It seems like there's an endless number of videos already on the internet, and there are more videos being added every day. Consumers have a voracious appetite for consuming videos and content creators have inexhaustible motivation for creating them.

There's no doubt that video content is valuable as part of your marketing strategy, and the popularity of video content is probably only going to increase from here. But if you're looking to get involved for the first time, or want to expand your strategy, there's a downside here: you're going to face a lot of competition.

If you want any hope of making your video content strategy work, you need to find a way to trounce that competition and stand out. How do you do it?

Why Video?

First, let's talk about why video has become so popular.

• Video production is straightforward. Whether you hire an online video service or attempt to create a video all on your own, the process of making a video from scratch is fairly straightforward. There are many variables to consider, including your lighting, your script, and your subject matter, but video production isn't nearly as complicated or expensive as it was in the recent past.
• Video earns more engagements and conversions. Marketing research shows that video tends to earn more engagements and more conversions than other mediums of content. That's partial because the video is quicker to consume and is more engaging.
• Video is incredibly versatile. Video is one of the most flexible mediums available. You can create talking head videos, animated videos, or simple commentary over infographics, and still see excellent results. You can also publish and distribute your videos across any number of different online channels, eventually reaching millions or billions of people.

The Surge in Popularity

On YouTube alone, people upload about 720,000 hours of content every day. If you were to watch all the content uploaded in a single day on a single channel, it would take you over 82 years to get through it all.

Compare that to statistics from the early 2000s, when most people you knew didn't even realize that uploading videos to the internet was an option. What's to account for this popularity?

• Faster, more reliable internet. One explanation is faster, more reliable, and more redundant internet access. These days, most people can stream high-definition videos constantly with no issues.
• Small mobile devices. Small screens on mobile devices make it harder to read written articles, but videos are easy to consume.
• Decreasing attention spans and patience. Generally, attention spans are getting shorter and people are losing patience. Videos are well-suited to this audience.
• Multimedia experiences. Videos are one part of a modern, omnichannel, multimedia strategy.

Beating the Competition

Now to the central question. What does it take to beat the competition? How can you stand out in this massive and ever-growing pool of videos to consume?

• Make the investment. Be ready to invest in your video. Don't cobble it together with resources you happen to have already. Instead, work with a professional video production company or invest in equipment that allows you to create more professional-looking content. If you create the videos yourself, learn the basics of mastering video production.
• Choose a specific niche. Choose a niche for your video content. Oftentimes, marketers and business owners make the mistake of appealing to a big, generic audience, hoping to reach a larger number of people. In most cases, it's advantageous to narrow your target audience while increasing your relevance to that audience.
• Get to know your audience's wants and needs. Once you've selected a niche for yourself, do exhaustive market research so you better understand what your audience wants and needs. What type of content do they want to see? What content is currently unavailable to them? The better you serve their actual needs, the more valuable your work is going to become.
• Plan proactively. Don't improvise your video production strategy. Have a high-level plan in place and consider your short-term and long-term options carefully.
• Remain responsive and adaptable. Your initial vision for your video content production strategy may not play out as you originally intended. Try to remain responsive and adaptable as you learn new things and face new challenges; only the most adaptable companies will survive.

Video production can seem expensive and time-consuming through the eyes of a person who's never utilized video marketing as a strategy. But for people who realize the true potential of video content, it's evident that it eventually pays for itself. The better you understand how video marketing works, and the more you're willing to invest in it, the better your results will be.

Tags:No PR, English