One study estimates that 82% of all online content will be video by the end of this year. Video marketing is no longer just a trend—it’s a must-have marketing tactic your business needs to stand out in today’s digital landscape.
That said, various trends are always emerging within this segment of video marketing. While some of these trends are new and exciting, others expand on the previous years’ trends, taking these ideas in directions few will foresee. And though we can’t know exactly what 2022 video marketing trends will emerge, we can still draw on our years of experience to make an educated prediction.
Watch Out for These Video Marketing Trends in 2022
Livestreaming and Virtual Events Maintain Importance
New Coronavirus variants are putting a damper on in-person events. As a result, livestreaming and virtual continue to be the most popular event forums. With so many people experiencing virtual event burnout, marketers must work even harder in 2022 to provide engaging presentations through gamification, intriguing giveaways, and/or interactive components. How will you be keeping your users engaged in the new year?
User-Generated Video Continues to Reign
When customers provide user-generated content, there are two major benefits:
First: The brand obtains original content that they didn’t have to spend resources developing.
Second: We cannot overstate the importance of authenticity. This level of authenticity isn’t achievable in large productions with paid actors, but it occurs naturally when brand advocates supply their own reviews, unboxing videos, tutorials, recipes, and more.
For these reasons, user-generated content is one trend we don’t see phasing out any time soon.
Brand-Generated Video on the Rise
We’re the first to admit that video production can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, especially at the pace that brands are expected to produce content today. From social media stories and reels to investor and employee snippets, brands are finding that they can make their own short videos to help fill the gaps between professionally produced content. Long-form, professional-setting video such as commercials, promotional videos, ect. still benefit from the expertise, creativity, and equipment that a video production company, like StagePost, provides.
We’ve seen large corporations start to build out their own in-house production department, and just as quickly, we’ve seen those departments close. That’s because video production isn’t just about expensive equipment and hiring the right team—impactful video production has everything to do with expertise, creativity, collaboration and industry knowledge. These are the elements that an experienced agency brings to the table. That said, we’re always impressed with the short-form video snippets our clients produce, and we encourage other industry leaders, like yourself, to test out this video format.
Ephemeral Video Is Still Here
Think back to 2013—what kind of camera did your phone have? That’s when Snapchat introduced ephemeral video content, short-term snaps that disappeared after 24 hours. Quickly after, every other platform rushed to copy the format, and short-term videos have since been incredibly popular for personal social profiles.
Now, brands are ‘entering the chat.’ There is a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out) behind these fleeting video feeds, which leads to higher viewership and engagement. Brands also experience the added benefit of fewer user expectations, as viewers aren’t expecting a perfectly polished post in this format. This relaxed attitude allows brands to share more content without blowing their marketing budgets on a steady stream of videos. If you aren’t already testing the waters with ephemeral video, you should give it a try before the water gets too crowded—we predict most brands will be jumping into this trend head-first by the end of the year.
Interactive Video Increases Engagement
Although interactive video is a newer phenomena than Snapchat’s ephemeral video, it’s growing popularity can be seen everywhere from social media to Netflix. As consumers grow accustomed to receiving a more customized experience, it’s only natural to assume that they will expect this format from their favorite consumable media. Interactive video can come in many forms including clickable buttons, panoramic 360 views (VR), and branches that allow the user to select alternate pathways.
We predict that video with clickable elements will become more popular within business this year, as this format increases both engagement and purchases. Interactive video can provide viewers with the opportunity to get more information about the products, direct them to e-commerce platforms, and even lead them to further videos in order to continue driving traffic to your platforms, website, and influencers for increased engagement.
Silent Film Is Back
While the words “silent film” bring to mind movies from a bygone era, the reality is that silent videos are again on the rise. Film without sound allows viewers to watch in places where sound might give away their intentions—like, while they’re supposed to be working. Create videos where no sound is needed, giving the entire story through action, props, or subtitles so users can understand the content even when they aren’t in a position to listen to the video.
Mobile-Friendly Video Is Crucial
In 2018, emarketer reported that as much 75% of video is viewed on mobile devices, and this number is expected to have dramatically increased in the past three years. If you’re not creating video with this statistic in mind, then you could be missing out on a large part of your audience. Simply shifting your video to a more mobile-friendly size can make a huge impact on how people view and interact with your content.
Stay Up to Date on Video Marketing Trends
While some of these expected trends may not be as crucial as expected and other trends will no-doubt emerge that aren’t even on the radar right now—it’s important for brands and marketers to be aware of upcoming trends so you can best reach your target audiences. Stay up to date with the latest video trends by subscribing to our blog.
