You may not have guessed this is Canada’s second largest search engine

It should come as no surprise to you that Canadians are spending more time online. Most Canadians have Internet access, and boy do they use it. The average citizen in this country spends 17.2 hours online each week, and watches about one hour of video online every day. Approximately 80% of that video watching is done on YouTube. As a result of these evolving web surfing habits, YouTube is now the second largest search engine in Canada. That ought to have a big impact on what businesses prioritize when it comes to their marketing efforts.

We sure love our Internet, eh?

Canadians are more web-savvy than most, and thanks to smartphones, average consumers in this country are connected just about everywhere they go and during just about every activity. Over 24 million Canadians, or roughly 80% of the population, have Internet access. Combined, all those Internet-using Canadians generate 4.8 billion Google searches each month.

We also love watching videos online

While not everyone is looking for videos when they search, video ends up reaching 91% of Canadians. Further to this, social networks, including YouTube, are a big hit with Canadian consumers. From 2010 to 2011, there was a 32% increase in the total time Canadians spent on social networking sites. Nearly 17 million Canadians are active on social networks, and 25 million people across the country watch videos online every month. That’s a big reason for a business to invest in professional video production to showcase their products or services.

The opportunities of video marketing

All the statistics above illustrate how video can be a key marketing tool for modern companies. If you operate a business, you want to ensure that prospective customers can find you when they’re searching for your particular product or service – and as the numbers show, they certainly are searching.

Some business owners may shy away from video, and in particular from uploading videos to YouTube, because of the presumption that YouTube videos are only meant for entertainment. Many web users certainly do come to YouTube for entertainment, but they also watch videos for information – product and hotel reviews, for example. As such, a professionally produced video that showcases your company’s offerings can be a valuable device for attracting new customers. And if a company’s video is shared through social networks, it amplifies the company’s message to an even wider audience.

You don’t necessarily have to produce lengthy videos to make an impact on YouTube. Businesses can capitalize on the popularity of YouTube by producing video advertisements that play before other videos. This kind of in-video advertising is particularly effective at reaching local customers.

Making it good

If you’re sold on the importance of video marketing – great! Beyond recognizing the need to put your business out there on YouTube, you also need to know the importance of making a good first impression. Hastily made videos aren’t going to engage viewers and sell your business as well as videos that are well conceived, well shot, and well edited. If you’re ready to film a video or in-video advertisement for your business, contact us to find out how we can put all the pieces together professionally. It is the most efficient way to showcase your products and services.