While we’ve all seen dozens of trends come and go already in 2014, one thing has been consistent in these lists is the role of video in content marketing. And while there will always be an audience that prefers reading article after article, at this time in tech history, video has become a major player in a business’s content marketing strategy. Thanks to the rise of on-demand television, more and more people are using their mobile devices and tablets to keep up with their favorite shows and watch the most popular YouTube videos.
So what does this mean for your business? Because consumers now have a way of viewing video content quickly, marketers are being driven to develop more creative strategies in order to break through these popular video channels to reach their target audience.
While video content is naturally engaging, it’s going to take a lot more than posting funny cat videos and inspirational quotes to get that kind of attention. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the most popular video trends that are taking over the social media world today:
1. Identify and target your viewing audience
The Internet of things is a varied place full of data, so identify who you’re marketing to and speak to them. According to a recent report conducted in part by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, consumers of video content are largely young people aged 18-to-34. More young men watch amateur videos in the daytime than women.
Additionally, among these consumers, the average screen-time for videos is about ten minutes a day. Keep these statistics in mind when choosing topics and ideas for video content in order to most effectively employ targeted video advertising.
2. Get on Facebook
Facebook implemented short-form video advertising in 2012 by interspersing paid-for advertising spots in user timelines. The beauty of native video advertising is that the viewer expects content from pre-approved and trusted sources and may be more receptive to these small bits of advertising rather than a block of commercials that a viewer can skip over. More than that, video content on a social platform gives your audience the opportunity to share and comment on the spot.
Since Facebook’s initiative, sponsored video ads have begun appearing in other websites as well. For example, Tumblr uses this kind of video advertising by introducing video content right into its bloggers’ followed content, while Twitter has recently begun experimenting with integrating the idea.
3) Be mobile
Recent studies show that a significant number of video viewers access video content from their mobile devices. Not only should your marketing videos be formatted for such devices, you should also be taking advantage of apps that proliferate short-form video content. Vine and Instagram are great places for straight-to-the-point messages under ten seconds. Snapchat is also a possible tool for video marketing.
In order to get the results you’re aiming for, you need to adjust your content strategy to fit who’s viewing, where they’re viewing, and with what. Current trends suggest that young people are largely viewing video content on social media platforms and/or via smartphones and tablets. To communicate with people, it’s necessary to meet them where they’re at. Take advantage of these trends to put together fresh, fun video marketing accessible across platforms and devices.
Megan Ritter is an online journalist and tech enthusiast from Los Angeles. In addition to researching social video and content marketing trends, her writing also covers business communications, globalization, and VoIP technology.