4 Reasons Video Marketing
Will Dominate in 2025.
Does Video Even Matter in AEC or CRE?
As coined by Zig Ziglar and repeated by countless others, we tend to buy from people we “know, like, and trust.”
This is especially true in the AEC and CRE industries.
So while the larger media landscape is overwhelmed with noise—artificial intelligence, shifting market signals, and uncertainty—our industry continues to grow largely how it always has—relationships.
The problem remains: if we only do business with prospects who know, like, and trust us, how are we supposed to scale our client base to the countless prospects we have yet to meet?
This conundrum underscores the first reason video marketing will dominate in 2025: human connections.
1 – Video has the Power to Make Human Connections
You’ve witnessed this power firsthand. Perhaps it was Zack Morris breaking the fourth wall. Maybe it was seeing the likes of Taylor Swift or Dave Grohl performing on the jumbotron. It could be as simple as your most trusted sportscaster or meteorologist on TV.
Regardless of the magnitude of their celebrity, the results were the same: implied relationship.
You probably thought to yourself something like, “I’d totally have a drink with that person. They seem cool. I bet we would be friends.”
There’s something magical about seeing another person on screen. When we get a feel for someone’s personality, temperament, or sense of humor, it feels like we have established a relationship with them.
That power is also available to us through the use of video. Prospective clients and potential employees can get a feel for what it might be like to work with you and me, even though our videos might be wildly different.
2 – Video is Not One-Size-Fits-All
A recent report from YouTube found the most successful videos on their platform were between 11 seconds and 40 minutes long.
Helpful, right?
The bigger takeaway here is that incredibly brief videos can win just as much as 2-minute, 10-minute, or much longer videos.
What matters is the hook.
Regardless of length, did you hook me to watch your video, and for a longer piece of content, were you able to continue to hook me again and again to watch until the end?
And if so, did you deliver any real value to your audience?
3 – Value is Not Directly Tied to Your Budget
Videos can be created across a continuum of quality, from a cinematic, high-production value, expertly-crafted piece of storytelling, to a handheld clip you captured in your car. Any video along that gamut regardless of your budget has an equal opportunity to fail or deliver amazing value.
I’m a big fan of creating thoughtful brand films, event sizzles, and other video pieces to introduce your people, your philosophy, or the experience of working with you.
Higher-end tools allow us to introduce epic project imagery with drone shots, energetic time lapses, detailed 4k imagery, and emotional sound design to set the right tone.
But who has time to make a piece of content like that every day?
Conversely, with the smartphone in your pocket, you could quickly document a project under construction, share your thoughts on a timely issue on social media, or shoot a quick video message to your client multiple times per day.
The reality is that whoever creates both strategic, high-quality videos, as well as more frequently publishing less polished videos in 2025, will dominate social media.
But social media isn’t the only place for video.
4 – Video is Dominating More Channels Than Ever
If video isn’t the dominant form of media on your favorite channel or app, just wait a little longer.
The once photo-only app, Instagram, is now predominantly video. Facebook, X, and Threads aren’t too far behind.
And video podcasts are a thing now too. Fans of once audio-only podcasts are flocking to the new video versions of their favorite shows.
Bonus Video Hack: Vertical Video on LinkedIn
For those of you who have made it this far, I’d like to leave you with my hottest tip: vertical video on LinkedIn.
Many of our peers count LinkedIn as the best use of their time on social media, and now there’s another reason to invest there. LinkedIn recently added a button to the mobile app for their vertical video feed (similar to YouTube Shorts or IG Reels) and we’re in a golden stage of opportunity.
This hot tip may not be hot for much longer, but it comes down to supply and demand. There simply isn’t much good, vertical content on LinkedIn, so if you can jump in early and add your voice, the opportunities abound.
While there has never been a silver bullet in marketing, video is an unfair advantage to those who learn to harness its power.
And if you’d like some guidance along the way, let’s find a time to chat about how your firm can leverage video to dominate in 2025.
