Optimize Your Branding with the Most Innovative Video Strategies
2018 is here and that means it’s time to refresh marketing strategy with the hottest video marketing trends guiding the global business landscape. Missing out on these key developments means refusing to innovate and choosing to be left in the dust. These video marketing trends will help you smash records and dominate the competition. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that video fast outpaced all other forms of media in 2017 to become the premier business communication strategy of the most successful global brands.
Video Marketing Strategies to Keep: 2017 in Review
Before we jump into 2018, let’s take a look at the key developments which guided video marketing efforts in 2017:
- Facebook continues to dominate social media and the entire marketing landscape. When they unveiled their “video first” initiative in 2017, top brands paid attention. Did yours get the memo?
- Live streaming absolutely exploded in 2017. Everyone and their grandmother reaped the sweet rewards of impromptu and highly shareable streaming content. Did your brand capitalize on this stalwart trend in 2017?
- Square is Gold. Square videos were dominating Facebook feeds everywhere in 2017. Top brands have used these videos which take up more screen space to squeeze out the competition. Have you employed these in your marketing?
- Video is one of the most powerful ways to drive purchasing behavior. From detailed reviews to behind the scenes looks, video influences at an exceptionally high rate. Did you make VSL’s a key element of your marketing strategy in 2017?
- Engagement is king on social media. Whether you look at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or anywhere else you will see video engagement far outpaces all other forms of content marketing. Did you put in the time to produce high-quality video output last year?
- You don’t need to be a pro to capture high-quality video content. From the power of smartphones to the utility of free online software. Video editing has hit a renaissance in 2017 that puts the power in the hands of the people. Did you produce low-cost video that helped to boost your profits in 2017?
- Lead them to water, teach them to drink. In 2017, top brands realized that video marketing has an incredibly important role in educating users how to best utilize products and services. Did you teach your audience in 2017?
- Paid and sponsored video content has grown in popularity and the best part is, most consumers are not completely disengaged from it as they can be from other forms of sponsored advertising. Did you pay to get your marketing videos to your target audience in 2017?
- Video is social, video is mobile. With increasing streaming capacity around the world, 2017 was the year of the mobile video. On the train, on the plane, in cafes and classrooms everywhere people are watching videos. As the tech improves, so does the opportunity. Did you put in the time to create accessible and high quality converting mobile video content?
- Videos create recognizable faces and trustable brands. Instead of being faceless, be an identity. In 2017, top brands realized that putting humans in the center stage lead to increased loyalty and retention. Did you put yourself in the center of your companies branding efforts in 2017?
- Forget about which platform to use. 2017 saw incredible gains across all social media and streaming services further highlighting why it is so important to leverage the unique qualities of services like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to name but a few, rather than try to hedge your bets on just one service. Did you diversify your video marketing in 2017?
Now that 2018 is here, let’s take a deep dive into the trends which will lead to video marketing supremacy for your brand!
The One to Rule Them All: Facebook Watch
Facebook has set its sights on being the top video platform in the world. While this might mean bad news for the rest of the social streaming universe, it means opportunity for the brands that are able to get in and continue to establish themselves as leaders on the platform.
Facebook Watch is guided by featured and user-specific personalized recommendations of long-form live streams and original content. The brand believes this will lead to a social watching renaissance where people around the world tune into programming together, comment like and share the best content freely across other platforms.
Facebook is making the effort to compensate brands that are able to produce highly sought-after video content. The brand is currently offering a model which offers 55% compensation for videos watched and streamed within the Facebook Watch framework.
With more than 8 Billion daily video views, Facebook is on the way to becoming the largest video streaming site in the world. Watch out Youtube!
While it is still important to diversify your efforts, make sure you hit the ground running when it comes to producing high-quality videos for Facebook.
Strategy: Put in the effort to study Facebook’s posting guidelines and best practices. You do not want to lose valuable market share by not playing by the rules. Use influencers and build an organic audience which positions your videos as must watch. Be sure to focus your efforts on building and sustaining engagement across the Facebook Watch platform. Video marketing is going to be really hot in 2018 and Facebook Watch will absolutely be leading the charge.
The One to Teach the World: Quora
Videos lead to more engagement than other forms of content. Given that, it is no surprise that Quora’s informative and educational video content is on the rise and continues to gain authority by the day.
Quora allows you to position your brand as a truly innovative solution which solves people’s problems. By focusing content on a Q&A framework, you are able to immediately fill a void in the market.
This can be a real shortcut and a huge area of opportunity. Quora is becoming one of the most influential websites on the internet and the destination for accurate information about salient topics.
Strategy: Demonstrate how your business can solve the problems facing your target market. Ask a question and answer it in the form of an engaging video. Don’t be surprised when that single upload acts as a lead magnet drawing in interested parties for years to come. Don’t sleep on producing content for Quora. Video Marketing success is all about producing a variety of content which appeals to different segments of your target audience. Quora is a key way to speak to them in their own emotional language through the lens of their concerns.
The One for the Ladies: Pinterest
Pinterest is a social media platform that has been very successful with cultivating a highly targeted user base. The statistics are clear: Pinterest is comprised of 85% female users. This means if you are selling products or services with a female focus, you need to utilize this platform to pull away from the back.
Late 2017 additions such as sponsored content and videos which stream automatically in users home feeds are creating a tremendous opportunity for top brands. Instead of splurging on multimillion-dollar television campaigns, many of the biggest female-centric brands are creating low-cost videos on Pinterest and reaping sweet rewards.
Strategy: Pinterest is driven by keywords and a user base of women searching for the latest and greatest products and services. Capitalize on this by studying trends and positioning your content with appropriate tags to drive interest. Target your video marketing content on Pinterest to a female demographic.
The One to Create a Global Community: Collab Videos
In 2018 a video revolution is underway. In the past, to create a live video with someone based in another part of the world, you would need a tremendous amount of technology to make it happen.
Now, all you need are a couple smartphones and it is simple to create video collaborations on the fly. This means it’s easier than ever before to team up with individuals and brands which are influential to your target market but which sell products and services which do not directly compete with your own.
Don’t sleep on this opportunity!
Strategy: Seek out collaborators who can help your videos to be more engaging. As you build a global community around your brand, it is easier than ever before to capitalize on the success of others and leverage the power of influence to grow your brand. Video marketing is even easier when you collab. Capitalize on the opportunities the technology is presenting.
The New Story On the Block: Reels
Snapchat may have been the story innovator but as with all things social media, the pack follows where the attention is. In 2017, Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp and Medium all got in on the fun with their own version of stories.
Reels is the latest innovation from YouTube. In Reels, it is possible to make multiple, non expiring reels which are like micro videos or enhanced snapshots of branding material.
Reels is still in beta but is anticipated to see huge gains in 2018. Don’t sleep on this new form of content marketing.
Strategy: Most brands are not familiar with Reels yet. That means you can establish yourself and grow your brand with this new service. Hit the ground running and invest in learning how to produce hot content on this new service.
The One to Drive Engagement: Live Streaming Video
Live videos are watched exponentially more than normal videos. As a producer, they may be a little more difficult to get right but there continue to be huge opportunities here for brands around the world.
Practice makes perfect. To make a huge splash with huge video, work on it and make it a continued focus of your efforts. Don’t worry about missed words or moments of less than perfect presentation. Believe it or not, rather than be turned off by these things, users gravitate towards them and the inherent humanity they display which is so different than so much of the plastic and overly saturated media landscape.
Strategy: Live video marketing is going to absolutely crush in 2018. If you aren’t producing these yet, the time is now. Make it happen and start engaging your audience in the most powerful way possible. Don’t sweat the small stuff. The human mistakes and errors in your videos actually help your audience to better connect with you and see you as a normal everyday person like them.
The One that is Going to Change Everything: Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is going to be one of the most exciting trends to watch in 2018 because until now it’s been more conceptual than foundational.
All of that is set to change with the release of Apple’s ARKit which puts the power in the hands of creative producers everywhere to produce viral augmented reality-based content for the iPhone and iPad.
This is an area where there is a tremendous opportunity for growth because this form of audiovisual storytelling is so new.
Strategy: Invest in learning how to create augmented reality-based videos and watch as you amaze the most tech-savvy members of your target demographic. This form of storytelling is new in 2018 but many anticipate by 2020 it could be the most dominant form of all media consumed around the world. Technology is always going to change. Don’t be the Luddite who is afraid to change with it. Embrace change and conquer video marketing with augmented reality.
The Future is Bright
Lights, camera, action!
2018 is here and it’s an exciting time to be involved with business. Technology continues to put amazing power and utility in the hands of the marketing directors with the savvy to innovate. 2017 saw video outpace all other forms of content and that is one overarching storyline that will absolutely continue in 2018!
Create videos and watch your profits soar. It’s as simple as that!
- 55% of marketing experts worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.
- Marketers who use video grow revenue 60% faster than non-video users.
- 63% of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video.
