A few years ago, at the end of a Web Presence Management workshop I had just delivered, I was asked what the next big thing was that was coming down the pike. Without hesitation, I answered, “Video.” And since 2006, video viewing/sharing over the Internet has risen by more than 7,000 percent!

Don’t miss this. It’s too important. You should be part of what others who are “in the know” are embracing wholeheartedly. Video is here and now, and the technology exists for you to easily use it. Even if just from the camera on your phone, that quality is more than good enough for most Web production or social media posting – as long as the audio is good enough. And the benefits are great.

Consider the following video marketing statistics:

• Percentage of Internet users who share online video: 36
• Percentage of videos that get “Likes” on Facebook: 80
• Percentage of people who will watch a two-minute online product video: 60
• Percentage of online viewers who will watch at least 80 percent of a video: 66
• Percentage of 25- to 54-year-olds who shared online videos: 50+
• How much more likely videos are to be shared than text on Facebook: 12x
• Percentage of people more likely to watch video than read text: 60
• Percentage of YouTube traffic from mobile devices: 40
• Percentage of people who share video from mobile devices: 92
• Predicted percentage of mobile data traffic by 2016: 75
• Percentage of online shoppers who gain purchasing confidence after watching a video: 52
• Percentage of people who will stay on a website longer due to video: 88
• Successful “conversions” from a website landing page with video: 8 times more

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many stats about the importance of video that it could easily take up this month’s entire issue of BodyShop Business. The equivalent of 500 years’ worth of YouTube videos are watched every day on Facebook. That’s 3,042 hours’ worth of video watched each second! YouTube gets more video uploaded in a month than ABC, CBS and NBC have created in more than 60 years! YouTube’s vice president of global content predicts that video will likely be 90 percent of all Internet traffic. And YouTube is owned by Google.

Wait…Google? The biggest search engine in the world also owns YouTube? Yup! Does that mean that incorporating YouTube video into your social media posting and on your website could potentially enhance your business’ visibility online? Yes, it sure does. So incorporating video into your website and sharing videos on Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Twitter will engage more of your audience and get more Google attention – and thus get you more online visibility. More Google attention means higher ranking potential. And more ranking potential means more people will find your website, and the more people who find your website should translate directly into more cars to fix (if your website is well designed with effective “calls to action”). And that’s the bottom-line purpose of being online in the first place.

Facebook and Google

Video is powerful on Facebook and Google+ as well. With Facebook, you can either upload your own video into the platform or link to your shop’s YouTube channel (or any channel for that matter). Interestingly, Facebook videos were 40 percent more engaging than links to YouTube on Facebook. Unlike Facebook videos, YouTube links can be shared outside social media sites. Facebook videos allow fans to be tagged; YouTube videos do not. Videos will help you create buzz about your business and get more and more people “Liking,” sharing and commenting.

East End Body Shop of Huntington, West Virginia (featured in the September 2012 issue of BodyShop Business) recently worked with Optima Automotive to add a YouTube video to their website and their YouTube channel. It’s also featured on their Google+ page and Twitter as well. This entertaining video will certainly get audience attention and interaction, not to mention help their website continue to rank well in their market. Optima has signed an exclusive agreement with the creator of this video, Ydraw – the world’s No. 1 video animation company – to offer animated videos like this to the automotive repair industry.

On Camera

Create your own video or outsource to experts who will help you tell your story and attract customers. With social media, link to videos that may not belong to you in order to attract further attention and engagement. You don’t have to create everything; others have done much of the work for you through social media sharing.

So smile, you should be on camera in one way or another, and you should be sharing the heck out it. Pay attention to your Facebook Insights and see if what I say isn’t true when you post videos. I’ll bet you get more views and engagement!