It’s not an accident that people are drawn to video as a form of communication; there’s actual science behind our attraction to moving pictures accompanied by voices or other audio. As a marketer, you can learn a lot about delivering content and brand messages through video just by understanding a few basic principles. More importantly, you can use this information to improve upon existing marketing efforts and reach more of your target audience. Take a look at the reasons for success of video communication so you can use them to leverage your material.

Video communicates through visual appeal. You can convey a lot more through visuals and sound than through words alone. It’s estimated that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words, according to Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research. You might have the time to write that many words in order to make your point, but it’s highly unlikely that your target audience will take the time to read it. If your message is complex enough to require an enormous number of words, video is the way to go.

Action and movement boost attention spans. Complicated processes, procedures and demonstrations are ideal topics for video. Humans are drawn to movement and action; other forms of content can describe these things, but only a video can show them. Animation reveals exactly how an activity proceeds, so it’s especially effective when it involves a person operating a product or creating something. In a sense, visuals and imagery give the brain a break from reading the information that’s presented in video form.

Video expresses emotion. Storytelling is essential for engaging your audience and promoting your brand, and emotion is how you weave your tales. Your story is what provides a reason for your prospects to care and connect with your brand, mainly because you connect with them on a personal level. Even more, video is effective both for displaying emotions and evoking them, so it does double duty in communication.

Audio supplements the imagery. Of course, the visual aspect of video is just one reason it’s so powerful in communicating messages. The audio component does its part to complement images, describing the point of the visuals and offering additional explanation of what your audience is seeing. Voices, music, and background audio convey meaning alongside the imagery, creating a mood and establishing a sense of place. These elements also set the pace of the video, which is a primary factor in determining whether your audience sticks around for the duration.

Video conveys community. Human history reveals that we’ve done great things, built cities, crossed oceans, established farms and even gone to space, but none of these accomplishments was achieved alone. We’re drawn to communities, to be a part of something and make a contribution. Video makes us part of a community of viewers. When you hear about a viral video, don’t you feel left out until you actually see it?

As marketers, we could all stand to improve our content marketing skills whenever possible, and knowledge is a powerful tool in our trade. Understanding how science figures into how humans communicate through video is a valuable lesson to learn, as it can help you fine-tune the strategies you’re already using.