Why Videos Have Replaced Photos

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the value of a video? Countless. 

Just look at the popularity of sites like YouTube, and yes, Tik Tok. A staggering five billion YouTube videos are watched daily. In June 2020, there were 87 million installs of Tik Tok worldwide. Think about how often you watch cute animal clips or sports highlights. 

The message is loud and clear: We love watching, creating, and sharing videos. 

Humans are highly visual creatures. Also, it’s no secret that our attention spans continue to get shorter. That’s why video is such a powerful medium. Humans are drawn to stories that videos create. A photo is a moment in time, but a video draws people into the experience. 

So, it’s no wonder businesses are embracing video more than ever. According to Wyzowl’s 2020 State of Video Marketing report, 85 percent of organizations use video in their marketing efforts, compared to 61 percent in 2016. 

Why is video so popular compared to pictures? Both are visual and capture memories. They can be created and stored easily. Yet, video now far surpasses pictures as a preferred medium — by both consumers and companies. Consider this: Social videos get a staggering 1,200 percent more shares than images and text combined.

Video Captures Our Attention

Consumers are bombarded with messaging and images seemingly every minute. Studies suggest the average person sees about 5,000 ads every day. However, video tends to cut through all the clutter and stick in our minds. Videos appeal to visual and aural stimuli, making them more effective than static images. 

According to a heatmap study by Moz, videos attract more eyes to them even if they don’t appear first in search results. What’s more, people spend 88 percent more time on websites that contain video. 

The takeaway here is that dynamic content is more captivating than static content, even breathtaking photos. Businesses need to integrate more video into their marketing strategy — consumers want more videos they can watch and share. 

Revl can help you deliver high-quality videos to your customers easily and quickly, helping you build strong customer loyalty and word-of-mouth cred. You can use those same videos to boost your marketing efforts. 

Let’s say someone shares a video of their ride experience at your business on Instagram. One of their friends sees it and thinks to themselves, “That looks like a lot of fun! I am going to take my family there next weekend.” 

You now potentially have multiple new customers, thanks to one video share.

Videos More Likely to Be Shared

People love sharing video content with their family and friends. Scroll your Facebook feed. Just a few years ago, it probably consisted mostly of status updates and pictures. Now you’re likely to see more videos. 

With the Revl, customers can access high-quality videos of their ride experience within minutes of exiting. This makes it easy for them to upload videos to their social media platforms while they are still experiencing the high of the ride.  

Not only should businesses leverage video on social media, but they should look for opportunities to use live videos, whether it be a simple Q&A session about a product or a more polished webinar.

Video is King of Mobile (and Marketing)

Let’s face it, most of us are addicted to our smartphones. Americans, on average, check their phones 96 times per day according to a 2019 study by Techcare company Asurion. That’s about once every 10 minutes. Why is this important? The amount of video consumption via mobile continues to increase. 

For example, as of February 2020, 70 percent of YouTube’s views came from mobile devices. If you want to reach people, whether you’re one person or organization, video is a safe bet. Make sure your videos are optimized for mobile and SEO. A key tip here: Keep videos 2 minutes or less. 

Are You Using Enough Video? 

If you haven’t embraced video, yet, you need to. If you’re already using video, there are ways to further optimize your use of video to increase your reach and engagement. YouTube and Facebook are musts. And it’s time to seriously consider platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

All said a video is worth countless words. That’s why businesses like Revl aim to help you seamlessly record and deliver high-quality video memories to your customers. We do the heavy lifting, so you can focus on what matters most — sending your customers home happy and wanting to share their experience with family and friends. 

So, photos we love you, but videos are what capture our eyes and mind these days.