• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, November 18, 2016

With social media and Facebook under the microscope for its role in the news lately, an interesting new report reveals the depth of the impact of social video on brands.

The good news? Consumers often buy products because of social video. About 46% of consumers made a purchase after watching a branded video on social media, while another third considered doing so, according to a study from online video tech firm Brightcove.

The company surveyed 5,500 consumers in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, United States and Australia for the report.

The report sheds light on the value of social media as a key tool for brands to get their videos to consumers. This trend dovetails with the larger role that social media, especially Facebook, is playing in news.

The report also found that 81% of consumers currently interact with brands on social media, and 43% say they do that through watching video. On a more subjective note, eight in 10 say video is the best way to learn about a brand online.  

Social video viewing is also on the upswing. About two-thirds of those surveyed watch more video on social networks than they did a year ago on places like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. U.S. consumers watch about 49 minutes of social video each day.

The study also found that 45% of consumers are more apt to tell friends about a brand after they’ve watched a video on it.