Video marketing has always been a critical part of any successful content strategy. This isn’t changing anytime soon.
A recent report by Wyzowl revealed that 91% of businesses use videos as an important marketing tool. Moreover, 96% of those who leveraged video content in the past plan to keep doing so.
This speaks volumes about the importance of creating high-quality videos. But the tricky part is that the rules of the game keep changing. What worked only a year ago might not yield results today. A lot has changed in the online world, and you should stay up-to-date with the hottest marketing trends.
So, what does it take to keep your audience engaged with videos? Here are the key trends that you should follow:
1. Captions Are Crucial to Success
Marketers often consider captions to be optional. However, they’re a must if you don’t want people to scroll past your video content.
There are so many situations that call for silent videos. Your audience member might be in public transport without headphones, in a meeting that turns into a snooze fest, or in bed with a sleeping spouse. They’d be disappointed if the video doesn’t have captions.
The last thing you want to do is trigger this disappointment in your audience. And, according to a survey by Verizon Media, more people care about captions than you might think. The survey showed that 80% of respondents are more likely to watch a whole video if it has captions. As such, by captioning your videos, you can expect a boost in engagement and viewing times.
2. User-Generated Content Is More Important Than Ever
Many people still equate video content marketing with advertising. It’s time to change this.
The reason is simple – people just don’t like ads!
According to HubSpot, 75% of people don’t trust what they see in ads. Moreover, a whopping 86% of viewers change the channel, mute the TV, or skip ads that pop up on platforms like YouTube.
This isn’t to say that you can’t use videos to build trust with your audience. But to do it right, you need to focus on one specific type of video – user-generated content.
This includes case studies, testimonials, and any other content that can serve as social proof. People trust their peers much more than businesses and ads, and there’s nothing like a positive real-life experience that can position you as trustworthy.
Whether you’re selling a product or service, reach out to your happy customers and ask them to share their thoughts. You can create reels that highlight the best things that people said about your offer. Share this content with your audience, and you’ll see the power of positive word of mouth.
3. Educational Videos Are Blowing Up
The COVID pandemic completely transformed the way we learn. But it’s not just students who felt this change. According to Report Linker, e-learning saw a 36.3% growth in 2020, and this rising trend is here to stay. From VR product renders to virtual events, video content is the future of learning.
This is why educational videos should be an integral part of your video content strategy. But don’t just use them to list out the specs. Offer tutorials, explainer videos, and other video content that revolves around your offer. Use them to repurpose your old and static content and instill fresh energy into your marketing.
Of course, you should always add some fun to your educational videos. When you combine education and entertainment, your content can yield outstanding results.
4. Shoppable Videos Are Becoming the Norm
In today’s business world, marketing is all about shortening the buying journey and making it smoother for your audience. And shoppable videos are a fantastic way to do this.
As the name implies, these videos allow the viewer to buy on the spot, as opposed to searching for the product manually after watching a video. All it takes is a solid CTA, and your videos can be a powerful weapon in your sales arsenal.
Right now, shoppable videos are widely used on social media, and we can expect their popularity to grow. According to Clinch, a company that focuses on hyper-personalized ads, shoppable videos get more engagement than display ads, making them highly effective at drawing people in and encouraging them to buy.
So, if you’re not sure where to place your next CTA, let it be your videos. Pack the video full of value, answer your audience’s questions, and your videos will combine the power of marketing and sales.
5. Short-Form Videos Continue to Dominate
If you haven’t fallen into the TikTok rabbit hole yourself, someone around you must have. That’s how popular the platform is. In fact, TikTok single-handedly popularized short-form videos as one of the main forms of content out there.
It’s easy to understand the appeal of short videos. In our hectic world, they’re a great way to digest information. Whether you’re looking for knowledge or entertainment, they motivate creators to keep things straight to the point.
The online space is noisy, so you don’t have a lot of time to grab your audience’s attention. If done well, a punchy video can be all you need to make people stop scrolling.
TikTok, Instagram Reels, and several other platforms already give you the medium you need to post high-quality short videos. Make sure you don’t miss these opportunities.
6. Cross-Promotion Remains Vital to Success
We all know that YouTube is pretty much synonymous with video marketing. According to the platform’s own data, people use it to watch over a billion hours of content every single day! It’s safe to say that stepping up your YouTube game is going to be more than worth it.
That being said, you don’t want to limit yourself to one platform, no matter its size. You should leverage other channels to promote your YouTube videos, and you’ve never had more opportunities for this.
How so?
It’s because you now have a plethora of ways to repurpose your videos and squeeze all the juice out of every second. When you blend YouTube and social media video marketing, you can create a powerful synergetic effect.
One video can become a Reel, TikTok, and shoppable ad all at the same time. With this in mind, every minute spent creating a video can potentially pay off multifold. Work on cross-promoting between different channels, and your presence can skyrocket.
7. Interactive Videos Are All the Rage
The reason why video content performs so well is simple – it’s much more engaging than most other forms of content. When you add interactivity to the mix, the immersive experience you’ll create can do wonders for your video strategy.
According to Advrtas, 98% of people believe that 360-degree or VR videos are more exciting than their static counterparts. This comes as no surprise, as actively participating in content consumption is a unique experience that you still don’t see every day.
Even though VR isn’t new, it’s still underused in marketing. If you can implement it in your videos, you can gain a massive competitive advantage.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
The beauty of video content marketing is that it never stops evolving. The past year alone brought a world of change, which you should adapt as quickly as possible.
Now that you know what it takes to stay current, see what you can do to upgrade your video strategy. Don’t fall behind new technologies and features, as it may be a costly mistake. Take full advantage of the opportunities in front of you, and keep finding new ways of engaging your audience.