As an aftermath of the pandemic, more businesses and services than before are migrating online, turning to online and video marketing to not only move with the times but to also attract a larger clientele. Come 2021, and many businesses have now settled into the online marketing side of things.
When the video feature was introduced to social media, the uptake was slow for various reasons, but the need to adapt to customers’ dynamic needs coupled with the advent of technology, AI, innovation, and analytics saw more people take to video content for both personal and business reasons. So where are video marketing trends moving towards or morphing into in 2021? So many changes and working practices are in the offing for 2021, including:
Remote and Raw Content, Entertainment Video Platforms
Due to the global pandemic, home offices and remote work has taken centre stage, greatly impacting the nature of video production from 2020 into 2021 and onwards. As such, we expect a shift defined by:
- An increase in ‘raw’ user-generated content e.g. customer unboxings, order processing, e.t.c
- Increased focus on possibility of content that can be produced whilst working from home e.g. including podcast interviews via zoom; video interview via zoom/skype/google meet etc.
- A major shift towards producing more entertaining content as seen by Tiktok content where many users access the platform purely for entertainment.
For our clients that were looking for high-quality video and audio, our remote production unit was utilized, The Roadrunner. Our film production company shipped this game-changing unit out to clients to capture testimonials and more. Learn how it works here. The ease and benefits are not only limited to the past year, though – as it can be used to ship across the country to various clients or at home workers. When the shoot is over, they simply ship the materials back to us to start the editing process.
Live Video and Real-Time Shopping
When you go on live stream on Facebook, you are guaranteed the best organic reach and engagement. Studies actually indicate that in the 3rd quarter of 2020, Facebook Live was the most engaging format on the platform much as live video seemed to be the least used content type.
Live video humanizes you, making your audience feel close and connected with you as they can see you, read your facial expressions and decipher your overall mood. It also allows you to communicate clear empathy for your audience.
For 2021, it is projected that there will be a surge in live video coupled with real-time shopping on both Facebook and Instagram. Although already available to a limited number of creators, not many people have used the feature, but 2021 should be the year it is rolled out to more users.
Repurposing and Cross-Posting Content
If you were to post a video on any social platform Facebook, Snapchat, or TikTok, etc, it would remain visible for only a few hours before getting phased out by incoming new content. In contrast, posting a video on YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, and on websites is likely to keep building traffic for years.
It is becoming harder to produce fresh content each time to publish on different platforms; the more practical option being repackaging already-posted content and cross-posting it. For instance, one might record a long video for YouTube or their website then break into smaller portions to be posted on other platforms. The longer video can also be transcribed into articles to boost SEO whereas the short-form content will be edited to create quote cards, memes, GIFs, vertical videos, etc to keep up with frequent posts.
Social Media Algorithms and Video Content
With the many videos uploaded to social media every hour, it is difficult to watch all videos uploaded even if granted endless time. For 2021 more intelligent algorithms are expected to help videos reach a wider audience. This makes it incredibly important to capture the attention of your audience early on in the video, and it’s one of the reasons we focus on #VideoDoneDifferently. Check out the work we love to do that takes our clients’ stories and businesses to the next level.
Facebook, for instance, relies on interactions elicited on a post to determine how high they appear in the News Feed. Instagram assesses your preferences from either the posts you interact with most or from the handles you follow. It may also consider the date when the post was shared and even your prior interactions with the person posting. YouTube targets both helping viewers find the videos they want to watch, and maximizing long-term viewer engagement and satisfaction. A feature of YouTube, YouTube Shorts, is being beta tested in India, and should the beta be successful, it would be rolled out worldwide – the ripple effect causing other social video platforms to follow suit.
Inability to Avoid Making Video Content
Video content on social media for both personal and business reasons is now mainstream. 2021 introduces a new dynamic altogether: the inability to opt out of developing video content, especially for business.
The introduction of video conferencing such as Zoom, makes it now possible to establish a full trustworthy business relationship using video; whether as one-on-one interaction or through earlier recorded videos, or anywhere in between. Now anyone can do videos, and thanks to trends like Tiktok, more authentic ‘raw’ videos are appreciated as this presents a human side to things, making it easier to put confidence in a brand.
On the other hand, it means more video competition – so utilizing high quality storytelling and video production is the edge that many brands use to build trust, credibility, and hold retention. This is one reason why our corporate video production company focuses on telling humorous, and heartfelt stories bringing companies, products, and passion to light.
There are many more improvements expected for 2021, including: LinkedIn video; LinkedIn live video; video sequencing; unfiltered conversations and human experiences; skyrocketing human experience trends; new video ad formats, etc.
Are you ready to adjust with the changing times to use video marketing to your advantage? Let’s talk.
