The churning seas of marketing and technology are constantly bringing us new waves of style and innovation. It’s up to us as business owners, marketers and other professionals to size up those waves, then dive in and get radical!
Video marketing is without a doubt a wave that started rolling in years ago, but it continues to swell and isn’t subsiding any time soon! Video is such a crucial and non-negotiable part of modern marketing (not to mention sales and communications) that ignoring it would truly be a “wipe out”!
Check out some of the biggest, boldest predictions and statistics for video marketing in 2016, and learn why you need to stand up and ride this crucial wave:
1. In 2016 Video Will Dominate
Content is king, and video content is the King of Kings! At the end of 2015, 96% of B2B organizations reported using video as part of their online marketing, and 71% of marketers say video conversion rates outperform their other marketing content. (r)
In 2016, video will dominate as a marketing tactic, but also as a driving force behind the design and integration of online search and social platforms. Specifically, online video advertisements will grow.
Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have played with the insertion of video ads in their feeds the past few years, but as of late 2015 the major search engines (Bing, Yahoo and the almighty Google) all began testing the addition of video ads to their search result feeds. With the biggest players in online search getting on-board with in-SERP video advertising, video ads will be a major asset in 2016 and the not-so-distant future. (f)
2. In 2016 We’ll Care Less About “Views”
Industry experts across the board agree: length, graphics, imagery and other specific elements of a video all contribute to the way potential customers absorb the video’s information. And, understanding and measuring rich metrics related to those details can help us create more effective, high-performing content.
“In 2016 ‘views’ as a metric dies” says Rob Davis, Executive Director of Content & Social at Ogilvy. “Brands will be insisting on more accurate engagement measurements such as click-through, length of view and actions taken after a view. Commerce-generating behaviors will be a greater focus than whether a video went ‘viral’.” (mp)
In 2016, brands will be insisting on more accurate engagement measurements… and so should you!
3. In 2016, Video Content Will Fill the Funnel!
In a previous post, we looked at a typical sales funnel and reviewed the many ways video content can be used to nurture, convert and support customers throughout their buying journey. From TOFU content like overviews, to MOFU content like product demos, video is every sales and marketing professional’s most powerful weapon.
Well it looks like industry experts agree: Video will play a larger role throughout the customer journey in 2016. Companies will have more video content produced for each step of the customer journey, and will also empower sales teams to create content that will help them close more deals. (mp)
4. In 2016, YouTube Takes a Back Seat (Sort of)
For years, videos have been referred to as “YouTube videos”, regardless of the fact that they can be played and utilized anywhere, not just on YouTube. In 2015, awareness of video hosting platforms aside from YouTube continued to spread.
YouTube is a video hosting platform and a social media platform. While hosting your video on YouTube brings many benefits, such as easy-to-use settings and tools as well as a boost in SEO thanks to YouTube’s ownership by Google, there are many more online video hosting platforms (OVPs) that offer professional benefits, like enhanced analytics and customization.
According to Marketing Profs, more companies have taken to hosting their own videos and using YouTube as a complement. (mp) Other platforms gaining speed on YouTube include: Vimeo, Wistia, Brightcove, Vidyard, Ooyala, not to mention newer social platforms like Vine and Snapchat.
5. In 2016 Mobile Will be a Game-Changer!
As we enter a new year, mobile is already and will continue to dominate as a method of video consumption. YouTube reports 100% growth in watch-time on mobile versus last year. In general, online video viewing on mobile devices will exceed desktop viewing. So, what does this mean for you?
Well, depending on the type of content you’re sharing, where you are sharing it, and who your intended audience is, it means taking mobile viewing into consideration and adjusting accordingly. For some, it means keeping content short, ensuring visual clarity or readability, and considering audio restrictions.
For other types of videos and audiences, long-form content can still work very well on mobile. As noted by Cenk Bulbul, Head of Agency Marketing for Google, “Now small screen doesn’t have to mean small content. Consumers watch longer form content on their mobile devices, and that long form content delivers strong results.” (m)
Conclusion
With so many developments and resources coming forth in 2016, sure it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you’ll be treading water trying to keep up with the rest of the world. But, take a deep breath…
The positive side to this is that there are many options and industry experts out there that can help you perform more strategic and effective video marketing. The perfect wave is coming, you just have to get out there and start paddling!
Resources: Opinions and statistics stated above have been gathered from Grey Sky Films video marketing and video production specialists, as well as reports and publications from other industry experts:
Grey Sky Films’ How to Use Video Production to Enhance Your Marketing
(r) http://www.reelseo.com/resources/2015-b2b-video-content-marketing-survey/
(m) http://www.momentology.com/8936-video-marketing-trends-2016/
(v) https://www.vidyard.com/blog/5-reasons-video-must-2016-marketing-budget/
