Did you know? Your Competitors Are Already Using Video to Steal Your Customers
If your business still isn’t using video marketing, you’re not just behind, you’re actively losing money to competitors who are. Right now, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. That means 9 out of 10 of your competitors are reaching customers through video while you’re stuck with photos and text.
The gap is widening fast. According to 2025 data, 67% of businesses that weren’t using video last year plan to start this year. Your window to catch up is closing. Every day without video costs you customers, conversions, and a competitive advantage.
This isn’t about following trends. It’s about survival.
Here’s exactly why video has become non-negotiable for business growth and why a video production company Denver is thriving.
What You’re Losing Without Video Marketing
Let’s start with the brutal truth about what happens when you don’t use video.
You’re invisible to modern buyers. 89% of consumers say they want to see more videos from brands. When you don’t provide video content, they assume you’re outdated or don’t care about their preferences. They move on to competitors who do.
Your conversions are cut in half. Websites with video see an 80% increase in conversions compared to those without. Landing pages with video boost conversion rates by 86%. Without video, you’re converting at roughly half the rate your competitors achieve.
You’re paying more for every customer. Businesses without video content miss out on 66% of potential customers according to recent industry analysis. Higher customer acquisition costs eat your profit margins while competitors using video acquire customers cheaper.
Your content gets ignored. Social media posts with video receive 48% more engagement than those without. Video content is 1,200% more shareable than text and images combined. Without video, your content strategy is fighting with both hands tied.
Your website visitors leave faster. Websites with video content see visitors stay 88% longer. Without video, people bounce quickly, which tells search engines your site isn’t valuable. Your SEO suffers, your rankings drop, and you get even less traffic.
The ROI Data That Changes Everything
Still thinking video is too expensive? Let’s talk about actual returns. According to 2025 data, 93% of marketers report getting strong ROI from video marketing, the highest percentage ever recorded.
Here’s what that means in real business terms:
Video drives purchases directly. 84% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video. That’s not engagement metrics, that’s revenue.
Product videos eliminate hesitation. Customers are 144% more likely to add items to their cart after watching product videos. Video removes doubt and accelerates purchase decisions.
Video generates qualified leads. 87% of businesses report that video marketing significantly increased their lead generation. More leads without increasing ad spend means better margins.
Email campaigns perform better. Email marketing campaigns with video see 25% higher conversion rates. Just including the word “video” in your subject line increases open rates by 19%.
Video improves search visibility. Embedding video on your website increases organic search traffic by 157%. Better rankings mean free traffic instead of paid ads.
The math is simple. When video converts at 80% higher rates, you need less traffic to hit the same sales goals. Less traffic means lower ad costs and cheaper customer acquisition.
Consumer Behavior Has Permanently Changed
Your customers aren’t asking for video, they’re demanding it. When asked how they’d like to learn about products or services, 63% say they prefer short videos. Text-based articles get just 12%.
The shift is even more dramatic in specific industries. 91% of people have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service. If your product requires explanation, video does it better than anything else.
Mobile has accelerated the change. 69% of Americans watch most video content on mobile devices. Video performs exceptionally well on smartphones, the device 50% of buyers now use as their primary shopping tool.
Platforms prioritize video content. LinkedIn posts with video get 3X more engagement than text posts. Instagram video posts receive 38% more engagement than image posts. Algorithms favor video, meaning your non-video content gets suppressed.
Trust builds faster with video. 87% of consumers say video quality impacts their trust in a brand. When people see your face, hear your voice, and watch your product in action, they trust you more than text ever could.
The Competitive Gap Is Getting Worse
Here’s the uncomfortable reality: while 91% of businesses use video, only 9% don’t. If you’re in that 9%, you’re competing against overwhelming odds.
But it gets worse. The businesses already using video aren’t standing still. 78% plan to increase their video marketing spending in 2025. Your competitors who already have the advantage are doubling down.
The brands winning in your market right now built their video presence over the past 2-3 years. They have YouTube channels with subscribers, social media followings that engage with video content, and SEO-optimized video libraries driving free organic traffic.
Every month you wait, they get further ahead. Their video libraries grow. Their audiences expand. Their domain authority increases. Catching up becomes exponentially harder.
What Actually Works: The Video Types You Need
You don’t need a Hollywood budget or massive production team. The most effective video types are surprisingly straightforward.
Customer testimonials lead everything. 39% of video content businesses produce is testimonial videos, the single most popular format. Customer success stories build credibility faster than any sales pitch.
Explainer videos drive understanding. 73% of video marketers create explainer videos, making them the most-used format. These short clips (60-90 seconds) explain what you do and why it matters.
Product demonstrations close sales. 32% of businesses create product demos. Showing your product in action answers questions and removes purchase hesitation better than descriptions ever could.
Social media videos expand reach. 34% create videos specifically for social platforms. These short, engaging clips get shared 1,200% more than other content types.
Behind-the-scenes builds connection. Company culture, day-in-the-life, and founder story videos humanize your brand. They create emotional bonds that pure product marketing cannot achieve.
The Length and Format That Actually Performs
Forget everything you think you know about video length. According to 2025 data, 30-60 seconds is the most effective length according to 39% of marketers.
But here’s what matters more than length: value. The engagement rate for 3-5 minute videos is 43%, but how-to videos of the same length see 74% engagement. If you’re teaching something useful, people watch.
For businesses just starting with video:
- Start with 60-90 second videos
- Focus on one message per video
- Lead with your best content in the first 3 seconds
- Include captions (85% of social videos are watched without sound)
- End with a clear call-to-action
Live action dominates. 51% of video marketers primarily create live-action content. You don’t need animation or complex production, just a smartphone and good lighting.
How Businesses Are Actually Creating Video
Budget concerns stop many businesses from starting. Here’s the reality: 59% of businesses create video content in-house. Only 10% exclusively use external vendors, while 32% use a mix of both.
The trend toward in-house production is accelerating because tools have improved dramatically. Modern smartphones shoot 4K video. Editing software has simplified. AI tools generate captions, suggest edits, and optimize for different platforms.
But quality still matters. Production approach should match your goals. Simple social media clips can be done in-house with minimal equipment. Professional brand videos, product launches, and high-stakes content justify professional production.
The businesses with the highest ROI use both, in-house for volume and speed, professional for quality when it counts.
The Platforms Where Video Wins
Your video needs to appear where your customers already spend time. According to 2025 data, these platforms deliver the best results:
YouTube dominates. 82% of businesses upload video to YouTube, and 69% say it’s their most effective platform. Nearly 1 billion hours of video content is watched on YouTube daily.
LinkedIn drives B2B results. 70% of video marketers use LinkedIn, and 50% report it’s effective for their goals. The platform’s algorithm now prioritizes video content over text posts.
Instagram engages customers. 69% of marketers use Instagram for video, with 56% reporting strong effectiveness. Instagram video posts get 38% more engagement than image posts.
Facebook still converts. 66% use Facebook for video marketing, with 55% finding it effective. Video posts on Facebook generate significantly more engagement than other content types.
TikTok captures attention. 40% now use TikTok for video marketing. The platform’s short-form format requires different content, but 71.2% of TikTok users have bought something after seeing it on their feed.
The smart strategy is multi-platform distribution. Create once, optimize for each platform, and distribute everywhere your customers look.
The AI Revolution Making Video Easier
18% of businesses now leverage AI tools for video production, and that percentage is growing fast. AI is democratizing video marketing for businesses of all sizes.
AI handles the tedious work. 59% of marketers use AI for auto-generating captions and transcripts. This alone saves hours of work and improves accessibility.
AI suggests better edits. Tools analyze engagement data and recommend cuts, transitions, and pacing that perform better based on what similar videos achieved.
AI optimizes for platforms. AI can resize videos for different platforms, generate platform-specific thumbnails, and suggest the best times to post based on your audience data.
AI writes scripts. Content ideation and script writing tools help overcome the “what should I say” barrier that stops many businesses from starting.
This technology means you don’t need a full production team anymore. You need a smartphone, basic editing software, and AI tools to polish the final product.
What Happens If You Keep Waiting
Let’s project forward. It’s now 2026. Your competitors have been creating video content consistently for the past year. They have:
- YouTube channels with thousands of subscribers
- Social media audiences that engage with every video
- SEO-optimized video libraries driving free organic traffic
- Customer testimonial libraries that close sales automatically
- Brand authority established through consistent video presence
Meanwhile, you’re just starting. You have no video history. No subscribers. No library. No authority. You’re competing against brands that are now 12+ months ahead.
The businesses that start video marketing today have a massive advantage over those who wait another year. But they’re at a disadvantage compared to businesses that started last year.
The best time to start video marketing was three years ago. The second-best time is right now.
How to Start This Week
Stop overthinking it. You don’t need perfection, you need momentum.
Day 1: Record a customer testimonial. Ask your happiest customer to record a 60-second video on their smartphone explaining how your product/service helped them. Post it everywhere.
Day 2: Film a product demonstration. Show your product in action. Explain what it does and why it matters. Keep it under 90 seconds.
Day 3: Create an introduction video. Introduce yourself and your business. Who are you? What problem do you solve? Why should people care? Post this to your About page.
Day 4: Answer FAQ on video. Record yourself answering your three most common customer questions in one 2-minute video.
These four videos give you content for your website, social media, email campaigns, and sales presentations. You’ve officially started video marketing without spending thousands.
The Bottom Line
Video marketing isn’t optional anymore. 91% of businesses use it. 93% say it’s crucial to their strategy. 89% of consumers want more of it.
The businesses winning in your market right now understand that customers prefer video, trust video, and make purchase decisions based on video. They invested in video not because it was trendy, but because the ROI is undeniable.
Every day you wait costs you customers, conversions, and competitive position. Your competitors are already using video to capture market share you’re leaving on the table.
Start today. Use your smartphone. Create imperfect content. Build momentum. The perfect video you never make is worthless compared to the imperfect video you publish today.
Your customers are already watching video. The only question is whether they’re watching yours or your competitors’.
