Modern consumers are looking for more from their online shopping experiences. They expect fast shipping, responsive brands, and more value out of their online purchases – which is why video marketing has been so effective in recent years.
By 2025, videos are expected to account for 82% of all consumer web traffic. With that, brands can’t afford to miss out on the opportunities of video marketing – including the emerging trends that are dominating the industry.
If you’re struggling to keep up with the newest video trends, here are some strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Embrace Live Video
Live video dominated the internet in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic left everyone sitting at home, missing out on in-person experiences. From that, live video emerged as a crucial way for brands to stay connected to their customers and deliver immersive experiences in a virtual environment.
For marketers, live video should be the number-one trend to embrace in 2024. Though the world has adjusted to the new normal and people are out and about, the preference for video content hasn’t gone away.
In fact, it’s grown. In Q3 of 2022, the leading platforms have amassed about 7.2 billion hours of content watched. Viewers prefer video in general, but live gets the most attention.
Optimize Your Videos for Search
SEO has been a mainstay in digital marketing, but there’s new opportunities with video. Optimizing your videos for search can be a powerful tool for improving your search engine rankings.
Google shows videos in several different places, including the main search results page, video mode, Google Images, and Discover. To boost your video’s visibility, make sure to follow the rules of content marketing – answer common questions, educate your audience on important topics related to your brand or product, and keep it interesting.
It’s also important to be consistent. Create video content frequently on a consistent schedule, and eventually, your customers will come to expect new content. You should also optimize your videos on a technical level, including title tags, keywords, and appropriate thumbnail images.
Tell Your Story
Brand storytelling is an effective way to humanize your brand and connect with customers for better engagement. Creating video blogs (vlogs) are a great way to get your stories out there with behind-the-scenes content, tutorials, and product information.
According to research from Lemonlight, 94% of survey respondents say that watching a brand video has impacted their purchase decision. Why? They help customers understand the product or service better and inspire confidence in the buying decision.
Currently, vlogs are dominated by individual creators. Brands can get in on the action and build human connection by leveraging vlogs.
Try Social Media Storytelling
Social media is an opportunity for brands to show their “human” side and build direct relationships with their audience. Social media storytelling goes a long way toward showcasing that brand personality in a casual, approachable way that resonates with viewers.
While they shouldn’t be filled with mistakes and outtakes, social media videos can be a little raw and authentic. You can host a Q&A, post polls to get feedback on products, and share a product demonstration or customer testimonial.
Leverage AR and VR
AR and VR content isn’t new, but it’s made its way into the mainstream with video marketing. The technology is accessible and offers interactive capabilities for your videos, so you can easily include it in your video marketing strategy for a unique edge.
For example, some brands use a virtual “try on” for people shopping for clothes or accessories. While that may not be ideal for your brand, you can use them to showcase product design, virtual tours, or behind-the-scenes experiences for more immersive, meaningful interactions.
Include Interactive Video Elements
Interactive videos that have polls, quizzes, and different scenarios have two-fold benefits: you get more engagement from your audience and gain valuable insights about their needs and preferences.
Essentially, an interactive video takes viewers from a passive role to an active one, giving them a part in the story. The experience is more personal and memorable, which keeps your brand top of mind longer and can boost conversions.
Personalize Your Video
Personalization is a growing demand across all marketing channels. Audiences want content that speaks to them directly, and that’s where personalization excels. When the video is tailored to a viewer’s history, interests, pain points, past purchases, and more, it keeps them more interested and offers more value than a one-size-fits-all option.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Something as simple as creating personalized videos with proposal walkthroughs, micro demonstrations, or tailored customer support to address a problem that a segment of your audience has can go a long way with your viewers.
Experiment with Long-Form Content
Though attention spans have gotten shorter and viewers are consuming bite-sized videos, there is a demand for substantial, in-depth content that covers a topic more comprehensively than you can in a 30-second clip.
According to a report by Wistia, long-form videos are holding viewers’ attention – contrary to popular belief – and get high completion rates. Longer videos can explore topics in greater detail, build stronger narratives, and make a strong impact. Think how-to guides, docuseries, or in-depth interviews.
However, you can’t just make a longer video for the sake of it. Your video length should always be tailored to the platform you’re using. For example, TikTok is entirely short-form videos, but YouTube and your website are good spots for your longer, more in-depth sessions.
Optimize Videos with Sound Off
There’s a lot of emphasis on audio effects for videos, but it’s important for videos to be able to be watched on silent. About 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound, primarily because people consume videos in public places, like on their morning commute or in a waiting room, at work, and next to family members in their home. They want the option to watch the video without sound without losing its value.
So, you should focus on providing audio value in your video while also optimizing it for silent viewing. Fortunately, this is easy with the simple addition of closed captions to keep people engaged. If they can still get the message of the video without listening to it, you won’t lose any of the engagement.
In addition, optimizing your videos for silent viewing makes them more accessible for people with hearing impairments.
Encourage User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is viewed as authentic and trustworthy by consumers – like a recommendation from a friend or family member. Partnering with loyal brand advocates inspires UGC on its own, which you can then reshare to expand its reach.
Like influencer marketing, offering incentives and referral programs are great ways to get loyal brand advocates producing UGC. It’s likely that many customers would be happy to create a video testimonial in exchange for a discount or free sample.
Leverage Video Marketing Trends for Success
Though the landscape of video marketing is shifting and these trends may seem intimidating, it’s important to experiment with new trends and stay adaptable to stay ahead of the curve. With the right combination of trends and tried-and-true techniques, you can stand out from the crowd.
Author Bio:
Torrey Tayenaka
Torrey Tayenaka is the co-founder and CEO at Sparkhouse, an Orange County based commercial video production company. He is often asked to contribute expertise in publications like Entrepreneur, Single Grain and Forbes. Sparkhouse is known for transforming video marketing and advertising into real conversations. Rather than hitting the consumer over the head with blatant ads, Sparkhouse creates interesting, entertaining and useful videos that enrich the lives of his clients’ customers. In addition to Sparkhouse, Torrey has also founded the companies Eva Smart Shower, Litehouse & Forge54.
