They say a picture is worth a thousand words. As it turns out, this is true and it applies to moving images too. Studies confirm that humans are visual learners, and in this age of digital dependency, that’s unlikely to ever change.
So, even if YouTube decides to close tomorrow – something we wouldn’t bet on – the world will still want to consume videos and images. It’s never going to change.
If that’s not reason enough, continue reading as we lay out the most compelling reasons why you should start vlogging.
First, let’s delve into the science that says your viewers will always prefer videos over any other media content.
Image credit: LittlePinkboxPrints
1. People respond more to visual content
According to Marcel Just at the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University, “processing print isn’t something the human brain was built for.” Just also said that we do have a built-in ability to process images.
This is consistent with another study that says our ability to recall information from visual and illustrated talks is 65% higher than from written and other forms of presentation.
Image credit: NeilPatel
This is great news for any marketer because you can be sure that your content or product will have a 65% better chance of being retained in your customers’ minds if presented through a video. In fact, one study shows 80% of YouTube users remember a video ad they’ve viewed in the last month. You’ll also be glad to know that 85% of the US internet audience watches videos online.
While we’re on the topic of science, there’s another fact worth knowing and it could help your video marketing efforts tremendously.
Psychologists call it Informational Social Influence. It’s a behavioral phenomenon where people copy the actions and decisions of others when they are unsure of the correct behavior. When a video has lots of views, you’ll be more tempted to watch it – that power is also called social proof.
You can use this to your advantage by buying YouTube Views for you videos. Your obvious popularity will push people to watch it, simply because other people already have. That’s the beauty of this phenomenon.
Your bought Views will also help you reach a wider audience because you’ll rank better on Google and on YouTube. That’s also the beauty of vlogging – it contributes to all of your online efforts.
2. Reach a wider audience
YouTube has over a billion active users and is the third most visited website in the world. Vlogging on YouTube gives you an opportunity to reach this enormous audience, which you can market to.
Image credit: slideshare
Having a YouTube channel will also increase your chances of landing on Google’s first page results. Ever noticed how YouTube videos appear more often on the top in Google searches? It may be due partly to Google being YouTube’s parent company but it is clear that for Google results they are as important as any text-based websites.
Being a Google user yourself, you should know how significant this is because you’re probably part of the 92% of Google users who don’t bother checking the second page of results or even scrolling down the first page.
3. Connect with your audience
It’s hard to communicate emotions through words – that’s why we’re taught the nuances of a language, and why emojis were invented. Videos take that barrier down. With videos, it will be very hard for your audience to misunderstand your meaning because they can take cues not only from the words you’re using but also from your facial expressions, the loudness of your voice, hand gestures and more!
If you allow it, your true, raw personality will jump off the screen. It will make you more relatable and will strengthen your connection with your customers.
Take Zoella, a famous YouTuber, for example. Zoella’s charm lies in being a girl-next-door type who also isn’t afraid to utter self-deprecating lines like “my hair looks messy” or show bruises she doesn’t remember how she got. She sometimes stutters or mispronounces words in her videos and shows she’s flawed like everybody else. She is very relatable and her current 11.7 million subscribers prove it.
Being able to show your brand’s personality like Zoella does is one more great reason to start vlogging.
4. Learn an increasingly relevant skill
More and more people prefer to go on YouTube than watch shows on TV. Whether you like it or not, videos are not going anywhere and it will be in your best interest to learn and hone some video making and editing skills.
Having the ability to shoot high-quality videos and then edit them are great skills to have these days. If you start vlogging, you’ll be able to hone these skills.
Take your inspiration from Sarah Sterling of imSarahSnitch. Sarah films and edits her own videos, and confirms it takes a lot of effort to create every one. Her popularity on the platform, however, is more than reason enough to continue doing it.
Image credit: imSarahSnitch
5. Diversify your marketing campaigns
Not all of your audiences are going to be on one social media network. For this reason, most businesses maintain multiple social media channels. In this hyper-social age, diversifying your marketing campaigns is one way you can stay relevant.
Vlogging on YouTube may open new demographics for your business. You can collaborate with famous Tubers with massive followings and reach untapped users to grow your business exponentially.
An example of a YouTuber who collaborates well on the platform is Markiplier. This prominent YouTube personality often collaborates with fellow creators as well as brands, particularly game developers.
Image credit: Markiplier
Aside from collaborating, remember that you can also buy YouTube Views to quickly grow your subscribers and your business. Videos with massive Views naturally attract attention. You’ll attract new subscribers and establish a strong YouTube presence with all the popular videos on your channel.
6. Demonstrate your products
64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video about it. If you have products that especially need a demonstration, then YouTube is the perfect place to do it.
Take a look at how GoPro, one of the best brand channels on YouTube, showcases their products effectively by using them in their shoots. They also get to take advantage of user-generated content, including whatever adventures their cameras happen to capture.
Check out this video of a skier who suddenly found himself at the bottom of a crevasse – with his GoPro.
So, vlog your brand and your products and showcase them to millions of potential customers. If you don’t have a product, then sell one! You’ll find that there are YouTubers who, after becoming popular, started selling merchandise to their viewers. They have built a relationship with their viewers and they are banking on this relationship to rack up sales for their products.
One YouTuber who now brands products and sells them to her loyal subscribers is Michelle Phan. Michelle Phan is a beauty vlogger who became so popular she now has her own line of cosmetic products she sells on her own website.
Image credit: MakeupVideos
A video is worth a million words
Watching requires less cognitive effort than reading. It may require more effort on your part to make videos, but the fact remains that videos are easier for humans to absorb.
As YouTube becomes more relevant than mainstream media, you’ll have a greater chance of reaching new demographics and widening your market reach. Videos will also make your relationship with your customers more personal.
These are just some of the reasons why you should start vlogging. Of course, YouTube is not always right for everyone, but we hope this post helped you understand that if there are disadvantages to having a YouTube channel, the advantages usually far outweigh them.
Happy vlogging!
Date: May 12, 2017 / Categories: Tips, YouTube, / Author: Chell
