Video Trends of 2018 & Their Effectiveness

For a year that isn’t even over yet, 2018 has brought many things. For the social media community, 2018 has brought new trends, new talking points, and countless amounts of new media, memes, and spreadable content. Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of the other social media sites people are using today, more and more things are being shared. More and more ideas and creations are being developed, and more people are communicating in ways that, less than a decade ago, were thought to be impossible. Research conducted by Cisco even estimates that by 2021, it will take a full two years to watch all the videos circulating the world wide web. 

This is critical information for a lot of individuals and businesses who use social media as a primary way to build customer and subscriber lists. For marketing specialists in particular, an understanding of how video is operating in today’s social media climate is essential. Text is going the way of the dodo bird; a growing number of individuals are choosing to convey their ideas through video. Marketing specialists and production companies who want to capitalize off recent and observable trends regarding video on social media should read through the following list of tips.

Take Advantage of Live-Streaming

Research shows that just over 13% of video-related web traffic comes from live streaming. Although that figure might seem low, one must take into account that live streaming really only became popular in the last couple years. The video game industry, in particular, has capitalized greatly off this specific kind of marketing, mainly because a lot of streamers—people who get paid to live stream themselves playing video games—endorse their products, services, etc. Look up the Fortnite player Ninja and his success with live-streaming sometime; you’ll be shocked. There are also other advantages when it comes to video marketing through live stream:

• Live streaming is cost-effective because everything is done all in one go; there are no production or editing phases to invest in. Plus, a video of your whole live stream will be accessible to those who missed it when it happened.
• Live streaming is also appealing to users because there is a certain bit of transparency and spontaneity that goes into it.
• Live streaming attracts more substantial views than prerecorded videos. Substantial views come from users who watch close to everything in the video.

The Square has Become the Shape of Choice

Widescreen might be ideal for YouTube and other sites that can support such videos, but it’s a different story on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Marketing strategists have traditionally thought to do video marketing with horizontal terms as the main focus; phones and tablets have made them realize that times have changed—it’s all about square now. You’ve probably noticed there are more and more brands daring to flip things around and create vertical videos. On Facebook in particular, nearly 78% of square footage occupies the Facebook News sections, and internal research from the company suggests that users engage more with video that come in square form.

 

Video Content Marketing Will Help With Conversions

Content marketing has long been used to turn leads into conversions. Today, however, more and more companies are seeing the advantages associated with content marketing through video. Video marketing has been shown to generate genuine engagement with clients in ways that traditional methods have failed to do in the past. This reality shouldn’t be surprising, especially when you consider what comes in a video: potential customers can see, hear, and later engage with the content they’ve just watched, and such user-involving aspects are what have individuals preferring video content over content that is in large part dependent on text.

Save Money and Market With Video

Today, video production is simple and cheaper than ever to do. Moreover, you don’t have to be an experienced producer in order to have access to the variety of high quality tools that exist. There’s a good chance you own a mobile phone, right? Well with that one device you can record video and audio, and you can edit the material on there as well if you have the right applications. There’s a certain level of authenticity associated with such homemade videos, which is why more and more brands are taking advantage of this; they say that saving money makes money, but this takes things to another level.

But if you’re concerned that homemade video production isn’t right for you, there’s always the option of hiring a professional. Professional video marketers could bring a level of experience to your marketing endeavors that you would not of had otherwise, which may lead to you producing more content that users engage with and spread to their friends.

Affiliate Marketing Through Video

Affiliate marketers are individuals who earn a commission for marketing a product on behalf of a person or company. Offering a unique and personal perspective, the affiliate is an integral part of modern marketing because they possess the ability to connect with audiences in a way that is genuine.

Most people are skeptical when they hear the rave reviews of satisfied customers in television or radio commercials; however, such skepticism is far less common when it comes to online videos. This may be because, when it comes to this specific type of video marketing, the products are, in most cases, being promoted by people you know and likely trust. Why would Becky from down the street lie about the new face mask she received? She wouldn’t!

There are several products individuals use every day that they can’t live without. Getting them to tell their friends and relatives about these products, while earning a commission for the sales, doesn’t seem like a bad gig, especially when this kind of video marketing is beneficial for all parties involved.