It’s no surprise that videos have become the most popular form of marketing content. Look around: on the bus or subway, in line at the supermarket, at a sporting event—people are tuned in to video now more than ever before.
In 2022, video content will account for about 82% of overall internet traffic (Cisco), with the average person predicted to spend 100 minutes per day watching online videos. (Zenith)
Video marketing is effective.
Given our ever-shortening attention spans and the engaging attraction of video, it’s a must to incorporate video into your brand strategy. That rule applies whether you’re B2B or B2C, research has found that 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video (Optinmonster).
As with all marketing content strategies, trends come and go. So, to get the most out of your video marketing, keep up with today’s best practices and fine-tune your program accordingly.
Here’s how to use video marketing to grow your brand in 2022.
Live video.
Live steams (or live video) have emerged as an important way for brands to connect with their audiences. This is because so many platforms have jumped into the live game (YouTube Live, LinkedIn Live, Instagram Live, etc.), making it easy to connect with your customers, no matter where they spend their time.
Even as life is getting back to normal, there is still a growing demand for live video. Brands will continue to use hybrid events to connect with audiences because the format allows them to reach more people and reduce costs, among other benefits. Statistics show the same user trends on social media channels: For example, on Facebook, users watch live videos 3x longer than pre-recorded videos, and live content generates 6x more interactions. Link to hybrid event blog:
Vlogs + social media stories.
Videos can create a look-behind-the-curtain experience for your customers. Short vlogs and social media stories are great ways to show your brand personality and make a personal connection with your audience. These engaging interactions are beneficial to your brand in more ways than one. In addition to that personal touch, studies show that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in the text (Insivia).
Text or captions.
Most people (92%) watch videos with the sound off. So, add text or captions to videos to ensure your brand message is delivered.
User-generated content.
Like advice from a close friend, user-generated content is the most trusted form of online content. And when that content is video, the value increases exponentially: 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others. And social videos get 12 times more shares than text and images combined (Small Biz Trends, 2016 – updated 2022) So, create opportunities for shareable content via events, product launches, or campaigns with hashtags—think Starbucks’s holiday cup and Apple’s #shotoniphone campaigns.
Source: Adweek
Short-form video.
Short video content (one to two minutes long) is the sweet spot for brand marketing. This bite-sized content is engaging and easy to consume. Plus, it’s easy and inexpensive to create on your phone (no need for polished video). Videos that are lesser than 90 seconds long have a 50% retention rate (HubSpot)
SEO strategy.
Users spend 88% more time browsing websites with videos (Social Media Week) That statistic reinforces the incredible power of video. To engage your audience and make it easy and enjoyable for them to interact with your brand, video must be part of your SEO strategy, in addition to your website and social channels, including short video clips in emails and on landing pages.
Vertical videos.
A shift from the traditional horizontal frame, vertical videos are gaining popularity. Scroll social media feed, and you’ll notice that many videos are vertical. Similar in style to TikTok videos, these are quickly and easily shot on your phone—no need for fancy production work. It’s a style that feels engaging and authentic, opposite of a super-polished, salesy video that turns off many of today’s consumers who expect transparency from the brands they support.
While most of us are already using videos in our brand marketing, this list of top trends serves as a good checklist for tweaking our programs to get the most bang for our buck.
