Video marketing is evolving at breakneck speeds. From the average 30-second ad to 15-second Tik Tok videos, lengthy vlogs, live streams, and podcasts among others, it seems there is always something new coming up in this industry.
Are you a business owner, digital marketer, or content creator looking to stay ahead of competitors in the digital marketing space? In this short and to the point article, we have compiled some important video marketing trends for 2023, as video continues to assert its dominance in content marketing.
The rolling 2023 and anticipated video trends 2024
At the start of 2023, the usage of video marketing broke all records, with 96% of marketers seeing this medium as one of the most important parts of their strategy. With 92% of them confirming the positive ROI, one thing is certain: visual media has become ubiquitous in the advertising world. On average, internet users watch 17 hours of video content a week – and as this number grows, so will the importance of video marketing.
With this success, new trends in video marketing are appearing as well. Reinforcing brand awareness through video ads has proven to be very effective, and many companies are utilizing this strategy to the fullest. Bite-sized content reigns supreme, with TikTok becoming the most downloaded app in 2022, and Instagram Stories becoming a major source of leads. This trend has also led to atomized videos, where long content is split up into short clips that can be published on different platforms. With this in mind, how can we best approach video marketing?
Understanding new trending video formats
It would seem like having a smartphone and an internet connection is all you need to create engaging video content in this day and age. However, video marketing is more than just the creativity in your content. Your creativity has to be aligned with trends in video formats to get the most views and the desired results.
Does your line of business favor live videos for more immediate engagement with your audience? Is your audience consuming your content on mobile devices where a vertical format could offer a more comfortable viewing experience? Or maybe you want to rank higher on search engines and should consider optimizing your videos for search engines?
Regardless of the size of your business operation, keeping up with contemporary video formats and their trends will inform the development of your marketing strategies and enhance the performance of your digital video marketing campaigns.
A closer look at new marketing channels and video platforms
When video content is mentioned, brands often only think about YouTube. However, your brand does not have to be limited to YouTube’s steep monetization requirements. Today there are a lot of other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok, among others that can help you not only survive but thrive without Youtube. Furthermore, other video platforms such as Vimeo, Wistia, WeVideo and Vidyard also allow you to create and modify your video content and share it through social media channels.
Streaming on the rise
Until recently, YouTube was the only channel where content creators could monetize their video content. Thanks to advancements in over-the-top (OTT) and connected TV (CTV) technologies, creators can now distribute their content to a larger audience through other platforms.
This is also where VlogBox comes in. Specializing in the OTT industry, VlogBox helps creators jumpstart their CTV projects and take advantage of the popularity of current streaming services. Creating a channel can be a demanding task requiring a lot of attention; relegating that to our CTV channel development team may well prove to be a better solution.
VlogBox is taking on the job of developing and releasing the app on CTV platforms. Starting from the design, which can be chosen from several out-of-the-box templates or customized for clients’ needs, VlogBox will provide assistance during every step of the journey. When it’s released, the VlogBox team will also help to monetize the channel through AVOD, SVOD, or TVOD models and assist with further growth by providing in-depth analytics and marketing support.
Live videos
Want to prove that you are an authority in your industry? By delivering live videos to your audience, your business can demonstrate your in-depth knowledge about the services and products you are promoting. Furthermore, live videos allow you to engage with your audience in real-time, developing a more personal relationship with your potential and loyal clientele.
It is very easy to get started on live stream platforms such as Twitch or Discord. Twitch generally pays streamers much more compared to YouTube and other platforms. Live videos will improve your brand’s image as your audience perceives you as an approachable and knowledgeable expert in your line of work.
Latest trends in AR/VR and other emerging tech
The future looks to be headed towards the metaverse, a world without physical borders where people are hanging out in a digital world as though they are in a video game. Even though augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have been around for quite some time, think back to the days of Pokemon, these formats are only now making their way into video marketing trends. But as a marketer or creator, how can you best take advantage of this growing new trend?
Firstly, people usually want to see and try products before they make a decision to buy and this can be achieved with AR/VR especially in eCommerce where a potential customer may not be able to physically interact with a product before it is shipped to them. The future of AR/VR looks to be taking a solid shape, even though it may not entirely replace the physical experience.
Search-optimized videos
Want to boost your search engine rankings tremendously? Maybe you are a young company looking to battle for search engine rankings against websites that have developed domain authority over a longer period of time.
One way you can hack your way to the first-page rankings is by enhancing your search engine optimization (SEO) with video content instead of text. Search-optimized videos are the new kids on the block and are much favored by search engines like Google. Currently, videos appear in 62% of Google searches, with a 41% higher CTR than text-based results. Google also prioritizes landing pages with videos, with these landings having a 53% chance of being on the first page of search results.
Vlogging and social media videos
People love to watch videos and that is what has promoted video marketing to dominate the content marketing space. Instead of blogging, consider video blogs, popularly known as vlogs, and social media stories to connect with your followers and deliver high-value content.
Not only is your content consumption going to go through the roof, but so is your brand’s personality. By giving your content a voice and a face, your followers are more likely to develop trust in your brand, increasing their chances of buying your products and services. Vlogs and social media stories allow you to effortlessly tell the story behind your brand to help customers understand the “why” of your business existing. From simple explainer videos or travel-type vlogs, your brand can become an authority in your industry and boost your social engagement.
Silent Videos
With the world slowly coming through the pandemic, people are returning to their normal more sociable lifestyles, and while this is happening, users are changing their viewing habits and watching more silent videos. Currently, 85% of Facebook video content is watched without sound. Taking notice of this, marketers have been focusing on creating engaging soundless videos.
Usually consisting of only captions and text, this format relies solely on visuals to communicate with customers. The advantage of this trend is the lack of reliance on audio which is usually drowned out in busy public areas. In contrast with videos that use sound, this guarantees that the message will get across to people even if they can’t hear the content.
Silent videos also tend to be more engaging than traditional ones, with viewers having to focus more on the visual part. This trend will only become more popular as people get tired of auto-playing loud ads, constant noise or unappealing audio.
Over to you
Humans are visual creatures and video content remains the most powerful asset at your disposal. When used right, video marketing can help you stay ten steps ahead of the competition. Be sure to capitalize on this effective medium and plan ahead for the future of video. As the adage goes, the best time to start was yesterday. The second-best time is now!