Video Content Marketing Trends

Harnessing the Rise of Visual Content for Optimal Engagement

In an ever-evolving content marketing landscape, one trend is clear - there's a constant, growing demand for video content. In 2024 and beyond, video content is morphing into something bigger and more impactful. With more features, formats, and the increasing use of videos on traditionally text-first platforms, the game is changing. Now is the time to embrace this shift and harness the power of video content.

Gone are the days when video content was confined to TV screens or YouTube channels. Video content is prominent in social media arenas, professional platforms, and more. Today we'll look into these trends, unraveling their impacts on content marketing strategies, and identify ways businesses can leverage them for the greatest effect.

Why is Video Content So Appealing?

The unique allure of video content lies in its ability to engage the senses. It combines visually rich imagery with dynamic storytelling, combining audio and visual cues to create a compelling narrative. This combination is a potent tool in any marketing strategy. Video content is engaging, shareable, and easily digested by your target audience. To borrow a tagline from the old long distance telephone commercials, "It's the next best thing to being there."

As we step further into 2024 and beyond, brands are turning to video content to connect with existing and potential consumers. Whether through sharing product demos, conducting customer education, or simply stirring a response in viewers, video content is a formidable force.

Imagine a potential customer trying to decide between two similar software products. One company lays out the product features in text form along with some charts and static screen shots - the old "one sheet" approach. The other company condenses all that information into an engaging explainer video showing the software in action. In the early stages of the buying process, the video is probably more effective. Customers get exposed to the message quickly and easily, and it's enough to move them along in the sales process. Customers know they can get more detailed product specifications from the company website or a sales representative if they need it. The strength of video content is its ability to convert viewers into prospects.

Additionally, video content can be a powerful tool for SEO efforts, resulting in increased brand exposure. Websites with video content have a higher chance than text-only sites of appearing on the first search results page. And, while website visitors are watching a video, they are spending more time on your site, another factor that Google uses to determine page ranking.

Exploring the Rise of Video Content: Beyond the 15-second Clip

The video marketing landscape is no longer dominated exclusively by short-form videos. The paradigm is shifting, and brands recognize that longer content can create deeper connections with their audience. Wistia's 2024 State of Video Report (https://wistia.com/learn/marketing/video-marketing-statistics) reveals the play rate (the percentage of viewers that click to play the video) for videos longer than five minutes is significantly better than shorter videos. I was surprised to learn the best play rates belong to videos over an hour long.

This doesn't mean you should abandon short videos. They all have their place. As Wistia points out, those extra-long videos are probably watched by people who are already deeply interested in the topic. Shorter content still works well for grabbing the attention of more casual website visitors. Keep the short videos on your home page and save the longer video content for website pages prospects seek out intentionally.

A significant driving factor behind the rising interest in longer content is the opportunity it presents for deeper storytelling. By investing more time in their content, brands can articulate complex narratives and explain the differentiating factors of their products.

Long-form content also is more immersive than its short-form counterparts, fostering a stronger emotional connection with viewers. These in-depth videos enable companies to take their audience along a carefully curated journey, revealing intricate details that prospects might miss in a rapid-fire 15-second video.

While longer videos are garnering more popularity, remember that the content itself should dictate the length of your video. The relevance and appeal of your video content determines the impact. Leverage the advantage offered by short-form videos to introduce a concept, then elaborate with a comprehensive long-form presentation.

LinkedIn's Video Revolution: A Focus on Knowledge and Advice

LinkedIn videos are 20 times more likely to be shared than a text post. (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/social-video-generates-1200-more-shares-than-text-image-moroles)

The video revolution on LinkedIn signifies a shift towards more educational and professional content, with a distinct emphasis on sharing knowledge and insights. The LinkedIn algorithm now favors "knowledge and advice" over personal content, a move that aligns well with its reputation as a professional networking platform. Most people on LinkedIn prefer the content concentrates on business. Unless it directly relates to the business of your audience, save entertainment, personal stories, and political opinions for other social outlets.

The LinkedIn algorithm offers organizations and influencers opportunities to share insightful and educational content with a receptive audience. It's the perfect time to start producing short educational videos in your niche: demo videos for your products, insider advice, expert commentary, industry news, and webinars. It's also the perfect time to focus more on demand generation rather than just brand awareness with your LinkedIn video strategy.

LinkedIn is open to professionals looking for value. They want to learn new skills, keep abreast with industry trends, or seek expert advice. Keep this in mind while crafting your videos. Tailor your content to suit this audience and the revised algorithm and you're likely to see your videos performing well on this platform.

Companies have seen success using short, educational videos on LinkedIn as a teaser to draw viewers to their longer content on YouTube. These short videos are exactly what the LinkedIn algorithm now favors, increasing visibility in the timelines of your connections. Think of this as a two-tier video content strategy on different platforms, each serving its purpose and audience effectively.

If you're not yet using video content as part of your LinkedIn strategy, it's time to get started.

The Power of Short, Educational Video Content

Experts recommend both short and long-form videos as crucial elements of a comprehensive video content strategy for 2024 and beyond. Short-form videos are typically under a minute long, perfectly crafted to capture quick tips, tutorials, and teasers. These bite-sized pieces of content work exceedingly well to incite instant emotional responses from viewers, which is pivotal for increased interactions.

According to Wistia's 2024 research, instructional videos are the big winners in terms of engagement. More people watch this 3–5-minute content longer than any other category or length.

The beauty of short-form content is in how you tailor it to be straight to the point. This creates an appealing sense of instant gratification among viewers, a feature that's important in creating engagement.

Incorporating educational content in these short videos helps to position your brand as an authority in your field, making you the go-to resource for information. They do the same job as white papers or eBooks, but use the power of video to attract a wider audience that prefers consuming the information without reading lengthy textual content.

Short educational videos are easy to consume, likely to be shared, and a perfect tool for boosting brand awareness.

Repurposing Existing Content for Video: Maximizing Your Marketing Potential

You don't have to start from scratch to create video content. Consider repurposing your existing text-based content into videos. This approach offers an incredibly efficient way to maximize your marketing potential. You've already done the heavy lifting with your top-performing blog posts and articles. Why not transform them into engaging videos?

I'm all for re-purposing content. At our Xplor conference sessions the last few years, Joanne Gore and I always seem to cover the advantages this strategy provides. Too many companies produce content for a single purpose and never fully leverage the material's full potential. Converting textual content to video is an easy way to wring more value from your investment in written articles.

The first step in repurposing is to find your top-performing text content. Whether it's an informative article, a gripping blog post, or a customer case study, you can reimagine any piece of content in video format. And guess what? You don't need to be a video production expert. There are plenty of AI tools out there that can help create video scripts and even produce a rough draft video based on your text content. Who knew technology could be such a time-saver?

Once you have your script, it's just a matter of creating an engaging video. Remember, video content can come in a variety of forms. You can cut and cross-post your content, allowing you to appeal to a broad audience across different platforms.

Few Barriers to Video

We're undoubtedly witnessing a change in content marketing strategies. Video consumption is on the rise and could form the backbone of engaging, persuasive, and compelling marketing narratives. Platforms, both old and new, are fine-tuning their algorithms and increasing their video limits to satisfy this thirst for visual content.

There's a low barrier to entry in the video content landscape thanks to access to smartphone technology and a multitude of easy-to-use video production tools. Create short-form videos, long-form content, educational clips, or deep dives. The versatile nature of video content caters to a myriad of preferences and attention spans.

A strategic plan for video content can seem daunting, but video content thrives on authenticity. Start simple, keep the videos to the point, and focus on what your brand or organization brings to the table. Repurposing existing text content into videos could be a valuable starting point. Effective use of AI tools to help design your video scripts can also streamline content creation.

As we venture into the future, expect more advancements, more formats, and more impactful video content that will continue to shape the trajectory of content marketing. The future is visual, immersive, and exciting.