By Ravinol Chambers, Be Inspired Films

A recent survey has found a massive 93 per cent of marketers are currently using video in their campaigns and 82 per cent confirmed video marketing had a positive impact on their business. The research, carried out by ReelSEO.com, reveals the extent of the explosion in video marketing in recent years and, crucially, the need for all businesses to invest in video to remain competitive.

For organisations in the environmental and ethical sectors – charities, social enterprises, SMEs, CSR departments of global companies or major corporates themselves – video can play a vital part in marketing campaigns through its ability to communicate complex messages and new ideas easily: if a picture can paint a thousand words, a video can represent an entire book. People use YouTube and Vimeo to see how things are done; you can both show and tell your core audience and customer base your key message in just a couple of minutes.

Film is also an extremely emotive medium, making the viewer laugh or cry in a way written text or an audio message can rarely achieve – consider the tear-jerker TV ads produced each Christmas or the most memorable comedic adverts of the past couple of decades. Any organisation can use this to its advantage, by sharing the passion that drives them to go to work every morning and bringing the impact of their work to life for the viewer.

This emotional connection to the audience can also extend to an almost personal relationship. Seeing the real-life people who run an organisation on screen brings about the feeling of face-to-face contact, but with the added benefit of working anywhere and at any time. Richard Branson, for instance, knows the value of these human connections and appears in adverts for Virgin, making the audience feel they can go and shake his hand.

Self-styled ethical organisations are also under particular scrutiny and pressure to prove their claims. Video enables the transparency and authenticity demanded by canny consumers and charity donors. Opening doors and letting people in to look around is a powerful action and one that helps organisations stand out.

The ReelSEO.com survey also found 70 per cent of marketers are optimising their videos for search engines. Video can produce great SEO results on sites like Google, but when you consider that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, even greater importance is lent to the medium. Technology and its use with media are constantly evolving. All organisations need to stay up to date to keep up.

About the author

Ravinol Chambers runs the award-winning video production company Be Inspired Films, based between Birmingham and London. A well-known figure in social enterprise and sustainability circles, Ravinol and his team also deliver training to SMEs and non-profit organisations to help them create and distribute their own marketing videos as well as live streaming events like TEDx so his clients can reach and engage a global audience.