Okay, so there’s no denying that video marketing is on the rise. You only need to look at a handful of statistics online to see that. And it’s only going to get bigger and bigger in the coming years. Why? Simple. People like watching videos online.
You only need to browse online for a few moments to back this up. For starters it has been estimated that by 2022, 82% of global internet traffic will come from video streaming or downloads. If that doesn’t tell you that video marketing is on the rise, nothing will!
Right now, YouTube engagement is at an all-time high. Not only that, more people than ever before are watching videos on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Then there’s the latest online craze amongst 10-24-year olds, Tik Tok. This social media platform which allows users to create and share short videos was downloaded 115 million times in March 2020 – the highest number of downloads an app has ever achieved in a single month.
So, the big question that any progressive SEO agency in Manchester needs to answer is what video marketing trends do they need to leverage to bolster their brand awareness? We have the answer.
Webinars
Whilst webinars are nothing new, they are advantageous for businesses to communicate essential content to customers. They offer tremendous value. Provided that businesses can keep participants engaged.
Better still, organisers can ask their audiences questions and gain valuable feedback in real-time. Future content creation can be tailored to exactly what customers want – allowing businesses to see positive results in a relatively short period of time.
Then there’s the potential of making that all-important connection with your customers and positioning your business as the authority in your field. Remember too that by inviting participants to a webinar, you make them feel valued, something that every prospect and customer wants to feel.
Once you have their attention, the opportunity is there to really hit home WHY your products or services are great. Invite anywhere from 100 to 10,000 people to your webinar and, as any knowledgeable SEO agency in Manchester will tell you, it’s like you’re selling without really selling.
If you want to have any idea of just how popular webinars are, just look at Ted Talks website. Although they have been around since 1984, YouTube has helped the non-profit organisation grow into one of the go-to sources for enquiring minds who want to learn about people’s experiences across a range of topics.
Live Streaming
Now, you may be thinking that live streaming is only for the younger demographic. Those who sit in their bedrooms and stream themselves playing popular video games like League of Legends and Fortnite for communities to watch. And you’d be right. Partially.
Like corporate videos, created by a PPC agency corporate video production company, live streaming is predicted to conquer the commercial world in the coming years. Need evidence? Well according to an article published in Business Insider earlier this year, Instagram live streaming jumped 70% in April 2020.
Is it so hard to envision a world where businesses begin to leverage live streaming to build their brands? Didn’t Facebook and Twitter start with individuals sharing who they are and what they’re all about before businesses became savvy to the commercial potential of the platforms?
The world’s most popular live streaming platform, Twitch, is moving more and more towards all-purpose video content. Brand marketing through live streaming may well be the evolution of video content, and an essential marketing practice. Any business can record, edit, and upload a video to YouTube, but there’s something personal, ambitious, and innately interesting about live streaming. It tells customers that they’re worth a business’ time and that they think about the content they create.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn Live are just three of the platforms that businesses can use. Will streaming overtake the services of a PPC agency corporate video production company in 2021? Doubtful. Will it grow to become a mainstay of commercial marketing in the next few years? Well, it certainly has the potential to.
An Emphasis on Video Search
With the upcoming 2021 Google algorithm set to prioritise user experience of individual pages, and YouTube remaining the second biggest search engine for a decade, it’s safe to assume that video search isn’t going anywhere. In fact, in 2021 there’s likely to be more emphasis on video search than ever before.
Not sure you agree, think about it this way. When you ask Google to find the answer to a question, you’ve probably noticed that amid links to sites and answers to popular questions are a handful of videos. Now, of course, you could always ask YouTube your question, but most of us, well almost all of us, will ask Google how to wire a plug or fix a leaking faucet, for instance. By the way, ask Google how to wire a plug and you’ll get images, step-by-step guide, questions people ask and then videos.
Don’t forget that more and more businesses are repurposing blog posts, infographics, social media content, even social media content into videos. Unlike written copy – which Google prefers to be over a set word count – typically 1000 words, videos at around five minutes can rank well, depending on the subject matter.
Think of all the creative ways you could use video to improve your overall content. From ‘How To’ videos to answers to FAQs. You could record a ‘Meet the Team’ video for added brand authority, even use the services of a PPC agency corporate video production company to showcase your business or product offerings.
If a picture tells a thousand words, a video could tell five thousand words. And Google loves videos! Just add a short description, use keywords and tags, nurture backlinks, create a thumbnail and optimise it for mobile viewing – you’ll be surprised just how far you can take a great video and some SEO!
Animated Video Marketing
Ever get tired of the same old content? We all do. You click on a link only to find a page full of copy. Now, whilst unique, quality copy should never be discounted, it takes truly inspirational words to inspire those jaded online visitors.
What if you could do something a little different? Well, you can – animated video marketing is just that.
These short, branded videos are lauded by any SEO agency in Manchester with their fingers on the pulse off all things digital marketing, like Jungle Marketing. Commonly used to describe a product or service, animated videos are generally only a minute or so in length, but they can pack a punch when it comes to influencing personas. Often charming, unique, and colourful, animated videos engage audiences, tell a story, and create that vital sense of positive association that good marketing needs.
With animated videos you can explain complex products or services in a fun and engaging way – something that’s vital to businesses across a wealth of sectors. Tell us something, would you rather watch a fun animated video about, say, pension annuity or AI and robotics than read pages of copy about the same subject? We would.
Shoppable Videos
Social selling has been one of the key eCommerce trends of the last few years. Brands now view platforms like Facebook and Instagram as key to their digital strategies – and rightly so. Let’s also not forget that today’s on-demand economy has accelerated and simplified vendor and consumer transactions.
This, and the evolution of social media, has prompted businesses to change their blueprint for creating social content – and one trend to come out of this is shoppable videos.
So, what’s the benefit to consumers? No more typing products into search engines and clicking link after link to find what they’re looking to buy. All they need to do is click on the product in the video and they’ll automatically be redirected to the product on the vendors website. All consumers do them is click buy and it’s done.
Shrewd marketers like those we employ at Jungle’s SEO agency in Manchester will tell you that this shortens the customer journey and accelerates conversions – two things that are invaluable to building a strong, customer-centric business.
Such is the power of shoppable videos that big brands have got in on the act. Global fashion brand Benetton created an interactive runway video that showcased their latest styles fresh off the catwalk. At the bottom of the video are clickable, tagged timestamps. If you like a style all you need to do is click the timestamp and a green dot in the centre of the video appears. Type your name in and then you’d be directed to an online store to make your purchase.
Marketing and sales in one handy video!
Video Marketing is on the Rise!
There’s little doubt that video marketing is one the rise. As we move into 2021, expect more and more businesses to leverage video to create better branding that appeals to all target personas and demographics, showcasing their product and service offerings, making connections, and building that all-important identity.
Some trends are an evolution of what we already have. Some are innovation. But they all represent a fundamental shift in how businesses need to communicate with their clients as 2021 unfolds.
If you’re not 100% convinced that video marketing is for you, get in touch with Jungle Marketing. Pairing creativity and insight with technical acumen and consumer psychology, we have years of experience creating video content that engages, inspires, and ultimately promotes who you are and what you’re all about to the world!
