YouTube is the second largest search engine used daily throughout the world. If you’re making an effort with your marketing to reach audiences on Google, why not reach them on YouTube too? Utilizing videos in your marketing plan can get your brand in front of a larger, more engaged audience. You might be asking yourself why video and why now? Here’s the reasoning behind this switch:

First of all, videos are fun – much more fun than reading a white paper. Reading requires an extended amount of time and much more brain-work than sitting and watching a video for a few minutes. And that’s why customers love videos. They are easy to comprehend and are often much more interesting than written content.

It’s also easier to spread a message through video than text. A good, short video can obtain thousands of views on YouTube or Facebook whereas the same content, just written out will receive only a fraction of that audience. Seeing a person on screen captures attention. Having an employee using a product or telling a story isn’t just shareable but also persuasive. Utilizing video as a method of training, such as a “how to” video can easily capture and hold the viewers attention.

Thanks to YouTube’s huge network of viewers, creating and publishing videos gives you and your company a chance to reach a way larger audience than ever before. You aren’t limited to your Twitter followers or database of emails; you can reach thousands and millions of potential customers that you never had the opportunity to interact with before. Combining YouTube with the fact that more users are now watching videos on Facebook makes this a sound marketing decision.

Videos that you create don’t have to just stay on YouTube either. They can be repurposed and put into emails, embedded on your website and even using for video advertising on Google, YouTube or all of your social channels. One video goes a long way and can help reach your target audience whether they are browsing the Internet or are searching directly on your website for a product or service.

Short, interesting videos are also the perfect content for reaching decision makers that delete emails and click through 30+ page white papers. Presidents, owners and CEO’s don’t have an extra hour to read a white paper or articles let alone 3 or 4 to think about it, analyze it and discuss it with the team. Luckily, all of this information can be served to them in a short, quick and easy-to-digest video that they just sit back and watch (very little thinking involved!).

Take some time to explore this marketing tactic and see how your company can take advantage of it in 2015. Remember to keep videos short (between one and two minutes) and include a call-to-action driving customers to your website. Videos don’t have to be perfect, in fact imperfections can make viewers feel more connected and interested. As long as your message is delivered and your brand is well represented, you’re off to a good start and a successful year of honing the benefits of using videos in your marketing.