video marketing benchmarksAs predicted, video marketing exploded last year. And most experts predict online videos will continue to proliferate the year. Instead of debating if they should implement video marketing, marketers now tend to ponder how best to include video in their overall strategy.

The 2017 Video Benchmark Report from Vidyard reveals data and insights that can help marketers improve their video marketing. Some statistics may confirm expectations. Others may be surprising.

Don’t forget desktop. While the use of mobile is certainly on the rise, consumption of business-related video content still takes place predominantly on desktop browsers. Maybe surprisingly, 86% of views are consumed on desktops and only 14% on mobile. While businesses still need to cater to all device types and screen sizes, desktop features offer greater flexibility, such as larger screens and more advanced browsers that allow more compelling experiences like interactive video or in-video forms.

Address all browsers. More than half of video viewing takes place on Google’s Chrome browser. Still, businesses that optimize for videos for all browsers can obtain more views. It’s important to adopt a video player that supports a variety of browsers, including older versions of Internet Explorer, the newer Edge browser from Microsoft and other browsers that handle both HTML5 and Flash playback.

Consider the times. Video watching tends to peak on weekdays and in the morning, spiking between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. Pacific time. Wednesday outperforms other days, and takes 18% of all video views throughout the week. Despite lower viewership on weekends, brands that target weekend mornings may be able to stand out due to less competition for attention.

Don’t let company size inhibit you. There is no direct correlation between company size and the number of videos published. Some companies with less than $5 million in revenue maintain sizable video libraries. That demonstrates the recent lower barriers to entry to video publishing.

Consider different video formats. Explainers, product demos, how-to videos are the most common types of videos. But many are also client testimonials and interviews with thought leaders.

Consider in-house staff. Most (85%) of businesses now use internal staff and resources to produce video content, while only 15% rely solely on agencies. Since the average business is now doubling the size of its video library within 16 months, it makes sense that more production is happening in-house to mitigate the potential impact on budgets.

Use advanced video analytics. The use of video analytics is on the rise with 35% of businesses now using intermediate or advanced analytics to measure performance. Basic analytics focus on consumption such as views or shares, which are easy to obtain but don’t help determine ROI. More advanced metrics, like embed location, viewer drop-off rates and viewing heat maps, better define the relationship between videos and ROI. Those using advanced analytics are more likely to increase their video budgets this year and see returns on their video investments improve.

“As businesses invest more in video content, it will become increasingly important to track the performance and impact of different types of videos,” according to the Vidyard report. “These types of insights will help businesses optimize their results and better understand the return-on-investment for their video content.”

Every marketer will need a video strategy this year, says Tom More, CEO and founder of social video creation platform Slidely. With users constantly refreshing their news feeds, marketers will need to consistently post branded video content that stands out and engages users. And that requires a video strategy,” More writes in MarketingProfs.

Although videos will get shorter to match viewers’ short attention spans, people still want to connect with brands, he says. The challenge will be to create consistent stories across different platforms so that audiences recognize the brand in every channel.

Bottom Line: Businesses are embracing video marketing. However, not all videos improve key business objectives. Keeping an eye on industry trends and benchmarks – and, most of all, on viewer needs — will help companies create and market better videos.