We would say that video marketing is the future, but that would be a lie because video marketing is the present.

If you’re not using video to market your brand by now, you’re already behind. Today, we’re going to look at the six articles about video marketing that popped up throughout 2016. Some of them are how-tos, some of them are outlining why brands should’ve gotten into video marketing as of yesterday and some look at the innovative ways you can use video marketing.

1. Why 2016 is the Year of Video Marketing (And How Brands Can Take Advantage)

This is probably about the thousandth article to talk about how video marketing is the current best way to get your brand out there, but it’s on an authoritative site and it’s got the numbers to back it up.

It’s short and it outlines why video works so well and why you need to adopt it now (spoiler alert: Google is looking at ways to embed video ads in general search results). The article also briefly outlines how you can quickly connect with your audience via storytelling learned from Disney.

Useful stuff.

See it here.

2. Building a Live-Video Streaming Studio Isn’t Close to as Expensive as You Think

What makes this article so important is that it addresses the number one concern for every brand when it comes to video (and pretty much everything else): cost.

Brands, especially when starting out, tend to see everything as an expense rather than an investment. The problem with looking at everything this way is that it gets you to think about everything you do in terms of how much money you’ll be losing by making a purchase.

However, building a brand takes investment. This article shows you how buying the equipment to make good quality live videos is an investment and on top of that, it’s not even an investment that’s going to cost you that much.

If you’re going to do live video, don’t just turn on your phone and point it at someone and get them to talk. Buy some decent lighting, sound equipment and editing software to make your production look like you put some effort into it.

Do it right and your relatively small equipment investment will quickly pay for itself.

See it here.

3. 31 Video Marketing Statistics to Inform Your Strategy [Infographic]

Not gonna lie (to you, anyway), this one is up here because it’s a handy dandy infographic that you can skim quickly and we all love that, right?

That’s not to dismiss the information in it, though. If you’re trying to convince a higher up in your company that you need to be doing video marketing (and you do), this is a convenient infographic to start with.

See it here.

If you think an infographic is too informal, you can always check out the source article for the stats, which is all text.

4. Beyond the Viewer: Why Transcribing Your Videos is Crucial to Your Content Marketing Strategy

With all the talk about why you need video, how effective it is and how it’s going to start appearing everywhere (you’re totally going to be watching 30 second ads as you pee at the bar within a few years), sometimes an important thing gets overlooked: the written word.

Although SEO gets a little less important each year (but don’t tell that to an SEO “specialist” unless you want them blathering about keywords at you for an hour), some minimal SEO is always a good idea. And that’s where this article comes in. It stresses the importance of not just having a video, but having a transcription of it for reasons that go beyond the (thankfully) dying art form of SEO.

See it here.

5. 28 of the Best Marketing Campaigns and Experiments of 2016 (and the People Behind Them)

Not exclusive to video, this best-of rundown covers the top almost-30-but-nobody-wants-to-use-a-round-number-anymore marketing campaigns of this outgoing year.

There is quite a bit of stuff relating to video and how people used it effectively throughout 2016, plus a whole bunch of other platforms. The great thing about this list is that it is all non-standard stuff. You get to see how people used their creativity and ingenuity to tackle all kinds of different situations.

See it here.

6. 7 Video Marketing Trends in 2017 (And What They Mean for You)

No list like this would be complete without a look ahead to the future. Obviously, there are a billion-and-one articles online right now that are approximately the same in their look aheads, but this one was at the top of the SERP, so it has to have some value, right?

What we like about this one especially is that right at the top of the list is the continued rise of 360 degree videos and we think this is an important one. Not every video will be suitable to the 360 degree treatment, but if you’re a realtor or you have something to show off that would benefit from the 360 format, it is worth checking out.

See it here.

If you don’t have a lot of time (and we know you don’t because your mom has been complaining that you don’t call enough) these six articles will give you a good all around snapshot of why it’s more important than ever to start marketing your brand with video, how you should do it (we recommend explainer videos) and some innovative ways of using videos.

Speaking of videos, an explainer video is almost mandatory if your product or service is even the least bit complicated and we have fantastic rates on explainer videos that are highly professional and delivered in a timely manner. Book your appointment today.