That’s what someone muttered before hitting publish on their company’s latest social media update — a grainy, hastily written text post, lost in the algorithmic abyss within minutes. Meanwhile… their competitor’s polished 30-second video of a behind-the-scenes warehouse tour racked up 50,000 views and direct messages asking, “How do I buy this?”

The difference isn’t luck. It’s strategy.

Social media isn’t just a digital billboard — it’s the world’s most crowded, chaotic, and competitive marketplace. If your business isn’t leveraging it aggressively (especially through video), you’re functionally invisible.

Let’s dive into why that’s a catastrophic mistake for your business, and tackle how to fix it. 

Social platforms prioritize content that keeps users engaged — meaning passive text posts get buried while videos, especially short-form ones, dominate feeds. 

– Instagram Reels — Account for more than 50% of the time people spend on Instagram (The Keyword)

– LinkedIn — Users are 20 times more likely to share a video than any other post type (LinkedIn Marketing Collective) 

– TikTok — The average user spends 95 minutes daily on the app… almost entirely consuming video content (SQ Magazine)

When algorithms favor video, resisting it means your content literally never reaches your audience. 

Consumers decide whether to trust a brand within 0.05 seconds of seeing its content (Carleton University Study)

Video accelerates that trust-building by: 

– Humanizing your brand — A CEO’s candid vlog about product failures builds more credibility than a sterile press release. 

– Demonstrating expertise — A 60-second tutorial showing your software’s features proves competence faster than a features list. 

– Creating “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) — Live streams of product launches or Q&As make audiences feel they’re part of an exclusive moment. 

Example:  Duolingo’s TikTok Strategy — absurdist, low-budget videos featuring their owl mascot went viral, making the brand feel relatable and driving engagement on some videos to over 20%… far higher than the usual 4-6% seen for branded content (EPICDEVS) 

If “a picture is worth 1000 words” A 1-minute video with 30 frames (or pictures) shown per second is worth 1.8 million words (Forrester Research)

Video exploits this by: 

– Showing, not telling — A restaurant’s sizzling steak video triggers sensory memory (and hunger) better than a menu description

– Simplifying complex ideas — Software as a Service (SaaS) companies use animated explainers to turn industry jargon into digestible stories

– Driving impulse buys — Instagram’s checkout feature paired with product demo videos increases conversions by 28% (FastCapital) 

Case Study — Gymshark grew from $0 to $1B+ in revenue by flooding Instagram with workout videos… proving their apparel’s quality through action, not ads (IWD Agency)

User-generated content (UGC) — like customer testimonials or unboxing videos — is the digital equivalent of word-of-mouth. 

– 92% of consumers trust UGC over traditional ads (Nielsen)

– Brands incorporating UGC content in their Facebook ads get 4x higher engagement (Yotpo) 

Example: Glossier’s entire marketing strategy relies on customers posting makeup tutorials featuring their products — turning buyers into influencers that increased their online sales and traffic from peer-to-peer referrals to 70% (Extole)

Your rivals are already doing this.

– 63% of businesses increased video budgets in 2023 (HubSpot)

– Brands using video see a 49% faster revenue growth year-over-year compared to those that don’t use video at all (Zebracat) 

If you’re silent on the video front, their content will drown you out even further.