is absolute.  If you do not have a brand, an idea of who you are, and a solid marketing technique that shares that image and your company with prospective clients, your chances of success are virtually zero.

Additional Problems with a Poor Marketing Strategy

A poor, disorganized, or outdated marketing strategy doesn’t just spell automatic failure.  There are a number of individual problems that can be caused when your marketing strategy is not clearly designed and is not in the format that your clients are looking for.  You will find that a poorly designed marketing strategy or branding effort can leave your clients feeling disengaged from your company.  In a world where there are so many competitors, you need your clients to feel a personal connection to your business and to feel like you understand and respect their needs.

Without up to date marketing strategies and branding efforts, your rates of conversion and retention are unlikely to increase.  Even if your business has experienced significant success in the past, failure to move along with technology and to upgrade your strategies as the market changes can quickly result in a customer base that turns to other companies and other professionals for their products and services.  With online video predicted to hold over 1/3 of the marketing share by the end of the next few years, creating custom business video is more than a mere suggestion, it is a clear necessity.

Online Video Is Big Business

Online video consumption numbers are huge.  In May 2011 alone, Nielsen reports that Americans streamed more than 15 billion videos.  This number is massive, and it is certainly something that business owners cannot afford to ignore.  A vast majority of these videos are hosted on sites such as YouTube as well as other online content streaming sites.  More and more often, however, online videos are being sponsored by advertisements and marketing videos.  A well created and well placed custom business video preceding a popular show, movie, or video can be an excellent way to gain business recognition and increase brand awareness.

Another important statistic for you to keep in mind is that nearly half of American consumers watch an online video at least once per week, with that statistic jumping to over 70% when you take a look at how many are watching on a monthly basis.  Video marketing is shown to increase visits to the company’s web site by around 55% and to increase conversion rates by about 24%.  In fact, as spending and consumption of online videos goes up, research shows that the revenue growth of companies marketing in this fashion will increase exponentially. 

The simple fact is that a well-designed online marketing video can spur and drive customer action.  Whether you are trying to encourage a customer to visit your site, make a purchase, or call a phone number, a marketing video greatly increases the chances that you will get your desired result.  Marketing videos can increase call generation by over 18%, and can help customers not only understand what action you want them to take, but why it will benefit them to do so.

Gaining the Necessary Competitive Edge

In virtually any online market, you will find that your business has at least dozens, if not hundreds of competitors.  Working to edge out the competition on price alone would drastically undercut profit margins and eventually leave you nearly giving away your product or service.  Instead, you need to gain a competitive edge by making your company distinct.  Online consumers are going to read a website for about five to ten seconds before they decide to stay or continue on through the search results.  Capture their attention in this time span with a clever company business video and you can show them why your company is the only solution they need.  You create your own competitive edge.

Keeping Mobile Customers in Mind

One last thing to consider when thinking about business video creation- create a mobile friendly product.  Studies show that a vast majority of smartphone users rely on their devices for everything from email and web surfing to video streaming and more.  Tailoring your content to the needs of your users means keeping their technology in mind, not just their interests.  With smartphones holding a surprising share of the mobile phone market and millions of people streaming online videos at any given second, creating a video that is not compatible with mobile devices is an easy way to get users to click away from your website quickly.  You want a product that users can watch and that they can quickly and easily share with their friends.