Video is not the ‘end all be all’ when it comes to your sales process. It is a tool that is a part of your marketing toolbox. What role does it play and is it really helpful in the buying process? According to a recent study by video slide show site, Animoto, video is definitely helpful. Animoto found that 96% of those surveyed find video to be beneficial when making buying decisions.  Almost 75% said they were more likely to purchase a product or service if they could watch a video during the research phase of their buying process that explains the product or service. 94% of those surveyed had watched a video in the last week. 58% of those surveyed said they found companies that produce video content to be more trustworthy. If you have a product that is sold on Amazon, the study has a big message for you: 84% of customers would like to see more video content on Amazon.

When it comes to what customers are watching online, it was interesting to see that humorous videos were tied to both product and service videos. It was also interesting that instruction videos were the most watched form of video at 67%. The type of videos that are shared the most fall into 3 categories: Heartwarming at 91%, Humorous at 94%, and Educational at 89%.

The most shocking thing that the study points out is that 83% of those surveyed prefer videos that are 5 minutes long or less. Personally, I would have thought that the preference would have been 2 minutes or less.  You can view the infographic here.