Online users have been a multi-platform majority since April 2013, according to comScore. This was the first date that over 50% of online users had more than one internet enabled device, and they say that this was the tipping point – more and more of us will be connected to the internet wherever we go.

This means two things;

1) there is a greater access to an audience, and

2) content must now be optimised for an audience on the move.

The increase in mobile users can be measured on YouTube where 65% of watch time now comes from mobile devices. So mobiles aren’t just good for Twitter, people are watching video on them.  There are lots of different estimates for video consumer traffic. Perhaps the best would be from Cisco who say The sum of all forms of video (TV, video on demand [VoD], Internet, and P2P) will continue to be in the range of 80 to 90 percent of global consumer traffic by 2018.

It was only recently that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasised the importance of video content in Facebook in his opening keynote address at their annual F8 developer conference in San Francisco:

“Fast forward five years, it’s going to be video,” he said. “If you look out even further, it will be more immersive content like AR and VR.”

Digital video ad spending is set to almost double between 2013 and 2016, from $4.1 billion to $8 billion.

So the future will hold massive increases in the amount of digital video advertising. With more and more video content being produced it’s important for companies to keep up.

Information overload and social media

In this world of information overload, brands have to push harder to be seen. A UK based research project found that two-thirds of Twitter users complain they receive too many posts, and over half of Twitter users feel the need for a tool to filter out irrelevant posts. Generally speaking, people are happy with social media, but if people are When users filter their news feeds it will be companies and corporate tweets, and text only tweets that are filtered first.

Secondly, another study conducted last March found that exposure to a product or service is much less effective for users that receive high volumes of information, meaning more and more exposures are necessary contributing to higher levels of information overload – it’s a catch-22. Tweet more to be heard, but if everyone does this you turn your audience off.

So, it’s important to offer something unique like a video.

How do we process information? What are the benefits of video?

It’s tempting to talk about different learning types here, but below I talk a bit more about why this isn’t popular in modern science any more, but there are definite advantages to video. Let’s have a look at a few statistics here. By engaging with multiple senses, video can command our attention, preventing us from being distracted for a short period of time.

Emotive advertising is more effective than rational advertising, and this is more easily achieved in video than in text. Connecting with a product or service, or cause on an emotional level is one of the most important stages in consumer decision-making.

The average visitor will spend 88% more time on a site with a video. 60% of audiences prefer watching videos to reading text. This is important because it’s no longer enough to get clicks, everyone wants to know what people are looking at and for how long. A video is a great way to do this because you can tell exactly how long someone watches the video. Additionally, adding video to a landing page increases click-throughs by 130%. 

Let’s have a look at a few more benefits:

People who watch a product video are 85% more likely to buy the product.

Video appears in 70% of the top Google listings.

Including a video in an introductory email increases click-through by 96%.

Keep it short. Videos that are 15 seconds or less are 37% more likely to be shared than 30 second to 1 minute videos and 18% more likely to be shared that 1 minute plus videos. Short snappy videos engage and encourage people to tell their friends.

Who watches video?

78% of 18-29 year olds watch video online, compared to 66% of 30-49 and 45% of 50+. 53% of people who earn $50k or less watch video online, compared to 65% of $50-75k and 71% of $75+. So the demographic of online video audiences is young and with a large disposable income.

Exactly the sorts of people who will share video with their friends and have the income to buy the product.

 What are the benefits of motion graphics over regular video?

The flexibility a motion graphic affords means you can apply it to many different scenarios. For brand awareness, motion graphic videos can take you anywhere and let you do anything without the costs of actors, locations, and camera equipment.

By getting straight to the point they can make the most of the keep it short – get it shared principle. It might also be more possible to make an emotional connection through animation that would be challenging with film. And using metaphor increases the effectiveness of a message.

Having a data-driven visual communications strategy will ensure that a well researched, cost-effective , high impact strategy will achieve the desired effect. Slice and dice your data-driven content. Sweat the asset produce content that can be supported by an infographic, animated gif and motion graphic video.

A data – driven approach makes it easier to create that content . A  motion graphic video can be produced , often a lot less than creating a traditional explainer video. On that note we thought we’d create a motion graphic video about motion graphics- enjoy and share!