2013 has been a huge year for video. YouTube hasn’t stopped growing but the video landscape isn’t just about YouTube and Vimeo alone anymore. 2013 saw the birth of Vine and Instagram video and this has added a whole new dimension.
Video is an important part of our lives now. We are reaching more people and including them in the conversation with video, and thanks to mobile devices and easy accessibility to video creation tools, there are more of us making and sharing videos online.
According to a Pew Research Center study, 8 out of 10 adults are now watching online video. One-third of these adults are not just consuming video content but are creating their own to share. A whopping 78% of Americans are actively engaged with videos in 2013.
With these massive numbers and new and improved ways to share video online, it’s safe to say video is only going to keep growing. So what does this mean for you? It’s simple, really: You need to become part of this video conversation. Before you get started, here are the top online video trends to get familiar with:
Mobile
Mobile has been the trend to watch out for in online marketing for the last couple of years. It’s a quickly evolving medium and new trends are forever on the tipping point. If you’re an Instagram user, you will see how many more posts are videos these days.
It’s not just Instagram. We have our mobiles with us all the time. See a crazy storm developing? Think the cat’s antics are hilarious? No need for fancy video cameras. Just pull out your phone, take a video of it and post it on Facebook. We’ve all been there, done that.
Yet it’s not just mobile video creation that is so easy now. Video consumption on mobile has rapidly increased as well and business owners need to keep up. Videos need to be created with mobile and tablet devices in mind. Even if your platform automatically resizes the video for mobile, you will still need to make sure the actual content of the video is easily viewable on smaller screens.
Sharing
Sharing on social media hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down. The content marketing economy continues to grow because we simply love good content. We love to consume it and then want to share it with our friends and family so they can enjoy it too. For marketers, this means creating videos that are share-worthy.
What makes a video share-worthy? How do you create branded content that is also engaging enough for your consumers to pass on? Important questions that marketers wish were easily answered. It depends on several factors, but it’s obvious enough to say interactive videos always get more views (and shares). Videos that people associate with are also a big draw for sharing.
If you haven't already seen it, check out the Howard Glitch interactive game video below. It takes videos and gaming to a whole new level of (somewhat scary) fun!
Advertising
It’s hard to come across a YouTube video these days that doesn’t have pre-roll advertising attached to it. Sure, we may skip the ads 90% of the time, but somewhere in the back of our minds, the brand sticks. Some of us even watch (and enjoy) the ads. If we’re watching more video than ever before, it’s only obvious that marketers need to seize the opportunity. Spending advertising dollars on video is quickly becoming very mainstream.
Multitasking
Not many of us do one thing at a time these days. We’re watching a football game and keeping an eye on Twitter at the same time. We’ve got American Idol running but can’t resist a sneak peek on YouTube. Multi-screening is commonplace, and marketers are rushing to the finish line to keep their consumers engaged. Traditional advertising alone isn’t going to be enough for this distracted generation of viewers.
In April this year, Dodge took on the distraction challenge and teamed up with Syfy to double the fun for viewers of the new show Defiance. Dodge cars featured on the show are also part of an online video game. For a gaming-oriented audience, it seems like the perfect tactic for extra video engagement.
Practical Implementation
Keeping an eye on trends is all well and good, but what should you be doing to make sure you don’t get left behind?
Strategize
First, create a video strategy. Don’t just jump headlong into creating videos without really knowing what you want to do. Work out exactly what type of videos you should be making (How-tos? Product updates?). Be sure of the goal of your video marketing efforts. Pick the right platforms. Additionally, be prepared to commit to producing videos regularly.
Execute
Once you have a strategy in place, start making those videos. Choose the platforms that best suit you.
If you have an audience that is hooked on Instagram, that’s where you should focus your efforts. This means creating short videos and posting very often.
On the other hand, if your audience is more the type to hang around YouTube, produce videos with YouTube marketing principles in mind. Whatever your platform, be sure to produce content that is interesting and engaging.
Monitor
Once your video is out there, be sure to keep an eye on its performance. What is working? Is your audience interacting with it? If you are getting comments, listen to what people like/dislike. Keep changing and innovating, and keeping up with trends won't be so hard.
What do you think of the changing video landscape? Are you going to rethink your strategy or is video just too much work for you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
