As with anything, some video trends evolve and are sustained over time (safe to say YouTube is here to stay), while others decline as quickly as their popularity rose (Periscope, anyone?).
For 2019, we’re sharing our best guesses for what we predict will be worthwhile trends to follow and best practises to implement into your business. Like all forecasts (we’re looking at you, weatherperson!) these come with no guarantee but if you prepare accordingly, you’ll be best equipped to weather any storm, figuratively and literally.
1. Micro Videos
Bite-sized content is here to stay, as evidenced by the 400 million users that documented their moments through Instagram stories. These 15 second clips have been leveraged by brands and businesses who are modifying their content to fit into the story format. Furthermore, regular story updates can improve your follower engagement, so we say story everyday and incorporate the features native to this platform (e.g., this-or-that polls, sliding scale and questions) into your micro video content. Adapting our clients’ explainer videos for this micro format is something we plan to do more of in 2019.
2. Mobile Videos
Let’s segue from micro to mobile videos, a trend that continues to rise, with no sign of declining. The majority of video consumption in 2018 occurred via mobile devices, resulting in marketers creating content and calls to action specific to the mobile experience. Things to consider during the creation process of your mobile content:
- Small graphics or unreadable text should be avoided
- Adapt your CTA for mobile, perhaps with a “call us” button, since it syncs directly to the phone
- Orientation: is your video responsive to the mobile environment? Does it fit the 16:9 aspect ratio of (most) mobile devices or will users have to rotate their phone to best view your video?
Versioning your video for mobile is within our wheelhouse and is something we’re seeing more requests for among our clients. Will mobile-only video be in your plans for 2019?
3. Video for All
Videos are being leveraged as tools to communicate not just externally to customers, but internally to stakeholders, investors, and internal team members. Think, training videos specific to aspects of your business that can reduce the resources, time, and space you currently dedicate to these efforts. Or software upgrades that can be communicated in a simple explainer video. Businesses are rolling quarterly or annual reports into engaging videos, replacing mind-numbing powerpoint decks that clog inboxes and are rarely read all the way through. We’ve helped many businesses cut costs by transitioning traditional presentation methods for training and reporting to video and will continue the trend in 2019!
4. Video + SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ever-evolving beast that we’ve touched on in several previous posts and it’s worth revisiting as we embark on a new year. For 2019, captioning is an easy practise that is a powerful addition to your video marketing, if you’re not already applying this technique. This helps increase your rank since search engines scrape not just visual content but textual content as well. By implementing this simple step, not only are you making your content accessible to all viewers, you’re improving your rank on search engines.
Videos are also proven to increase dwell time on your site which is music to a search engine’s ears. More dwell time directly translates into Google recognizing your site as one worth value. Studies have shown that a well optimized video can increase your chances of landing on the first page of Google by 53 times!
If you’re still not convinced, take note of the 6-second video previews that autoplay when performing a Google search, giving users a chance to preview content before committing to a click. Be sure to consider the first 6-seconds of your video during the content creation process. More clicks equals higher rank!
5. Let’s Get Personal
Interactive and personalized video can be great drivers of engagement and increased sales when executed effectively. Leveraged in your email marketing strategy, personalized video has proven results including a 500% increase in conversion, 4.5 times more click-throughs and 62% more time spent on a landing page. Numbers don’t lie and with staggering statistics such as these, there’s no denying the personalized video trend is one worth investing in. Following the projected rise of this trend in 2019, we will continue to explore this not only within our own business but with clients as well.
6. Virtual & Augmented Reality, better known as VR & AR
Our specialty may be animated explainer videos but we’d be remiss to exclude the surge of virtual and augmented reality in video marketing on our list of trends for 2019. Both were major players in live action video for 2018 and all signs point to this trend continuing its upward trajectory. By 2020, the global market for VR hardware and software is estimated to reach $22.4 billion (USD). With emerging markets in healthcare, technology, and industrial sectors, VR & AR have certainly staked their claim in the video marketing space and are here to stay.
The options with video marketing are limitless and the trends tell us that 2019 will continue to break records in video consumption. Which trends will you adopt in your video marketing strategy? Which are best left alone? If this post has left you with more questions than answers, feel free to contact us to discuss! We’d love to help you with your roadmap for 2019 and leverage the trends that are best for your business.
