Taking time to plan out an involved digital strategy is one of the most important aspects of setting up success as an organization. This strategy involves so many different areas to consider, such as the advertising budget, campaign ideas, and different digital elements that need to be included.
When we look at the social, web, and design needs of our strategy, we must be able to recognize what aspect will prove to be the most fruitful, choose to grab hold of it, and run with it.
Out of all of the different elements we can include in our strategies, video is by far the most vital. In the coming years, if marketers, businesses, and churches alike aren’t emphasizing video, they will lag behind.
Don’t believe us?
There are hundreds of surprising statistics that all center around the effectiveness of video on our websites, social media pages, and marketing campaigns.
This 2021 projection is by far one of the most important for us to keep in mind as we continue through this year. The stats of the past are extremely important. But as we look to the future, we see a drastic increase in the amount of online content centered around video.
This 80% of internet traffic dedicated to video is a combination of both business and consumer videos and includes video traffic among the entire global population. We know that country by country this may vary, but it reigns true that video content is a high priority in individuals’ internet and mobile usage.
Within this statistic, 73.8% of this 80% of Internet video traffic will be long-form video, which includes live video. As we continue in this year, it is evident that video, especially longer videos, should be high on our priority lists as we consider our digital marketing strategy.
If you needed another nail in the coffin of your text-heavy and static image social media posts, here it is. One of the main goals of posting on social media is to facilitate a deeper level of engagement in the form of likes, comments, and shares. Studies have shown that videos on social media are shared 1200% more often than plain text or image content combined.
The validity of this statistic is so evident as you spend some time scrolling through your social feeds. You will certainly see a video, or multiple, as you scroll.
Video most likely generates the majority of shares because it is engaging auditorily, visibly, and often emotionally or through humor. Video is so multifaceted that it can engage all different types of people and thus facilitate an appreciation of it enough to share it.
This statistic also certainly points to the fact that we must include video content in our social profiles if we want to see an increase in engagement. Check out this example from Revelry Church on the performance of one of their video social media posts:
This video, from an under 100 member congregation, generated a 2.6K organic reach rate. The reach rate, according to WeAreSocial.com is usually only about 6.4% of a Facebook page’s total likes. The percent reach rate on the above video post? 485%
This post also generated 321 post clicks, almost 60% of the page’s followers, and 126 acts of engagement such as shares, comments, and likes. It had 1.4K views which far surpasses the 48% view rate that video has over other types of posts.
The comparison between other posts, such as images and text posts, is outstanding. Video far outperforms other types of content when it comes to reach and engagement.
Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is not dead! Emails are still an incredible way for companies, organizations, and nonprofits to communicate with their audience in a more personalized manner.
Email marketing is an often overlooked part of our strategy. It serves to disseminate information to the majority of our target audience, the effectiveness of email marketing can be easily tracked, and it also helps to strengthen consumer relationships. 80% of retail professionals indicate that email marketing is their greatest driver of customer retention.
Email marketing has transformed dramatically over the years as we have begun to implement more style and design elements to our emails. The ability to insert images and color have made emails seem much more professional. Another important addition to our email marketing that makes it highly effective is the addition of video. Including video in your emails can increase the click rate by 300%!
This is great news because the overall aim of email marketing is to move people to action.
Whether you are selling a product or service or just want to engage further relationally with your audience, video makes a way for them to take the next step. Plus, how fun is it to receive a fun video in your inbox over a boring, black and white, text saturated message?!
You may be quite surprised that this particular statistic has made its way on this list, but it is a highly important one to consider. We already know that videos are viewed and engaged more often than other types of content, but it is valid to consider the benefits of other types of posts.
Textual content, in particular, has shown to be a vital element to consider merging with our video strategy.
Why?
Because 85% of Facebook videos and 40% of Instagram videos are viewed without sound.
While great videos can facilitate a positive experience in their viewing, videos still lose a vital element when their sound isn’t heard: engagement with the audience!
While this may seem to be a fallback to our video strategy, it provides an opportunity for us to “speak” in a way that all people can “hear”: through closed captions.
This benefit is two-fold:
This methodology has great potential to reach the chronic soundless scrollers and grab their attention through words. Plus, it taps into all types of learning styles; it reaches those who learn visually, auditorily, and through reading.
While we know that video will only benefit your digital strategy, we can’t just slap up any old video for the sake of it.
Our audience is not mindless consumers. They are intelligent and not interested in wasting their time.
For our videos to be truly effective, they must be not only well-made but extremely attention-grabbing. This age-old rule of having an attention grabber is especially important when it comes to our video.
If you don’t grab the attention of your audience within the first 30 seconds, you will certainly lose them.
Even if your video creation is flawless, it will not matter if it just does not capture attention. If you do manage to capture attention in that beginning window, you must keep up with the momentum throughout your entire video.
Even if you do very well, people’s attention spans tend to be short, so they may drop off around the 2-minute marker regardless. But if your video is captivating from beginning to end, you may see most people stay to experience the whole thing.
The benefit of the different styles of videos we have is eliminating the possibility of losing our audience’s attention. Instagram allows for 60 seconds of video content on a regular grid post and 15 seconds to an individual story. You can choose to stick with shorter videos, but regardless, they must still be highly attention-grabbing.
There is no question that video is a powerful tool that we must utilize in our digital strategy. The flexibility to use video through different platforms and for different purposes makes it one of the most malleable mediums we have online.
So before you make your plans, make sure that video is the highest on your digital priority list!
A recurring theme in church website design is the desire to stand out. Many congregations express a wish for their websites to break the mold and look nothing like other churches' online spaces. While the intention behind this is admirable, it's important to recognize the potential pitfalls of diverging too far from established norms.
In the digital age, innovative technologies have revolutionized traditional advertising, offering a multitude of platforms to spread your message. One such transformative tool is the Google Grants program, a solution that grants up to $10,000 per month in free advertising credits to eligible not-for-profit organizations, including churches and faith-based institutions.
For those of us in church circles, the past few years have been quite a journey. In 2020, the pandemic challenged us to rethink how we do church, pushing us into innovative ways to reach out, serve, and connect with people. It was tough, but it also sparked new opportunities for growth and creativity.