In 2019, a few new trends in marketing have begun to take over. One of the fastest growing and most relevant is vertical video. But what is vertical video?
The concept isn’t as alien as you may think. Quite literally, vertical video is one where the framing of the video is taller than it is wide. While this may only be applicable to mobile phones, studies show that the future is mobile, and that the sales of desktop computers have been going down, while phone sales are continuously on the rise. Tablets, personal computers, and smartphones are much more compatible with peoples’ busy lives, allowing them to access information, and millions of functional apps on-the-go, in a way that desktop computers don’t allow.
So why can’t we just continue with the standard horizontal form of crafting media, and have people turn their phones to view? Well, research has shown that worldwide phone users hold their device in the upright, vertical position 94% of the time, even when presented with the opportunity to watch a horizontal video in full-screen. It’s more comfortable to hold in the hand, and usually only requires one handed usage for busy people on the go.
The fact is, minimal effort on the consumers’ behalf is still a viable strategy when it comes to marketing your product. The easier to view, the more likely someone will stay to watch the entirety of your branded video. It is not often that a consumer will go out of their way to view an advertisement. Even with entertainment media, with how fast our world moves today, if it’s not quick and near instantaneous, it will got lost with other easily accessible content.
If you’re thinking that the concept of vertical video is only applicable to social media, you are 100% right, but that is by no means a limitation. Currently, phone users spend about nine hours a day on social media, which means that most of their media is consumed in that format. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are so much more than for posting pictures and status updates, they are not how people get their news, shop, keep appointments, work, and advertise their business and content.
So does this mean everyone should adopt vertical video exclusively? Not necessarily, no. Horizontal media will reign supreme and withstand on television screens and in movie theaters, but videos can be adapted to the vertical format.
A potential strategy is to take your existing horizontal media, and adapt and edit it into a vertical format for posting to social media sites. While this may be more effort, the payoff is certainly worth it, as 64% of social media users have been persuaded to purchase a brand based on video content alone.
