Online marketing trends change with every new delivery method and channel. Each year brings new technology, new opportunities, new social channels and enhancements to existing social media channels. The big winners in the battle for buyer attention might be early adopters throwing resources into promising new technology that proves successful, or businesses who stick with a particular channel to build a huge following.
Video marketing is nothing new, but the market is changing particularity within the world of social media which enabling businesses to embrace video as a marketing tool.
Video Marketing Trends
YouTube already dominates video, with a billion users watching hundreds of millions of hours every day. To sweeten the marketing appeal, YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-old viewers than any of the cable networks.
While YouTube traffic expanded more than 40 percent since last year, video publishing and sharing options has opened up thanks to the world of social media.
Social media has without doubt changed how we the customer consume information and businesses create create and share videos with their audience. For example within Facebook businesses can not embedded and live livestream videos. We also seen a rise in the use of Periscope and Facebook are starting to attract the bravest of no-do-over video pioneers marketing in real time. However the largest most significant growth in 2016 which will continue in 2017 will be seen within Instagram and snapchat.
Instagram not only enables businesses to share pictures to support a lifestyle but businesses can now use Instagram live, stories and video to share creative content and engage with their audience. This is an exciting opportunity for businesses and one businesses are slowly starting to embrace.
Video Ads in Search Results
Another clear indicator of just how popular video marketing has become is the inevitable launch of in-SERP video ads. Google and Bing are both testing video incorporation into rich search results.
The new True View for Shopping, a product that allows users to order products from inside a demo video, has already yielded impressive results. Sephora and Wayfair test cases report increased viewing time, revenue and ad recall.
With big retailers and eager viewers already on board and social media and SERPs ramping up viewer opportunities, video marketing is set to explode like never before.
Why Video Marketing is Effective
Content marketing and social media changed the marketing game in a major way. Brand storytelling took center stage, propelled by the advantages of humanizing and allowing businesses to connect in a more meaningful way with their customer base.
For small businesses, video is an inexpensive way to level the playing field. Here, big businesses and slick, expensive advertising spots don’t always have the advantage. Smaller companies can stand out in several ways:
- Answering customer FAQs
- Showcasing products in action
- Asking for user-generated contributions featuring real-life customers
- Introducing staff and showing an intimate look around operations
- Demonstrating product use
- Featuring video testimonials
Thousands of small YouTube businesses have built audience and credibility with simple, straightforward advertising, and case studies show that video has a big impact on sales, especially for small businesses and cottage industry. More than half of marketers responding to the 2014 Video Statistics study by Invodo said that video offers a higher ROI than any other type of content.
New Technologies in Your Future
Every aspect of marketing in the last few years has moved toward personalisation, targeting and interactive content. New video technology takes the concept to a new level, with engaging videos that move from viewing into response. Data collection forms, surveys, polls and choose-your-adventure videos will become more common.
Approximately 96 percent of B2B advertisers are already using videos, but smaller B2C businesses may have been slower to adopt due to production costs or simple reluctance to waste marketing dollars on a technology they may not feel is effective.
Now that you know which way the 2017 marketing winds are blowing, are you ready to jump on board with video marketing?
