Virtually all video content marketers believe that the channel is becoming a more important form of marketing and sales content, and 7 in 10 feel that it is better than other content types at producing desired results or conversions, per results from a study [download page] conducted by Demand Metric and sponsored by Vidyard. Survey respondents – half of whom are B2B-focused – are investing more in video content and claiming better results.
Indeed, some 48% report that the ROI they are getting from video is improving, with another quarter reporting it steady. Previous research – from Ascend2 – has also found video marketers endorsing its effectiveness: almost 8 in 10 respondents rated their program’s ability to achieve its objectives as very (17%) or somewhat (60%) successful.
But there’s still room for improvement: one-quarter of respondents to the Demand Metric survey say that their video marketing ROI is unknown, and a plurality 48% are using only basic content effectiveness metrics. Notably, respondents using intermediate or advanced metrics are more likely than those using basic or no metrics to believe that video outperforms other content marketing types, and are also more likely to claim that their ROI is improving.
Overall, some 7 in 10 video marketers are increasing their budgets. Not surprisingly, those doing so are more likely than the remaining respondents to feel that video converts better than other content types and that video’s ROI is getting better.
Turning to video’s use in sales, the report finds that:
- 7 in 10 see video consumption as an effective indicator of lead quality or business opportunity;
- Virtually all recognize at least some value in knowing exactly which leads have consumed video content; and
- 8 in 10 believe that it is at least somewhat important to use viewing data for more advanced purposes, such as to score leads or affect marketing automation workflows.
Despite the potential for video viewing data to influence the sales process, only one-quarter of respondents have integrated such data into their CRM or marketing automation workflows. And while a majority of sales organizations responding to the survey say that team members use viewing data to qualify, engage or influence deals, few do so to a great extent.
Other Findings:
- Some 46% of respondents host video content using a combination of external sites and their own website, and 63% plan to use a combination in the future.
- While 43% use external sites such as YouTube exclusively to host their video content, only 23% plan to do maintain that exclusive focus in the future.
- Close to 6 in 10 respondents feel that it’s at least somewhat important to having a secure channel they control for sharing video.
- A plurality 44% of respondents are using a combination of internal and external resources to produce video, and 54% plan to use such a combination in the future. Fewer expect to exclusively use internal staff and resources.
About the Data: The Video Content Marketing Metrics Benchmark Study survey was administered online during the period of July 15, 2014 through July 29, 2014. During this period, 295 responses were collected, 235 of which were complete enough for inclusion in the analysis. The data was analyzed using SPSS to ensure the statistical validity of the findings.
A majority 53% of respondents come from organizations with less than $10 million in annual sales, while roughly one-quarter are from organizations with more than $100 million in sales. Some 51% of respondents are from mostly or entirely B2B organizations; 14% are mostly or entirely B2C; 21% are a blend; and the remaining 14% are agencies or studios.
