Top Video Marketing Trends For 2022
As a marketeer or business owner, you should know that video needs to be part of your marketing strategy. For years now, marketing predictions, resources and how-to guides all say to embrace video as the new marketing channel. It is the most engaging form of online content and it’s use continues to rise.
Not convinced? Since 2019, the average online user has jumped from watching 84 minutes of website video content per day to a projected more than 100 minutes per day. That means you need to hop on this hot marketing trend. But what type of video marketing is most important right now? What will bring you success?
From super-short (micro) video clips, to live video on social media, to full-production ads and stories, we’re going to look at some of the top video marketing trends for 2022 and how you can incorporate them into your marketing plans.
You need to get this right, so let’s dive in!
1)Sequential Storytelling
YouTube is a trailblazer for online video and their research has shown that videos with sequential storytelling (a video with a beginning, middle and end) perform better and create more effective ads. With the rise of streaming television and watching platforms like YouTube that have longer-form videos, this research is not surprising.
Narrative form of video is more important than ever. It can work on any platform, not just YouTube, and it works for any length of video (long or short). Just makes sure it tells a story that will resonate with the viewer.
The YouTube research says: “Video ad sequencing updates the traditional model, allowing you to serve up a planned sequence of ads that tell a story to customers across their purchase journey. New technology makes sequencing manageable and offers gains for marketers. It’s proven to be more memorable than the 30-second ad spot.”
This means you can also tell a single story across multiple videos, picking up where you left off in one and starting again in another. You can keep building the video story over time.
2)User-Generated Video
User-generated video has become mainstream with social media but it is actually everywhere you look. Even video that’s not user-generated often has that authentic, homemade look to it. From dances on TikTok to commercials, almost every other video you see looks like something someone did on the fly. There is a less apparent production and more of a homemade look to it.
Even one of the most famous “user-generated” type movies is making a comeback with a Blair Witch sequel, Escape Blair Witch, in late 2021.
3)Interactive Video
Interactive video is a way for users to engage with brands they are following more than ever. Viewing interactive videos allows users to control the experience, making it more memorable for them. This is a one of the best examples of the direction of which video content is going. Give users something to do once they’ve watched the video. Continue the engagement. Don’t let it stop with a single view. Keep the connection with an interactive opportunity.
Interactive video comes in a lot of forms. It could be virtual reality or a game or accompanying elements, links, or options on a website or with a shared post. The key to making interactive videos work is to make sure it aligns with the video itself. The link or the next action should be intuitive and exciting.
See how Maybelline, below, layers video behind a box that includes a call to action. This simple layering of elements can help keep users engaging with content longer thanks to a video hook. When you think of videos and interactivity, consider ways outside of AR and VR to apply them.
4)TikTok Style
We have all seen those the fun, fast, energetic videos made popular on TikTok. These short videos explain or talk about something with silly dancing, funny jingles, and stunts or pranks. This style of video carries over to marketing as well.
The Washington Post, for example, has a popular TikTok account that “sells” the news in this format. The trick to this video style is the combination of information and entertainment. It’s harder than it looks so make sure you plan to storyboard ideas first.
5)Longer-Format Video
Shorter is not always better. Longer videos are also on the rise as people are getting more and more used to watching full-length videos such as social media clips and full episodic videos on YouTube.
The key to longer-format video is that it has to be good and capture the audience. Think about those recipe demos you see on Facebook. They may be longer than you want but you stick around and watch the whole video because you want to see the finished food.
Longer videos can actually result in higher engagement rates. According to a study by Twentythree.net, videos that are longer than 15 minutes account for 50% of all video engagement, but only 8% of content. So you can produce fewer, longer videos and get great results.
In the video below, Subaru shows outtakes from its popular “Dog Tested” ad campaign. This behind-the-scenes video is one minute long and their channel has more than 420,000 subscribers. These are people actually looking for a commercial to watch online.
6)Educational and Training Content
Educational and training content is one of the most in-demand types of video content. This type includes FAQs, how-to’s and online learning in a university setting. According to a report by Wyzowl, 68% of consumers prefer watching videos to learn about new products or services. That is more than reading articles, infographics, eBooks, and manuals, or seeing presentations combined. If you don’t know what kind of video content to produce, this is a good place to start. Create and share a video that helps users better understand who you are, what you do or what service or products you offer.
7)More Live “Stories”
Live “stories” or in-the-moment, livestream videos are wildly popular on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. But they can be used in all kinds of video formats in public and more private areas such as web chatting or conferences. This style of video creates a more authentic connection with its users and increases the engagement rate by being available for viewing for a limited amount of time (24 hours). By posting stories regularly, you can get your followers to be more aware of your updates, and more likely to watch your new content. According to Livestream, 80% of viewers said they would rather watch a live video from a brand than read a blog post, and 82% preferred live videos to social media posts. So if you aren’t doing live stories, now is the time to start. Just keep the video short and to the point and make sure the quality is good. The number 1 reason viewers tune out of live videos is due to poor quality.
8)More Personal Video Interactions
This video trend started during the pandemic with more people interacting individually or in groups using live video chats such as Zoom. “Zooming” has become a verb as a result and refers to this type of video. It has spread to person-to-person marketing as well.
From recorded videos that look like video chats to actually scheduling chats for sales purposes, expect a lot more person-to-person interaction using this type of video style.
9)Soundless Optimization
More and more people are watching videos on social media without sound. Whether it they don’t want to bug their co-workers with what they are watching or they don’t want to annoy people in public when they watch a video on their phones, people sometimes don’t always listen. To make sure your message comes across to people who can’t listen to the audio track, make sure your video is captioned or has text overlapping that explains the content. Captioning and on-screen instructions or information are vital to ensure your video content fully reaches your audience. This can also impact the way you record video for marketing and how you edit for playback. Optimizing for soundless playback can actually help make your video content available to more people. Here is a guide with some tools to help you in captioning your video.
9)Vlogging vs. Blogging
A lot of Business are already used to having regularly updated blogs, and it’s a great tool for SEO and brand-image. Vlogging on platforms like YouTube is the new blogging. Video diaries, reviews, and tutorials are a growing marketing segment. It’s a good way to help people find your product or service.
Vlogging is getting more mainstream all the time. You don’t have to have high-end professional equipment to tell a video story online, just a phone, an inexpensive microphone, editing software (or an app), and YouTube. Having a YouTube channel where you constantly publish new videos is great for your marketing strategy.
10)Vertical Video
Choosing a vertical format for your videos is important if you want to avoid awkward resizing and the lack of optimizing across devices and social media platforms. It’s all about where you plan to post and share.
Horizontal video is best for video ads and websites being viewed on wide-screen monitors. Vertical videos are best for social media platforms. Instagram Stories and TV and even Facebook and YouTube all support vertical video. These types of videos are much less likely to be cropped weirdly by platforms and mobile websites and they are preferred to horizontal ones by online users. This makes sense if you think about how you hold your phone – it’s vertically.
11)Super Short Video Ads
Super short (or micro) ads are catching on. If your video ad finishes before the “skip” option pops up, it confirms that all the content will be seen by the viewer.
Short-form video ads can tease users just enough to make them want more, but the real challenge is creating something engaging and cool enough to click in 6 to 10 seconds. Use fast-paced or highly entertaining visuals to grab the viewers and lure them to your website.
12)Searchable Video
When you create a video, make sure Google can find it. Optimizing video content for search results is important as Google allows its users to find specific information without having to watch the entire video in search results. The more information you provide with your video, the better it will look when users find video content from the search. Use tags wherever possible, as tags help users find the videos they are looking for. Google even has a lot of information on how to structure your video content to make the most of search.
Video SEO is a relatively new thing for many marketers. This trend has less to do with the video content, but has a great impact on your overall marketing efforts. Spend some extra time to make sure your video will get seen by as many people as possible.
13)Shoppable Video Content
According to Forbes, shoppable content is growing. Shoppable videos are short video clips that allow users to click (tap) and buy a product instantly. They don’t have to leave the video to complete the purchase. These types of videos mimic the experience of a website where shoppers can make a purchase without leaving social media or the website they are on. We have all seen them creep up in between Instagram Stories from people you follow. Now is your turn. It is simple to do for yourself. Just create a video highlighting a product or service and then allow users to swipe-to-buy using Instagram or Snapchat ads.
14)Optimize for Different Channels
The days of creating just one clip and using it everywhere are long gone. The type, size, and format of your video can make an impact to how appealing it is to different sets of users. You need a clip for each specific platform to get the best results possible. Sound vs. no sound, horizontal vs. vertical orientation, shoppable link or not, the list goes on. We can help with this! It’s worth it to get the highest engagement rates as possible.
As video continues to be the most engaging form of online content, any marketer or business owner who wants to stay on top of the digital marketing game should be aware of what types of videos are most successful right now. Incorporating video content into your marketing strategy is important and beneficial. By keeping up to date with the latest trends and being aware of what works for audiences today, you will keep a high rate of success for your video marketing strategy.
Use video in website designs, in social media, and as stand-alone advertising to engage with users in a way they find highly entertaining. We recommend developing a clear plan and strategy (using these trends) before you start making videos to maximize your investment. We can always help with that, to schedule a discovery call go HERE!
For any and all of your video marketing needs, visit us at ultimo-media.com.