From Nostradamus to your friendly local inbound marketing specialist, everyone loves to make predictions about the future. These days, many predictions concern the future of content marketing and social media.
Specifically, some experts believe that content will eventually evolve into a video-only market.
Search Engines Can’t Read Video
Video content looks pretty, but it’s highly invisible to search engines.
While you can optimize your video for search engines, Google and similar websites understand text much better than images and film. Furthermore, most content marketers who use video employ text to explain what the video is about and to incorporate keywords and other SEO techniques.
For instance, Rand Fishkin of Moz fame records videos every week for his Whiteboard Friday series. You’ll notice, however, that he also includes the video translation on every post.
Does this mean that you shouldn’t use video to market your business? Of course not. However, it also means that you need to incorporate written content, as well.
Videos Can Prove Disruptive
Many people consume content while they’re standing in line at the supermarket, waiting for their dreaded annual teeth cleanings, or riding on the subway. If they don’t have earbuds, watching video content can disrupt everyone around them.
Text is silent — unless, of course, you’re one of those people who reads everything aloud (don’t do that!). People can consume it anywhere, anytime, thanks to mobile devices.
Social Media Might Sway Toward Video
Nicola Mendelsohn, one of Facebook’s numerous VPs, said at a conference in 2016 that the social media platform would turn into a primarily video medium within five years. Mendelsohn might be right, especially since the American Marketing Association has gone on record with its own prediction: “By 2019, video content will be the driving factor behind 85% of search traffic in the U.S.” Specifically, the AMA comments on video ad spend for various social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
If you want to attract more eyes on social media, you might want to ramp up your video content. However, don’t dismiss text as a way to connect with your readers.
Consumers Still Read
You might have noticed that people still buy books, magazines, newspapers, and other written content. They peruse articles on Medium, follow their favorite blogs, and write comments on social media.
Text isn’t going away. Just because video is experiencing a serious surge doesn’t mean it has to eclipse other types of content.
For instance, infographics and illustrations remain popular in content marketing circles. So do photographs. You never know what might resonate with your audience.
What’s the Takeaway?
Moderation is key with video…and everything else.
If you want to win the content marketing game, you might produce a few videos:
- Create a video tour of your office or store
- Take your prospects on a video guide to your product or service
- Introduce your employees with recorded interviews
- Take customer testimonials with your smartphone
However, you don’t want to give up on other types of content marketing — not if you want to remain relevant and visible to consumers.
Instead, diversify your content marketing campaign. Focus on video, text, images, infographics, SlideShares, and other ways to connect with your audience. The more diverse your content becomes, the more chances you have to convert your prospects.
In fact, we can help. At Media Shower, we believe in diverse content marketing strategies, and we offer full-service guidance through every step of the process. Get a free trial if you want to experience the Media Shower secret sauce for yourself.