There’s no denying that video is now an integral part of marketing – and if you’re not incorporating it in a few different ways you’re missing out.

In 2021, 86% of businesses used video as a marketing tool. And 93% of them say it’s a critical part of their strategy.

In fact, research has shown 84% of consumers have been convinced to buy a product after watching a video, and they’re twice as likely to share videos than other types of online content. Cisco reported that by 2022, video will account for 82% of all online traffic.

And why?

  • Live video is an essential way for brands to connect with consumers.
  • Videos are an increasingly important part of SEO strategy.
  • Vlogs and social media stories are great ways to show brand personality and create a personal connection with your audience.

You should also know that most people watch videos with no sound and that user-generated content is the most trusted form of online content. 

More? Here are some video marketing trends you should know about.

Live Video

As mentioned above, live video is an essential way to connect with potential and current customers. And while people prefer video content in general, they engage at a much higher rate when the content is live. On Facebook, for example, users watch live videos for 3x longer than pre-recorded videos, and live content generates 6x more interactions.

Smartphone Production

It’s easy to start because with a good smartphone and lighting, you can produce great content. And this type of real-life content is resonating with consumers more than salesy ads.

Videos Can Add to Your SEO

We all want a competitive edge in the SEO game – and videos optimized for search and give it to you. Forrester recently found that videos are 53 times more likely to generate first-page rankings than other traditional SEO techniques. Brightedge reports that Google is now putting video snippets next to 26% of search results, and users are more likely to click them when they do.

Want to use videos effectively? Make sure you optimize for relevance, consistency, and don’t forget the backend needs. Relevance comes from educating on relevant topics, answering questions and creating content presented in a fresh and engaging way.

You’ll have to use video frequently and publish it to your website so the consistency can help boost your ranking.

And finally – the homework part. Title tags, keywords in descriptions, choosing appropriate thumbnail images, and responding to comments to drive engagement.

Vlogs

Have a great storyteller on your team? Vlogs (video blogs) are a great way to position the brand as the main character and share relevant stories. Vlogs are a great opportunity to create a human connection between your team members and your audience, showcase your brand personality, and keep consumers coming back for more of your content.

Silent Videos

Smart marketers are creating videos designed to be watched without sound. Why? A whopping 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. In fact, 80% of consumers report that they have a negative reaction when an ad plays a loud sound unexpectedly. And it makes sense. People are watching videos on their phones everywhere — in crowded waiting rooms, on public transportation, in classrooms, and even in meetings. If you want to be considered – be quiet and use captions. For videos and for ads. (On average, people watch ads with captions 12% longer than videos without them). 

User-Generated Content

Have enthusiastic customers? (if not, we need to talk about that first). Consumers overwhelmingly trust user-generated content more than branded content. In fact, 85% think UGC is more trustworthy and nearly 70% find it more authentic and appealing. It only makes sense – it’s word-of-mouth via video. How can you encourage it? Offering incentives, working with influencers, creating referral programs and simply asking. Let’s create some “wow” for customers so it happens organically as well.

Spot can help you create compelling video content to augment what you’re already doing as part of your comprehensive marketing strategy. (don’t have one of those? We can help with that as well!)