Where do you stand on your video marketing campaign? If it’s not at the forefront of your marketing efforts — or very close behind — you may need to rethink your strategy. Cisco anticipates that “by 2019, over 80% of global Internet consumption will be video content.” So, if you haven’t started, now may be a good time for you to focus on video marketing.

Video content has been taking marketing, and the world, by storm. Every year, new strategies for video marketing are being designed to reach any spectrum of viewers. Because of this, you video content strategies may be outdated.

Read below to get up to date on the latest video trends showing promise in 2018.

Platforms

When talking about video trends, lets first talk about the platforms that are trending.

You may have some dynamic video content, but if you don’t know which social media platform to release it under, you may be missing out on the target audiences you are aiming for.

As mentioned above, Snapchat gained notoriety for its 10-second videos that disappeared after 24 hours. Instagram took this idea and, with more followers, made it even more popular with Instagram Stories. Marketers recognize both mediums for their natural qualities and ability to engage an audience on a personal level.

Methods of video marketing show no signs of slowing down and connect more with the younger audiences. If you want the more formal video platform — in the instance your company is B2B or just appeals to an older, more professional crowd — consider LinkedIn for its more professional, business-oriented audience.

YouTube, in which Northeastern University indicates “is now the fourth most popular social network for marketers, used by 57% of them,” has become a staple in the social media realm since it’s release in 2005. The platform’s meteoric rise is a direct reflection of the appeal that video has on viewers. People love videos, and YouTube is the place they go to when they want to show their friends things they find interesting — often sharing to other social media platforms. Kudos to you if you can build a strong content marketing campaign without YouTube.

You, of course, you should always include the social media giant, Facebook, in your marketing efforts. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Dom Hoffman, Vine co-founder, hinted on Twitter at a Vine 2?

Mobile Optimization

It is becoming more and more evident that people are looking at social media and searching Google on their mobile devices more than on a standard desktop. So the second video trend points towards optimizing videos for mobiles. The University of Southern California maintains that “with 93 percent of millennials and members of Generation Z using smartphones for more than an hour a day, brands must use mobile to reach young consumers.” With mobile devices, specifically smartphones, comes the need for mobile optimization. If your video player isn’t responsive, fitting to the screen of whatever mobile device viewers may be on, they are more likely to close it out and look for a video that is.

To take it a step further, marketers are now resizing videos into a square design. Turning away from the landscape design that fits a desktop, the more vertical square design fits better for most phones. Optimization is necessary for Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and even scrolling through your Facebook news feed.

Speaking of your news feed, have you ever noticed that you’d probably give a transcribed video more patience over one that isn’t? This is being noted by video content marketers. As a result, more and more videos are starting to feature captions to accommodate the viewers who won’t be bothered to click/tap into the video and adjust their volume to watch the video. If you want more attention and retention of your video content marketing efforts, consider subtitles for your videos.

Influencer Marketing

How can influencer marketing affect video trends, you may ask?

Influencer marketing was wildly successful in 2017 and is on pace to continue to be in 2018 — showing that people listen to an endorsement from people they hold in high regard. As influencer marketing further develops, it is no longer just a post by an influencer mentioning a product. Instead, with the help of video, viewers and potential customers can see the influencer with your brand.

Brands are, and will continue to be, capitalizing on the advantages video can bring. Rather than an influencer mentioning a brand and tagging you in a post, why not show your viewers a video of your influence using your products or services? Bloggers, vloggers, and other social media personalities are being enlisted by big brands of almost every industry to help market to a wide range of new and existing customers.

Influencer marketing is nothing new — we’ve seen hundreds, perhaps thousands of examples of this marketing concept before. However, celebrities are being called upon less and less, and social media influencers are becoming prominent. You follow social media personalities for a reason, wouldn’t you be more willing to listen to them over an impersonal celebrity endorsement?

Social media influencers are sought after because they connect with viewers in a more natural, genuine fashion. One reason influencer marketing is relating on a personal level is because of live video streaming.

Live Streaming

This is perhaps one of the most significant video trends.

Real-time video streaming leaves ample opportunity for a prepared video to get off script, especially when viewers can interact with the streamer. That is why viewers love live streaming — it’s more personal in the sense that they can engage the streamer in real-time, and the responses, and the whole nature of the stream, feels unscripted.

Sure, you could make a well thought out response to inquiries from your social media followers. This content could fall flat, or could not even get views. However, followers would tune in to a stream you held to ask you questions in real time. Since live streaming is connecting with viewers personally, brands are streaming interviews, discussions, behind-the-scenes tours of businesses, revealing new products that only followers can see, and many other insights into their operations that form bonds with viewers. These bonds are being found to establish brand and customer loyalty.

Imagine your company is coming out with a brand new product. A prerecorded video of the product will always prompt customer questions. Why not live stream a demonstration of your new product, answering these questions in real time? Better yet, get a social media influencer to do so — endorsing your product to thousands, if not millions of followers on Facebook and Instagram.

Snapchat Filters

Snapchat blew up the social media scene because of the way they presented accessible videos with a lifespan of 24 hours. Another feature that viewers went wild for were Snapchat filters — you know, the computer simulated ears and tongue to turn you into a human/cartoon dog? Well, Snapchat is introducing a filter that is grabbing the attention of marketers everywhere and has become one of the major video trends.

Snapchat geofilters are branded images, digitally placed over a user image or video, which if used correctly, could be a marketing goldmine. Users can set a filter on their Snap telling other followers and friends where they are at, but marketing can take it a step further. Check out how McDonald’s is taking advantage:

Now, imagine if it was your brand this person was sharing to all of their friends, or better yet, if you worked with an influencer to reach their mass of fans — spreading your brand logo like wildfire. Snapchat filters are beloved and, from a marketing perspective, it was only a matter of time before companies used the feature to make their brand more visible. It’s best to start entertaining the notion of Snapchat geofilters for your business.

Video content marketing is here to stay, and if you want to remain visible as a business, embrace the video trends above. Video content is engaging, simple to process, and takes no time for viewers to digest — it’s a marketer’s dream. Its quickly engaging properties is precisely why it is dominating social media platforms. Pressing the record button would be wise for your and your company!

When you are reading about video trends, you should also check out Rocketium.

Rocketium is a cloud-based web app that helps one create beautiful videos in minutes with text, images, and video. Steps – add graphics, type text, add voiceovers if you like, choose a theme, customize styles, publish in different aspect ratios and share on social media directly.

Avery-Taylor Phillips

Avery T. Phillips is a freelance human being with too much to say. She loves nature and examining human interactions with the world. Comment or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or suggestions.

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