The popularity and value of video marketing is growing exponentially and it promises more conversions than any other type of marketing. But that doesn’t make all forms of video marketing successful.
You need to identify and appeal to your target market in record-quick time, sparking their interest and calling them to action because your product meets their needs and desires. It also helps to keep in tune with key video marketing trends. You don’t have to follow them blindly but you can be guided by those in the know.
Top Ad Agency’s Digital Trends for 2017
Four years ago, top New York City-based PR, advertising, and marketing agency, Ogilvy & Mather launched an annual trend report covering digital trends in their fields of operation. While they are the first to concede that they don’t always get everything right, a lot of their predictions do become worldwide trends.
Ad Blocker Usage is Growing
One trend they did get right last year (2016) was ad blocker usage, described as being driven by a desire by consumers for privacy. So, to avoid having your video marketing ads automatically blocked you need to ensure consumers get a good experience, which will, in turn, ensure you are on the right track towards successful video marketing. In essence, you need to earn attention so that your ads won’t be blocked.
While ad blocker usage hasn’t made that much of an impact yet, the warning is that millennials have a reduced attention span and they are likely to increase the trend. Millennials are already recognized as having disrupted traditional digital marketing models, including banner ads on websites.
Consumers Resist Apps Except Those for Messaging
Looking ahead, the agency predicts that messaging is king and that consumers want what they want immediately. This translates to on-demand products and services. By the same token, they have identified a digital trend, that users don’t generally want any more apps. Even when they download and install a new app they tend not to use it for more than 90 days – except for messaging apps, which are used worldwide and continue to maintain popularity.
So how does that help your video marketing? The answer lies partly in chatbots, so, this is what you should do. Key into bot (as in robot) building platforms that enable you to establish and use bot stores. A lot of bot tools are free (or very cheap) to use. But, before you get a bot, consider your business needs and problems. Once you have identified a good chatbot app you can build on it and use it to share the videos you produce.
Video First World
Ogilvy-Mather also predicts that we are heading towards a “video first world”. It doesn’t matter which platform you choose, video should be your priority.
Facebook suggested videos were a priority as long ago as 2014. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and others followed the trend. Now, with FB still calling users towards the video option, Cisco predicts that by 2019 as much as 80 percent of Internet traffic will be video based. That’s huge.
How Video Marketing Will Change
Ogilvy & Mather predicts that video will soon be the primary factor of all the apps and online services we use. The question is, which type of videos will be used?
The answer, they say, lies primarily with social media, quoting the quarterly Facebook Earnings Call of July 2016: “We see a world that is video-first with video at the heart of all our apps and services.” That said, Ogilvy-Mather points a finger at FB claims relating to video viewing and reading of “instant articles,” stating that their stats are not reliable. Nevertheless, FB is currently rolling out its Live 360 video function (for live content). How can it not be a trend?
Because of a shift in the way consumers use digital platforms, marketing campaigns must utilize video to be successful. It doesn’t matter what sort of budget you’ve got, there’s a way around it, even if you need to shoot something yourself for free airing TVC “infomercials” or social media.
Of course, in addition to FB, Twitter is another route to take especially when something is new and exciting. But, they say, a 2017 trend will be to widen the source of data and insight used. Also, it’s essential to identify audience segments more carefully and to then optimize whatever works best. For example, a likely trend is to use two video cameras rather than one.
But What About YouTube
Not that long ago the stereotyped YouTube user was a young, unmarried male. But not today! In fact, more than half the users are now women and a large percentage have college degrees.
Perhaps ironically, while the average YouTube user was formerly a millennial, today the “baby boomers” are just as keen. According to Think with Google, between 2015 and 2016 adults aged 18 and more doubled the time they spent on YouTube, and those aged 55 and more tripled their time spent. Gen X – which comprises those between the baby boomers and millennials – also watch YouTube more.
And if you still aren’t convinced of the vital importance of video marketing, here are a few findings from a Google/Ipsos Connect survey conducted mid 2016:
- People watching YouTube are twice as likely to pay attention than those watching ordinary television.
- Three out of every four adults watch YouTube on their mobile devices.
- Close to four times as many viewers prefer watching videos on YouTube compared to other social media platforms that are “less video-centric”.
- Up to 68 percent of YouTube users watch videos to help them make purchase decisions.
If you are convinced that video marketing is the way to go but don’t know how to get there, call the professionals at Atlanta Media Pros to find out how $500 can get you four minutes of content right now.