Video is the most promoted content on social media. Gone are the days when text and image posts used to dominate our feeds. The rise of video-first formats like video-centric Snapchat Stories, Vines’ 6-second entertainment, Instagram Reels, and video-oriented platforms like TikTok and YouTube is a testament to the shifting popularity in content. On average, users spend 88% more time on a website containing a video (Forbes). Social video share ability is 12x that of texts and images together (Social Media Today). According to Veedyou Media, people would be consuming around 100 minutes of video content daily by 2021.
These stats just underline the importance of making video the cornerstone of your content marketing strategy. Let us take a look at five non-clichéd video marketing trends that can make your content stand out!
Silent Videos
Just think about the number of times you’ve got disdainful stares in public because a loud video started playing on your phone and you didn’t have earphones. Soundless videos save you from this embarrassment without compromising on message delivery. With 85% of Facebook videos being consumed without sound (Digiday), these videos have gained popularity since 2017. Your audience will praise you for it. They are apt for product launches and explainers as they communicate the message visually without requiring a voice-over. You can either add subtitles to an existing video or embed textual content in the video directly.
Vertical Videos
Videos are mostly accessed on a mobile device today. A survey on screen orientation by Mobile Overview Report found that users hold their smartphones vertically 94% of the time, which is reason enough for you to switch to vertical videos over horizontal or square videos. Popularized by Snapchat and Tiktok, vertical videos have the following advantages:
More natural – Rotating the phone while watching videos is highly inconvenient and spoils the user experience. Less than 30% of users rotate their phone to watch an ad (Martech Zone)
Engagement – They are more appealing than square videos because they make better use of the screen real estate.
Higher completion rates – According to MediaBrix, the completion rate of vertical videos is nearly double that of horizontal videos.
Live Streams
Live video is growing 113% YoY compared to long-form (30%) and short-form video (9%). Here are its main benefits:
Instant Gratification – Social media is all about the here and now. Live video offers the thrill and excitement of getting to know something before everyone else while it’s happening, just like visiting in-person. Case in point – OnePlus – which is launching its flagship 8T 5G phone through a Livestream on its official YouTube channel.
Real-time Interaction – One-sided videos are boring. Live videos offer you the chance to start a discussion around your product, answering questions, and building a loyal community. Your audience can interact and have fruitful conversations with your team.
Authentic – Livestreams humanize your brand as a real person is interacting with the audience. This is ideal for building long-lasting relationships and brand recall.
Versatility – Livestreams need not always be about broadcasting product launches. You can host QnA’s, do an office walkthrough to show company culture, or shoot a behind-the-scenes video.
360-degree Videos
These are the new kids on the block that are gradually becoming mainstream. 360° videos are eye-catchy and cause users to stop scrolling and take notice. You also don’t need any special hardware to watch these. Some of their advantages include:
Grabs attention – 360° technology makes heads turn because it is such a new way of viewing the world. You can shoot a 360° walkthrough of your assembly line operations to come across as genuine and reliable.
Incredibly immersive – You can get lost for hours looking at 360° videos because they are visually immersive. You can easily imagine yourself in that environment from all angles, which adds to the spectacle.
Conversions – Getting people to experience your product/service through 360° videos is easy, boosting conversions.
Video SEO
Google and other search engines can now index video content as well. You can now search for a specific query and get a relevant snippet of the video that matches the search keywords. Now, SEO is applicable for blogs and websites, and videos as well, which is huge. This implies that you need to make your video content more friendly to search engine crawlers by adding descriptions, metadata, transcripts, and more. Optimizing your video for ranking higher in SERPs can be a tremendous competitive advantage that businesses should capitalize on.
Simply put, video is the heartbeat of the digital world, especially now with everyone being on the internet. Hopefully, you can leverage these innovative video marketing trends to set your content apart in the years to come.
Tags: Content Marketing, content trends, marketing content, Social Media, video, Video Marketing, video marketing trends, video trends