6 Video Marketing Trends to Know

The rise of short-form, portrait videos thanks to TikTok and Instagram Reels and the increase of time spent on video platforms are just two of the most impactful trends we've seen in the last two years.

We love to see it, but we also know that brands are feeling the pressure! ??

In 2022, it’s predicted that video will account for a massive?82%?of ALL internet traffic.

When you think about it, that’s an unfathomable amount of people who have the potential to be come across your brand, if you have a video that is.?

So how are you going to plan your content delivery for the rest of the year? Will the trends remain the same? Or are we going to see some crazy new innovations? We’ve culminated all of our research into one article so you can be confident in keeping up with this year’s video marketing trends.?

Short-form Video

You probably guessed this one… with TikTok dominating in 2021 and becoming the world’s most downloaded app, it’s no surprise that more and more social media users are preferring short-form video as a way to consume content. Safe to say, it’s here to stay! Instagram reels are gaining massive traction and are projected to continue growing in popularity, with accounts reaching higher engagement levels when they get on board and start posting reels. If you’re not doing it yet - this is your sign to start!

And it's not just for higher engagement rates either!

A whopping 68% of consumers said that they want to learn about a product via short term video, so it’s definitely something to consider.

If your target audience can be found on these apps, then maybe it’s time to invest in creating some wicked short-form videos.

A word on brand integrity:?With all this talk of trends and the rise of very short and highly watchable videos, we want to emphasise the value of keeping a balance between pandering to consumer demands (aka the unquenchable thirst for instant gratification) while keeping your brand’s integrity. For example, we specialise in producing videos between 1-2 minutes that tell a story, are truly engaging, connect with our audiences and ultimately are a positive contribution to the masses of content online. We also create short-form content, but only if it achieves those four things.

We’re not about creating advertising videos that manipulate people into working with us by playing on some psychological need. Woah, that got philosophical for a second… but it?is?really important to consider what your audience needs from you to feel connected to your brand while incorporating forms of content that they want to watch (aka look at what’s trending).

Vertical Videos

Once again, this video marketing trend stems from the rise of the almighty TikTok. If you’ve been hanging out on Instagram recently, you might have noticed that more and more video marketers are utilising “vertical videos” - where the video takes up the majority of the screen in your feed. Unsurprisingly, this is due to the fact that TikTok formats its videos this way as well, hence Insta and various other platforms have jumped on the bandwagon. Because these videos are taking up so much space on-screen, it’s no secret that this is a fantastic spot to utilise with your marketing video. Vertical videos are much less likely to simply be scrolled past, and are sure to capture the attention of your audience.

Shoppable Videos

For the past decade Google has been the primary search engine to find what you’re looking for when it comes to online shopping. In 2022 however, consumers are heading to their favourite social media platforms to search for products to purchase. This will be heavily influenced by recommendations from friends and influencers. If you haven’t already noticed, Instagram has been running a feature that allows brands to open up an online shop where customers can shop straight from within the Instagram app.

This means you can post product videos linking straight to the exact product being advertised, all internally through Instagram!

As consumers value convenience more and more, we imagine that this trend will shine throughout the coming year!?Hot tip:?TikTok has also introduced an in-app landing page feature for businesses who are advertising on its platform - super handy.

Live Video?

Sales can be a tricky thing. You want your brand to come across as professional and trustworthy, without obviously pushing consumers to purchase what you’re offering. As we mentioned earlier, brand integrity is a vital part of engaging and maintaining customers.

Live videos present a great solution. They enable an authentic user-brand experience, where you can respond in real-time to any questions or queries posed by a customer, and they allow you to create a more personable experience with your audience. After all, speaking to a real person is far more satisfying (and helpful) than automatic chatbots online. CEO of UnscrambleX, Herbert Riggs, projected that in 2021 the live stream market would hit $70b USD - that’s over $100b NZD.??

Human interaction is something we all crave despite the rise of tech, so we reckon this huge trend will continue in 2022.?Hot tip: Some creators on TikTok swear that consistently going live once a week will skyrocket your engagement and follower count.

Silent Video?

When you think of great video marketing, you probably imagine a lively actor on screen with an easy-listening, recognisable voice. This is still an absolutely essential part of successful video marketing, but what’s super crazy is that since 2019, it's been reported that 83% of consumers actually watch video?without?the sound turned on - e.g. scrolling through Facebook on a busy bus ride. Now, we’re not telling you to ditch the scripting (in fact we’ve?written a really useful article ?on how to use it effectively), but in 2022 it's more important than ever to?caption?your videos!

The same report above showed that 80% of people are more likely to watch an entire video when captions are available.

You should be making your video content understandable to all kinds of consumers, and captioning is a great way to include the hearing impaired and others who will benefit from having accessible video viewing options.?

Interactive Stories

When it comes to video marketing and video advertising, let this mantra guide you: “Never let a video stop with simply a view.” At a time when the internet is saturated with video, how do you encourage that next level of engagement? One trend that we think will further popularise this year is interactive stories. You want to give your audience something to do as they watch your video so that they can feel more connected to your brand. This could be in the form of a game, a “tap to reveal”, or maybe even virtual reality. The main idea is to give consumers something to do once the video ends, to encourage continuous engagement once the primary action - watching the video - has finished.?

Hot tip:?Last year Instagram confirmed that it’s working on a vertical stories feed - you'll swipe up instead of swiping across. This is perhaps a poorly masked effort of Instagram’s to become more like their successful cousin, TikTok, but it’s gonna happen so keep an eye out.??

In summary:

There are some pretty big video marketing trends on the rise this year and we’re excited to see more brands incorporating video content into their marketing plans. It’s always a good idea to try something new, but on the topic of brand integrity, ask yourself?why?you’re adopting a new trend - will it actually benefit your brand, is it authentic to your message and audience? If the answer is yes, you should definitely get on TikTok. Do it. Seriously.