“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but the stories you tell.” ~@thisissethsblog
The best way to tell your story? Video.
If 2019 taught us anything it’s that video marketing is still king. But “Where to start” or “What to do next” is stopping even the most aggressive entrepreneurs in their tracks.
Why are so many people hitting the brakes? The answer is simple. Overchoice. This is the cognitive process in which people have a difficult time making a decision when faced with many options.
Sound Familiar?
This is why we’re offering up the 7 best video marketing trends for 2020. In no particular order.
Video First Platforms
The most recognized video first platform has to be TikTok. It’s one the fastest growing social media apps in the world with 700 Million global downloads in 2019. Surpassing the likes of both SnapChat and Twitter. This video first social media platform has simplified video creation and interaction. TikTok’s mission is uncomplicated: to inspire creativity and bring joy. This social giant is doing it right. TikTok gives users the ability to produce and share short videos with a slew of creative tools. Their #hashtag system is also far superior than their competitors. While their core users are under 30 don’t fret. Use this time to familiarize yourself with the platform and to start producing. Once your audience catches up you’ll have mastered this style of content creation.
360° and Immersive Video
This style of video is the future destination for human engagement and interaction. Experts have already predicted that approx. 82 Million VR headsets will be sold in 2020 alone! That is a 1,057% increase from 2017. While the cost of entry would have been astronomical a decade ago you can now buy 360° cameras for under $100. With a little bit of research you can create stunning videos that provide a completely new experience for your customers.
Shoppable Videos
Have you ever wanted to reach out and grab an object in a video? You can’t grab yet but you can click. A shoppable video is a video with embedded links on certain products that allows viewers to click on an item. The viewer is then transported to a product page to buy a product or to learn more. This style of video satisfies the viewers urge to “Get it now”. It also allows viewers to interact opposed to being a bystander. There are websites that can help you create these ads as well as several platforms that support shoppable videos. The list of platforms testing and supporting these types of ads grow everyday.
Brand Hosted Educational Content
Instruction manuals are out and Brand Educational video content is in. Educating your customer should be one of your main priorities. Once you’ve established your product /or services capabilities and limitations with a customer there’s a clear level of expectation. By providing easy to find video resources you’ll overcome the frustration and inadequacies your customers feel. This in turn provides a positive customer experience and reduces negative feedback. You’ll also most likely see your returns decrease. Instead of looking for help from outside parties your customers will view your brand as the authority.
No Sound Videos
85% of all videos on Facebook are watched without sound. This means you need to be more aware of how your videos are perceived by people outside of the editing room. Show your video to a non-biased third party. If the goal of your video isn’t clear you may need to rethink your content. You can help viewers by including pop-up style text, subtitles and visuals that take the viewer on a journey. If you need some inspiration check-out recipe and process style videos. This may help you bridge the gap between “what the ?” and “I get it”.
Google Searchable Videos
You may have noticed that videos are now shown on top of google searches. In 2017 Google revealed their new “Video Intelligence AI ”. This technology allows Google to take snippets of video then identify objects in videos and even determine the purpose of the videos. Google is trying to create the ultimate search engine experience. They understand their users desire relevant information and prefer video to text. This means marketers and brands need to start focusing on video seo and keywords if they want to show up on Google.
Fun Fact. Youtube is the second most used search engine in the world.
Ephemeral Stories
Ephemeral is not only a fun word to say but it’s all the buzz as of late. Ephemeral is just a fancy word for lasting for a very short time. A great example would be SnapChat and Facebook Stories. If you’re new to video content creation stories would be a great place to start. Since stories have a short shelf life you can afford to make mistakes and test ideas. Stories are for the most part unpolished and natural. So budget isn’t a reason to stop producing. At the end of the day people want to do business with authentic people. A quick story is a great way to talk about what happened or is happening “Today” vs a costly long term campaign.
Trends come and go but all of these trends exist because of our desire to connect. Whether it’s with family, friends or a brand your goal should always be to reach a better understanding of your fellow human. You don’t have to implement all or any of these strategies.
A great place to start is to understand your audience has a problem and you have the desire to solve it.
How will you reach them in 2020?