We all know that content is king, but who rules there? Who’s the true ruler of the content kingdom that not only generates more social shares than any other content type, but also more than the lead-ups combined? Which content type could be so entertaining that one-third of online activity is spent engaging in it? If the title and subheadings below haven’t given it away, it’s video! That’s right, with the ability to generate 1,200% more social shares than text and images combined, video is the answer to all your content marketing prayers.
For these very reasons and more, we’re going to devote our time today covering the many benefits gained from following video content trends in 2019, what the experts consider these video trends for 2019 to be, and maybe even an example strategy with some metrics you should look out for.
The Benefits of Video Marketing in 2019
To truly understand why you should include video marketing in your strategy, you need to know the facts, i.e. the must-know video marketing statistics for 2019. For example, did you know that 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos per week? What about the fact that just about 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day, and a comparatively 100 million hours on Facebook? Mhmm, all true.
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As for some real benefits, consider that 89% of online marketers use video content, and those who do are receiving 41% more web traffic and growing revenue 49% faster than those who don’t. In other words, video marketing is for you if you want to grow your audience, increase engagement and improve your bottom line. It all comes down to what makes a video, a video, and what differentiates it from other content types. That is to say, because videos disseminate information in an easy-to-consume way whose only real requirement is to pay attention, users are more likely to engage with them and actually remember what they were presented with.
Video Marketing Trends for 2019 from the Experts
Knowing what we just covered above, I’m sure you’re starting to wonder what video marketing trends and predictions the experts are talking about in 2019. No worries on that end, here’s what you need to know!
1. Videos will replace other forms of communication
“Video will replace day-to-day email for all kinds of communications: marketing, sales and customer service. Video has been a one-to-many channel for 90 years. Now it’s one-to-one. Pitching an editor for a PR effort? Make a video. Reaching out to an influencer to collaborate? Make a video. Any time the stakes are high, in marketing or anywhere, video will replace text and email in 2019.” – Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder and CMO of Orbit Media
Like we covered in the beginning, people are consuming more and more videos as the days go by. Brands are likewise devoting more of their time and budget in the video production process in an effort to get in front of an audience that prefers watching content rather than reading it.
2. Video will continue growing
“With more companies than ever before realizing the value of video to build trust, educate, generate leads and foster loyalty, video will continue to play an even larger role in the buyer’s journey in 2019. In fact, according to HubSpot, more than 80 percent of people purchased a product or service after watching a video. Whether it’s an explainer video, an interview, a customer testimonial, or an ad, companies from all industries will be using video in every stage of the buyer’s journey in 2019.” – Julie Revelant, Owner of Revelant Writing, LLC
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As you might expect, if videos are quickly replacing other forms of communication, the video market will consequently keep on growing. This is also highlighted in Mark Zuckerberg’s prediction from five years ago that Facebook will mostly be video in five years, which just so happens to be this year.
3. Videos will need to be optimized for every platform
“What’s becoming clearer is the same video re-posted on different platforms is becoming less and less effective. The same video that works on YouTube isn’t going to work on Facebook, and we can’t take that Facebook video, put it in a frame and upload it to IGTV, or LinkedIn. Users are consuming video differently on the different platforms, and as marketers we need to get use to repurposing smarter, by editing our videos in a way that works for the platform it is being posted on, rather than doing a lazy re-upload job. Looking at things like the aspect ratio, style, pacing and objective, and maybe realising we can’t be everywhere – but where we are posting regularly, we’re putting our all in.” – Andrew and Pete, International Keynote Speakers, Authors and YouTube Influencers
A couple of years ago, you may have been able to get away with simply uploading and re-uploading the same video on multiple platforms as-is. Well, times change and the same is not true anymore. Today, a time when we have MANY video platforms and devices that can all stream them, videos need to be optimized for everyone to amplify their impact.
4. Collaboration with influencers
“We all know that influencer marketing is booming, and while most of the attention seems to be on Instagram, I believe we will see a new renaissance of brands working with a new generation of influencers that have large audiences on YouTube. While Instagram has an active audience, YouTube has a larger one with videos that last forever and a built-in search engine that does its best to help users discover your content.” – Neal Schaffer, Author and Keynote Speaker
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Anyone involved with marketing knows that we live in the age of the influencer. Actually, with the disaster of the Fyre Festival still in recent memory, anyone who’s read or seen the news in the past year knows this to be true as well. For you, this means combining videos with influencer marketing.
5. New forms of video
“Now that marketers and businesses have truly started to understand the power of video in marketing (not just when it comes to social media, but in email marketing and content marketing in general), I think we’ll see a lot of experimenting with new forms of content this year. For one thing, we’ll see a lot more interactive videos this year, particularly 360-degree videos. I also believe that with many marketing videos in 2019 there will be a much bigger focus on storytelling. This is a trend that I’ve noticed more and more when it comes to video ads, as well as to social media videos – a good story captures people’s attention and imagination and most importantly, it gets them to take action.” – Lilach Bullock, Social Media Power Influencer
Whether it’s virtual reality or live streaming, technology is improving every day and we’re getting newer and better ways to consume video content. The best part is that each new form of video content gives marketers even more ways of reaching their audience and making a statement.
An Example Video Strategy for 2019
Now that we know what the experts are predicting, it’s time to wrap everything up by covering what your video strategy for 2019 should entail. For starters, you need to understand your audienceand set realistic campaign goals. After all, how can you accomplish anything if you don’t even know what your audience wants? You won’t, you’ll have a disconnect between you and them that leads to failed efforts. Once you do have a general idea of them and what they’ll respond to best, you’ll be able to tailor your video campaigns accordingly and set actionable goals. For example, are you trying to drive awareness of your brand or its products? Are you trying to increase conversions? Whatever it is you’re trying to do, you’ll have an easier time doing it if you know who you’re targeting.
Second, just like we talked about earlier, you need to make sure that each video is optimized for their intended channel and platform. In other words, if it’s meant for Facebook, you better make sure it’s short and sweet; if it’s for Snapchat, make sure it’s a vertical video that makes the most of the platform. As you can see, this point goes beyond the video’s actual content and includes technical aspects that can make or break how it’s received.
Third, you HAVE to test everything and ensure it’s all going according to plan. If not, you’ll just end up wasting valuable time and money producing videos that your audience has no intention in even watching. To this end, you’ll have to keep track of a couple of metrics and KPIs that keep you updated with how things are going. For example:
- Engagement rate
- Play rate
- Social shares, likes and comments
- View count
- Impressions
- Click-through rate (CTR)
- Conversion rate
- Traffic source
By keeping track of all these things, you’ll be able to gauge your efforts and make any changes needed to uphold your goals and reach them.
Final Thoughts
Video content in 2019 is more important than ever. If you want to not only reach your audience, but also ensure that they’re engaged enough with your content that they follow through and convert, video is the way to do it. To prepare for that, let’s take a second look at the five expert predictions we covered today:
- Videos will replace other forms of communication
- Video will continue growing
- Videos will need to be optimized for every platform
- Collaboration with influencers
- New forms of video
Tell us your thoughts in the comments