It’s officially official! Video is the dominant medium of choice for marketers. 86% of marketers use video content to advertise, educate, and entertain and businesses, on average, publish 33 videos every month. If video is going to be a significant part of your marketing strategy there are a few things you should know to get the best ROI possible. Here are five video marketing trends to keep in mind for the rest of 2019:
- Increased Video Ad-Spend
- Mobile-first, Short Video Content
- Facebook In-Stream Ads
- User-Generated Content
- Cinemagraphs
Table of Contents
Toggle1. Increased Video Ad-Spend
Every social media platform has officially made video their content-of-choice.
- Companies spent $90 billion on video marketing in 2018, a number that’s projected to balloon to $102.8 billion by 2023, according to a recently published Forrester report.
- Mobile video is the fastest growing video type and accounts for more than half of all video plays.
- Marketers and advertisers spent more than $30 billion on mobile video in 2018, and that amount will increase as more mobile-first platforms and experiences are created.
As the demand for mobile video increases, marketers and advertiser need to bear in mind that audiences are looking for quality, story-driven video content. While over-the-top (OTT) video content may be on trend, ultimately people want video content they can relate to, content and “characters” they can connect with and root for.
2. Mobile-First, Short Video Content
According to a recent survey conducted by Yum Yum Videos, 83% of businesses use social media platforms to distribute video marketing content. And because mobile video accounts for more than half of all video plays and 52% of worldwide online traffic in 2018 came from mobile devices, it’s safe to say that making your video content mobile-friendly is a must. Forward-thinking companies and brands have gone to great lengths to ensure their websites and marketing assets are compatible with mobile devices to create the most intuitive, engaging experience for their target audience.
Not only does your video content have to be compatible with mobile devices, but it also has to capture and hold your audience’s attention extremely quickly. 75% of all videos published within the last year were less than 2 minutes long. What’s the format-of-choice for creating short mobile video content? Vertical videos for Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and Facebook. Using the vertical format enables companies and brands to post their videos without worrying about format compatibility issues. Vertical videos are also on track to bypass Facebook and Instagram feeds in terms of engagement.
If you use the vertical video format to create content to tell your brand story in under 15 seconds, you have a winning combination. While videos under 15 seconds present the challenge of hooking your audience and resonating emotionally with them, over the top (OTT) marketing strategies can provide the hook your content needs. Take a look at some examples below:
3. Facebook In-Stream Ads
Where YouTube is generally considered the platform-of-choice for video distribution, Facebook is still considered the platform-of-choice for lead generation. According to the Yum Yum Videos survey, 39% of surveyed business owners agreed that Facebook is the platform to target for lead generation. And with the ability to place ads in the middle of live and on-demand videos on mobile devices with in-stream ads, Facebook has become even more useful for marketers.
Because in-stream ads aren’t skippable, they’ve become a popular tool enabling businesses to take a portion of the 8 billion daily video views on the platform for themselves. In-stream ads also allow businesses to tap into Facebook’s Audience Network, which enables marketers to show their videos on third-party sites and apps, on both mobile and desktop. Which is a huge plus!
4. User-Generated Content
Even in the digital age of video, word of mouth still plays a huge part in determining how people perceive your company. One way to showcase your audience’s perception of your company is to post user-generated content on your social media channels. 76% of consumers said they trust content shared by “average” people more than content shared by brands. Not only does posting user-generated content build trust with your audience, but it also enhances the relationship you have with your fans. Aside from the added bonus of being budget-friendly — it’s free content, after all — user-generated content also has a 7x higher engagement rate over standard, brand-generated content. Audiences prefer user-generated content because of its authenticity — it lets them emotionally connect and engage with brands through storytelling.
Check out the example below from GoPro. GoPro has pretty much cornered the market as the camera to use to document your most action-packed and exciting vacations and adventures. The video below of a firefighter rescuing a kitten from a burning house, however, brings new meaning to the GoPro brand. It’s not just the camera for thrill-seekers, it’s the camera for everyday heroes.
5. Cinemagraphs
If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how much an animated picture is worth. Cinemagraphs are a new form of digital art and are taking the social internet by storm. The photo/video hybrids have subtle motion looped to play seamlessly while the rest of the image stays static. Whatever the subject of the picture, these animated images draw attention to themselves wherever they’re posted.
You can create your own cinemgraphs by using a high-resolution camera and your post-production software of choice to composite a series of photos or video recordings together to create a slightly animated image. Pretty cool, huh?