Should you use video in your marketing? We could make this a long, drawn out convo (as I did here), but let's not. It's time to cut to the chase.

Here are 3 reasons to use video, 2 reasons not to, plus 1 caveate to keep in mind as you decide.

3 Reasons to Use Video in Your Marketing:

1. Video can help people get to know you, like you, and trust you
As a business owner and especially as an introvert, if you want to make a sale you need to build trust. Video will help you do that faster than any other medium because they experience as much of you as they ever could without actually being in person with you. 

Video offers the opportunity to dig into stories and details about a topic, and even have a discussion around it. This makes it a powerful platform for conveying your authenticity, which helps promote trust.

2. Video drives sales

Hubspot reported that 80% of businesses that use video now say that it directly impacts sales. On top of that, 93% of companies using video say that it’s an important part of their marketing strategy, and 99% of them said they’ll continue to use video.

3. Video connects you directly with your customers without having to actually meet them face to face.

If you are not a fan of face-to-face, but you want to build a personal connection with the people in your audience, then video is an amazing answer. When you do video, your watchers see who you are, watch how you move, and hear what you have to say all at the same time. 

So you can stay in the safety and comfort of your own home, talk to a camera… and promote a personal experience that feels to them like you’ve met face to face. 

2 Reasons NOT to Use Video

A. Because your overall strategy doesn’t require it.

If the marketing strategy that you’ve put together is being fed perfectly well by other tactics, then you don’t need to use video. For instance, maybe you’re writing a blog and feeding that to social media. If that is generating the results you’re looking for, then maybe there’s no need to bring in video.

B. Because you are a better writer than you are a speaker, and your written marketing is working for you.

If your foremost way of communicating is writing, and you are using it to your full advantage, then maybe you don't need video! So you're blogging, emailing, posting on social media... if whatever it is that you're doing is working for you is sans video, then maybe sans is the way to go

I’d like to point out that for both of these reasons to not use video, there’s a 2nd half: ...and its working for you. 

If you’ve put together a strategy that doesn’t use video… but it’s not getting you the results you want, then it might be useful to think about how you might incorporate video to augment and uplevel your content and the connection you’re trying to make with your audience.

1 Caveat…

Avoid letting the idea that you “can’t” do video get in your way.

I invite you to notice if the only reason you aren’t doing video is because you don’t think you can. 

If that’s the case… my friend, I ask that you reconsider.

Few people think that they can do video before they actually try video, and most of them are right because they haven’t done video before. Of course they can’t do video… YET.

Video is a skill. I learned it. They learned it. You can learn it.

But that’s not actually my point.

My point is to start with this question: “Would using video support my marketing strategy?” Figure that answer out first.

THEN ask: "WILL I do video?"

Not “Can I…?” Not “Do I want to…?”

The right question here is: “Will I…?”

The reason to ask, “Will I...?” is because it’s action based.

"Can I...?" and "Do I want...?" are emotional and perception and dangerous waters to wade into when we're making decisions about trying on something new.

But “Will I…” asks whether you’ll take the leap. Are you in our are you out? That's it.

And it’s ok to say no.