One of the keys to building a successful business or brand is capturing long-term consumer interest. The best brands in the world know this. Uniqueness plays a huge factor, of course. Finding a need in the market and fulfilling it in a way no one else can or will ensures there will be a long line of customers beating down your door.

But unless your company is Google or Facebook, then you might be in for some stiff competition. The minute you launch your business, you’re already competing with a ton of other companies doing the same thing you are, with all of you trying to win over a larger slice of the consumer pie.

That’s where new and constantly evolving technologies in video calls and chats come in. Don’t think you need video in your organization? Here are four reasons you do:

1. Brand awareness

It helps you build up your online and offline presence. Leading brands always have the advantage. Your consumers are busy people and it’s always just easier to go with long-term players, with reliable brands they trust. How do you get them to make an exception for you? By building up your online and offline presence.

To minimize risk, you’d want to start small and keep operating costs low. You can make this happen by taking advantage of low cost cloud based solutions like Blue Jeans offer. How do you use Blue Jeans for consumer engagement? Simple. Introduce yourself, your team, your brand and your company via video calls or chats. You could prepare one for new customers. Make it seem fun and personable, so long as those qualities fit with the personality of the brand that you wish to convey.

It’s a low-risk move that guarantees great gains. Also, by opting for cloud based services and systems, you get video technology without any of the hardware costs that’s long been associated with the video calling services.

2. Brand recall

In some industries, video technology, paired up with consistent social media marketing efforts, produce the best results. While having a website and Facebook page make your company seem more credible, trustworthy and appealingly personable, video chats and calls make the connection seem more real, more human and less mercenary. Try talking to your customers through video chats or conferences. Make online Q&A sessions happen. It’s a great and informal way to keep the conversation with your customers going. With video chats, it’s easy to drop a word or two to and make your customers remember you.

3. Access

The more customers you have, the better your bottom line would be. This is why it makes sense to expand your reach, to ensure you have access to the right consumers out there and that, that access can reach as many of them as possible. That includes your global customers. With video calling technologies that offer crisp images and sound audio quality, you can reach your customers wherever they are–on land or sea–and on whatever time zones they happen to be. Try hosting contests or online-meets or just sponsor online events through video. These are sure to be a hit with your target audience.

From a baker in Italy to a professor in Japan, you don’t have to limit your target market to the local population. You can widen your reach. Who knows? Your products or services can be a moderate triumph locally but achieve phenomenal success elsewhere, in international markets. And with more customers the world over using video calling technology, it’s only smart to use a communication platform that helps your business, your team, and you, get in touch with as many of your consumers as possible.

4. The cool factor

As Mark Schurman of Herman Miller says, “The best design solves problems, but if you can weld that to the cool factor, then you have a home run.”

What’s the difference between writing responses to your customers–via email, text messaging or social media–and chatting live with your customers through video? The rapid response time. Some consumers might even think email is boring. Meanwhile, video conferencing is one of the coolest communication platforms around. You get access to your consumers on a global scale. Your teams can work remotely or offsite, giving your employees more greater and better control over their schedules. It’s like using Apple in your building your brand. By going with the cool kids, the latest communication platforms, the cutting edge technologies, you score more points with your consumer base for creativity and for being updated on current technology trends and applications.

Lastly, there’s also the undeniable appeal and necessary element of ‘human touch’. It’s the one advantage that video chatting services will always have over written exchanges. With clear video quality, you see your customers, talk to them, face to face. It’s personable, unique and memorable in the best way. So do your best to provide that. It’s the kind of connection that will build and sustain consumer loyalty to your brand.