Five of the biggest video marketing trends from 2016

There’s a significant increase of video content this year, and as it still hasn’t reached its peak, we’re analysing the most popular video marketing trends in 2016.

Video marketing is not new, but the growing need for visual content turned it into one of the most appealing trends of 2016 up to now for content marketing, as it may lead to many different types of content which can be used in various platforms.

Hyperfine media has created a useful infographic with the biggest trends in video marketing this year and here’s our own analysis for them.

Branded video content

It is predicted that video will account for 69% of all internet traffic by 2017, and now many brands to create their own video content, as it is a powerful way to:

  • introduce themselves
  • spread their message
  • promote a product
  • increase their reach
  • boost engagement
  • explain their service

Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat are the most popular social platforms for video content, and brands can benefit from each one of them, depending on their target audience, their goals and their strategy.

Facebook is the biggest social network with 1.65 billion monthly active users and video content has been on demand year-by-year, noting an increase of 75% for video posts from 2014 to 2015.

Native Facebook videos are favoured on the users’ news feeds, and it’s no surprise that there has been an 3.6x increase in video content that appears on news feed between 2014 and 2015. Brands are exploring how useful videos can be in their Facebook marketing strategy and Buzzfeed’s Tasty channel is the best example to showcase the power of video content.

Tasty started as a standalone Facebook page with short videos featuring easy recipes and it now counts 65 million likes, while it has also spread to more specific pages, adding an even wider audience to Buzzfeed’s reach.

tasty2

Moreover, Facebook introduced 360 video, which opens the path to further opportunities of appealing video content and National Geographic was among the pages to try it out.

This may be an exciting prospect for brands looking to grab their audience’s attention, especially if they are able to find the right content that is relevant to their field.

National Geographic Facebook 360

YouTube counts more than a billion users and the rise of mobile users led to an increased engagement among YouTube users, leading to an average viewing session of 40 minutes, which is 50% more from 2014.

Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube is among the most successful YouTube channels on the power of storytelling and how video content can boost a brand, counting 2 million subscribers who eagerly wait for every new video.

food tube 1

Snapchat on the other hand is the newest social platform that got popular with its video content and it currently counts 10 billion views daily from dedicated users who keep using the platform to catch up with the latest creative (and ephemeral) content.

Many brands have already started experimenting with Snapchat’s unique appeal and vertical video seems to be effective on its own, as it leads to a more engaging experience.

snapchat2

Landing page videos and product videos

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 13.44.14

Many ecommerce pages have discovered how effective video may be, either in a landing page, or in the promotion of a product.

It has been observed that video can increase conversions up to 80%, while 88% of visitors will stay longer on a site that showcases the right video.

Video content can be found in the “About Us” section of a page, as a way to introduce the company to the customers, which has proven to be very successful for Zappos and its famous company culture.

zappos video

What’s more, many ecommerce sites feature videos in the product pages, in order to allow customers to get a complete idea of the product, as ASOS does with the catwalk for its clothing.

This leads to an improved trust and confidence among customers who feel that a video can become a more realistic representation of the actual product.

asos product video

Use of GIFs on social channels

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 13.44.21

GIFs can become very useful in a content marketing strategy and they may even make a shorter version of a video content.

A GIF is an animated image, which means that it may become more effective, but still, a simpler (and lighter) form of a video. GIFs have been used by brands mostly on social media and email marketing and it can be part of the brand’s promotion, the customer service, the increased engagement, or even the company culture.

Many brands have included GIFs as reactions when dealing with customers on Twitter, while Tumblr may be the ideal medium for a brand to become creative and Disney certainly knows how to use its content, which makes it the most popular brand on the platform.

gif disney

Storytelling via live streaming

Live video is a very interesting video trend that no brand can ignore and Facebook‘s decision to join the game of live streaming made it more competitive.

It has been observed that people spend 3x more time watching Facebook Live videos comparing to ‘normal’ videos. 

Except for Facebook, Snapchat has also focused on live streaming, curating the best videos into relevant stories, giving to everyone an insight of the world at any moment. Discover may be popular, but Live Stories also attract 10 to 20 million viewers every day, which proves the opportunities they may offer to branded content.

Periscope is another interesting platform to explore live streaming and it has already established its presence in storytelling, as more and more users (and brands) take advantage of its broadcasting services.

There is an estimate of 15% of brands using, while its recent announcement of replay highlights and tweet embeds create more opportunities for branded content, whether it’s a sneak peak, a live coverage of an event, or a press conference.

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 13.44.37

Videos in email marketing

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 13.45.08

The use of video content in email marketing has proven to be very effective, leading to a 50% increase of CTR, but also a 35% increase of customer loyalty.

It’s even more interesting that recipients prefer seeing the word ‘video’ in the subject lines, which leads to an increased open rate of 19%.

A brand may use video content in an email for:

  • promotion of a product
  • brand awareness
  • explanatory content (“how to”)
  • customers’ testimonials
  • detailed view of the product

Training courses seem to make the most effective type of video content, with product demos being the second most effective choice, while brand image messages do not seem to be very effective, at least not in the way some brands want them to be.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 13.45.13

How to start creating more video content

It’s never too late for a brand to invest in video content and even a small budget can lead to the desired results, provided that the content is relevant and appealing.

The numerous options for video types and platforms allow every brand to explore the right formula that will turn it into a video publisher with an increased reach and eventually an increased ROI.

An experimentation with shorter videos (or even GIFs) may be a good start, while it needs to be stressed that there’s no right or wrong strategy, but rather a more or less appropriate choice of formats and types, depending on each brand’s set goals.

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