A report from Forrester Consulting and Autodesk found that video content paired with social media marketing and other web channels can be especially valuable for businesses pushing their campaigns.

A joint study from Forrester Consulting and Autodesk said that businesses must employ diverse, engaging content to appeal to new prospects. Businesses are shifting their marketing practices away from promotional content toward entertaining news content marketing and video spots, and this trend will continue as digital media access becomes more pervasive.

Multi-channel campaigns extend the possibility of brand interaction, as many consumers follow or Like a company on Facebook or Twitter. Sharing links to website content that serves as both marketing and entertainment will help companies gain an advantage over competitors.

Video content is an increasingly popular element of integrated marketing campaigns, Forrester said, as are gaming experiences and social media offers that prospects can access whether they’re in front of a computer or using a mobile device.

“Rich digital media empowers advertisers to tell richer brand stories, drive deeper engagement and ignite conversations on social channels such as YouTube and Facebook,” Maurice Patel, head of industry and marketing for Autodesk, said in a release. These experiences increase fundamental engagement metrics such as time on-site, as well as improve metrics such as lowered bounce rates.”

The implementation of video content as part of web marketing campaigns is an effective method of appealing to all demographics. Brafton reported last month that 71.6 percent of web users access video content at least once per week.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.