These days no one seems to eat out without taking a photo of where they are or what they are eating. We go on holiday and it’s documented from the moment we arrive at the airport, that first cocktail, the beach, who we meet, where we go. So many of us are now photographers and videographers with phones in our pockets and the ability to upload instantly to image heavy platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Tiktok. Some are better than others and just because you can take a photo or video doesn’t mean you’re good at it but our desire and interest to do it indicates that more and more of us are, or are becoming, visual learners.

Research highlighted by Atlassian has found that 65 percent of the general population are visual learners, meaning they need to see information in order to retain it. Visuals add a component to communication that written and verbal methods do not: speed. Studies have shown that the brain can process images and videos 60,000 times faster than text, making image-based communication remarkably valuable.Therefore, as a business, using images helps you connect quickly with your audience and give them a real feel for who you are as a brand and your products or services. It’s important to use high-quality images, a poor pixelated image excites no one but a good one can engage your audience to want to know more about what you offer.

With the recent growth in the use of reels, photos are no longer enough and video is growing fast as a useful tool for content marketing and SEO loves it! YouTube is the perfect example of how brands are liking moving images. Uploading videos to YouTube that are optimised and target common searches can be a good way to get your business seen on Google because more and more video is coming up in search results.

Twitter is also reporting that video is reshaping digital advertising - video is their fastest-growing advertising tool. There are over 2 billion video views on Twitter each day, which is 67% YoY growth according to Twitter internal data. Videos get people to take action — Tweets with video attract 10x more engagements than Tweets without video. And Video Ads save more than 50% on cost-per-engagement. Simply put, using video in your advertising campaigns can make them more affordable and increase audience engagement.

Video content marketing is a great way for a brand to increase its profile and it isn’t just restricted to social networks, webinars and online courses are also growing in popularity.

Webinars are a great way to use video to interact directly with your customers, providing an opportunity to establish yourself as an industry authority by teaching your audience a new skill or answering questions live that they may have. Software like GoToWebinar is relatively easy to use and they offer support to help you get started.

Video is easily accessible and is proving itself a useful tool across content strategies as it can attract large audiences for both B2B and B2C. Smartphones are also making capture easy too with a variety of simple to use editing tools, every business can now get involved and use video to enhance digital advertising. With the power of captivating an audience there is massive viral potential for videos as shown by Volvo Trucks when Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Belgian martial artist and movie star did an awe-inspiring stunt on camera — a split while standing on two moving Volvo trucks! Of course we haven’t all got their budget but watching is still great fun!

Many people mistakenly think that the only videos that go viral are ones featuring animals, babies, and dancing. Well, this isn’t necessarily true and there's a lot to be learned from previous viral video content. These top 40 videos, highlighted by the Search Engine Journal give marketers insight and useful, practical takeaways.

So the landscape is definitely changing and with more and more people now watching Connected TV than ever before video looks to remain popular and the future of content marketing! Loved by audiences and marketers, they offer tangible SEO benefits, are incredibly versatile and have a huge social reach.

At Pocket Rocket we love engaging with video as part of our clients content strategy, if you’re interested in finding out more about what we can do for your business Get In Touch to book a free Discovery Call.