Video Marketing Trends to Follow in 2018

2017 Data Shows What Your Brand Should Do to Increase Views, Brand Awareness, and Conversions Online

If you were born before 1990, you probably remember that video cameras used to be the size of large carry-on luggage. Maybe Dad carried the camcorder on his shoulder, embarrassing you in the front row of the audience by blocking everyone else’s view. Then there was the four-hour Thanksgiving video, filmed from a tripod, which meant only half the table was in the picture. 

The capture and use of video content has certainly changed over time, but its immense storytelling power remains. These days we capture almost all of our own day on video, mostly in shorter ‘snaps,’ and we can assume we’re probably on someone else’s camera many times throughout the day.

Digital recordings didn’t become the norm until 2006, over a decade ago, when internal flash memory and SD cards replaced tapes. But from old family memories then, to viral ice-bucket challenges now, video continues to be a powerful way to capture and tell stories that are worth sharing. And when it comes to marketing online, video’s importance in sharing your brand’s message to the right potential customers continues to grow.

Video is King of Marketing

Quality video content is dominating social media right now, and it’s important to meet the needs of consumers in a video-first world. It is estimated that by 2020, videos will account for nearly 80% of consumer online traffic. Animoto, a cloud-based video creation company, surveyed both consumers and marketers to collect data on the increasing power of video marketing. This data reinforces marketing concepts (both timeless and current trends) and gives insights on video marketing trends to follow in 2018.

Continuing Marketing Trends from 2017

Importance of Strategy

Strategy is key when considering your brand on social media, including video and in both organic and paid social campaigns. Knowing and defining your target audience and having the right tools set up to measure performance is crucial.

Top questions to ask yourself to help map out a purposeful video marketing strategy include: What will your video content accomplish (and for whom)? What video topics and types should you create? Where will your content live? How will you measure performance?                            

Mobile Matters

According to Animoto, 84% of consumers say they watch social video content on mobile at least some of the time, so everything from your website to the images and videos you create better be optimized for mobile traffic! For your brand’s message to translate from a social media view or click into a sale or other conversion, your website UX and social media campaign have to work together.

Social Platforms and Their Powers

Animoto reports that 89% of consumers watch videos on social networks a few times a week or more, and 63% watch at least once a day. Millennials especially watch a LOT of video. Depending on the age group of your target audience and the goals of your social media marketing, video content on one platform may be more effective for you than on others (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, and Facebook each have different demographics).

Somewhat surprisingly (but not really, considering Facebook’s nearly 2 billion users), people watch and engage with branded videos more on Facebook than on YouTube . Over 500 million people are watching videos on Facebook every day. That’s one video view by the entire population of the United States combined with the entire population of Russia, all in 24 hours (proving our two countries can get along on Facebook. Maybe). And out of those 500M, 64% say that watching a Facebook video decidedly influences their purchases.

Pro Tip: When you upload videos natively, instead of linking out, you have a much higher chance of your video being seen by your community (and new fans, too). Google and Facebook are competitors, so if you think Facebook wants to have YouTube links perform well in their Newsfeed algorithm, you better think again.

As Animoto highlights, 65% of people watch videos from influencers/celebrities (here’s how to get started with influencer marketing). Whether you’re creating five second Snapchat video ads, or a four minute how-to video for YouTube, consider the platform and audience when defining a video content strategy.

Quality of Content

Regardless of the platform in use, the standard rule of quality > quantity applies (yes, we say that despite the content that is generated solely for algorithm bumps. Because that’s just freaky.) The power of individual storytelling that a video can provide loses its effectiveness if no one wants to watch the video. A badly branded video experience can kill opportunities for additional engagement (aka first impressions matter!). According to Animoto’s report, 24% of consumers unfollow a brand after a bad video, and 39% would never watch another video from that brand again. And 73% of those consumers say they can decide in the first 30 seconds whether they’ll watch a video to the end. (Facebook’s CEO Sheryl Sandberg’s advice is to put your brand name in the first 3 seconds of your video to make your point as quickly as possible). Creating ‘quality’ content might sound easy, yet more than 70% of consumers say that less than half of brands are creating video worth watching!

Pro Tip: To create quality (video) content, try using humor to engage your audience, be authentic, and don’t forget that social media isn’t actually about you or your brand, and include a call to action like your ROI depends on it!

New Video Marketing Trends to Follow in 2018

The state of video marketing in 2017 helps to show insights on where we can expect trends in 2018. Video use has changed drastically since the good old days of VHS, and as the target market for many brands shifts to Generation Z, we can expect to see even more changes in 2018. Authentic experiences and emotional connections with brands will soon need to come in the form of 360 video, virtual reality, or even projection mapping. Until then, live streaming videos and ‘micro moments’ are a great way to appeal to today’s “right here, right now” consumers (especially innovative, phone-obsessed Gen Z-ers). And video marketing will only continue to increase sales, drive conversion, and help acquire leads.

 

Video Kills Radio Stars, But Brings Life to Your Brand!

With only one month left in 2017, it’s time to start crafting your digital marketing strategy for the future – and beyond. Incorporating video is crucial to a successful online marketing strategy. Video gives your brand the power to connect with your audience on a meaningful level, to build trust, or even to highlight your efforts for social good. Though video production may not be the easiest nor cheapest, particularly for small businesses, it pays off in ROI, and, as the data reinforces, should definitely be part of your 2018 strategy.