Social media has transformed the way we consume information online. And these days, we’ve reached a point where users expect video to be part of their content experience. Want proof? Leveraging Youtube’s 2 billion monthly users, last year Google announced the decision to start displaying more short-form videos in search results. And now Ericsson estimates that by 2027, 80% of all mobile data consumption will come from online video streaming.
But with so much media available at once, how can your brand compete? Take a look at a few video marketing trends for 2023 and how they can shape your video efforts this year.
Short-Form Video Takes the Lead
With the takeover of TikTok and Instagram Reels, short-form video marketing has become incredibly popular. And on Instagram, recent algorithm updates have given video creators much more visibility than their static content-focused counterparts. The reason video marketing is so powerful to begin with is that it takes almost no effort to watch — especially when clips are short, engaging, and visually appealing. This way, users can get the content they’re looking for more quickly than any other format.
“Viewing habits are diversifying as people move seamlessly between screens and video lengths — with different needs and expectations for each,” says Dyana Najdi, Managing Director of Video and Display for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Google. “Many creators are innovating with shorter form, ‘snackable’ content to meet the needs of these viewers. And they’re seeing immense success.
In fact, YouTube Shorts now has 1.5 billion monthly active users and sees more than 30 billion daily views, making it a big area of opportunity for advertisers.
Starting in February, brands will be able to earn money from ads viewed between videos on the YouTube Shorts feed. Generally 15 seconds or less, these content snippets have sky-high potential when it comes to grabbing a user’s ever-dwindling attention and boosting brand awareness.
To stay in the game, it’s vital to meet your customers where they are — even if a platform like TikTok might seem like a reach for certain brands. With the right kind of content, a talented marketing team can make it work. And “the good news is that short video formats are making their way into social media management tools and schedulers, so it will become easier for businesses to plan and post,” Forbes reports.
📱Related Reading: Your Business’ Guide to TikTok Marketing
Expert Insight
“Learn from the creators leading the way,” Google’s Najdi advises. “These individuals are blazing the trail, creating fresh ways to approach each video format to authentically connect with their audiences.
“It’s important to leverage storytelling best practices to create highly engaging short-form video content. For example, videos should jump straight into the action. With only 10 to 60 seconds of available ad time, there’s no need to set up a premise or establish a storyline with lots of extra context.”
studioID Tip
When you have just 15 seconds to spare, you’ve got to get your message across fast and clearly. Check out what’s working well for other companies and competitors across channels and try your hand at distilling your brand into a series of short, catchy sentences and soundbites. Spend some time thinking about how to fit into this brief format and see where you land to start testing the waters.
As the medium gains traction, optimizing video marketing content for search engines should also be a priority. Video content needs to include titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords for SEO, and creating transcripts and closed captions can help land you higher on SERPs as well.
Live Streaming + Vertical Video Continue to Soar
As internet speeds improve, one video marketing trend is becoming even more accessible in 2023 allowing marketers to seamlessly reach their audiences in real-time — live streaming. Studies show that consumers spent 548 billion hours streaming via mobile devices in 2021, and that number is on the rise given how easy platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube make it for businesses to live stream their content to anyone who’ll watch.
On top of that, “when paired with influencer marketing,” Asana points out that live video “allows potential customers to engage with influencers familiar with the product, talk about the product, and make the purchase all while watching the stream” in one fluid interaction.
🤳Related Reading: How the Producer Economy Is Changing Influencer Marketing
Creating an immediate sense of urgent exclusivity, the one-on-one feel of live streaming is enhanced by the vertical video format we generally use for video chatting and browsing social media on mobile devices. They also take up more space on the screen, which boosts engagement in itself, especially since users don’t even have to rotate their phones to watch.
Need numbers? Recent data from Buffer reveals that “vertical video resulted in 6 percent more 3-second video views and 187 percent more 50% total watch time views,” than the square format.
Expert Insight
“Brands don’t have to reinvent the wheel to use this newer video format,” Najdi says. At Google, “we’re currently experimenting with a machine learning tool that reformats landscape videos into square or vertical formats based on how someone is watching YouTube. It’s already available for App campaigns, with Video action and Performance Max coming in 2023.”
studioID Tip
If your brand is looking to try its hand at live video, consider hosting live Q&A sessions, product demos, or behind-the-scenes looks at your company. And remember: there’s no need to break the budget!
It’s the amateurs who are doing it best right now when it comes to smartphone video… Real-life content is resonating with consumers more than salesy ads,
— Michael Brenner of Marketing Insider Group
“If you’ve been thinking about creating more video content but worrying you might not have the equipment, here’s your sign: all you need is a little inspiration and the device in your hand.” Challenge your team to see what they can create with just a few smartphones filming vertically. You may be surprised by the results, and at the very least you’ll get a productive brainstorming session that takes the latest video marketing trends for 2023 into account.
Ready to supercharge your video content strategy? Let’s talk.
