The Video Marketing Bandwagon: Trends for 2020

We hear a lot that content is king, which is why marketers and content creators are constantly competing to have the most shareable and engaging content which contributes to the rise of video marketing in the past years. Video marketing is key for conversions: it’s no longer an option, it’s a necessity. Now that the new year is right around the corner, we want to share the video marketing trends for 2020 we think you should know about.

Why Video Marketing Matters

Whether you want to or not, you must incorporate video marketing into your strategy in order to remain competitive and relevant. Video content is well-liked because of how easy it is for your audience to absorb the information. If you’re reading this and thinking that you still don’t want to take part in video marketing, here are some stats you just can’t ignore:

• 58% of consumers trust a brand with videos more than a brand without (Animoto)
• Including video in your email marketing increases CTR (click-through rate) by 63% (Social Media Today)
• Videos are shared on social media 1200% more than images and text combined (Social Media Today)
• 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. (HubSpot)
• 64% of consumers are most likely to buy a product after watching a video about it (Social Media Today)
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text. (Insivia)

Clearly, video marketing is here to stay, which is why your company needs to get with the trend!

2020 Video Marketing Trends

Videos optimized for each social platform.

This is what will set your video marketing strategy apart from your competition. By 2020, we predict that all videos will be optimized for each social platform to enhance your viewer’s experience. Make sure that all your video content is high quality and meets the needs of each specific platform like square videos for Facebook and vertical videos for Instagram.

We can already see that native video content on Facebook performs better than just posting a YouTube video link. This will help the video stands out on the newsfeed and should help increase your engagement.

Targeting segmented audiences.

Another video marketing trend we expect to see in 2020 is the rise of videos with messages that are targeted to specific audience groups. Messages will be customer-first and ultra-targeted. This is will be the best, most effective use of video marketing and is already proven to increase engagement.

Reaching these audiences should be easier than ever before. One way to target your specific audience is to use Facebook custom audiences. You can create a ‘warm’ audience of people who’ve watched a certain amount of videos from your page. Next, create a lookalike audience to prospect for users who look and behave just like the original video watchers.

As AI technology continues to improve, we think we will also be seeing a rise in video content tailored around long-tail keywords. This will further allow us to target these audiences and get more qualified leads by tailoring your messaging specifically to them

Instagram stories will continue to dominate.

Viewers like Instagram stories because they feel more authentic than most of the content posted on social media. In comparison to most of the well-planned content on the feed, stories add a more personalized approach to Instagram.

By incorporating Instagram stories into your video marketing strategy you will be able to connect with your viewers better and create a more personalized, intimate relationship between them and the brand.

People love to see behind the scenes, sneak peeks of new products, promotional codes/discounts, etc. It makes them feel like they are special and that they are part of something bigger than themselves.

I know that I love it when my favorite local boutique posts stories of items they just got in. It definitely makes them feel more authentic, which helps create a sense of brand loyalty and keeps them at the top of my mind!

Here is an example of a story they posted today. While this example isn’t using video, it hopefully helps you visualize the impact stories can have.

Stories help create a sense of urgency to take action or in this case visit the store because now I’m worried that other people will see the sweater too and go buy them all before I can get there. I had no intention of going shopping today, but then I saw this adorable green sweater and now will probably stop by after work.

Video marketing in Google Ads.

In 2020, we predict that more and more marketers will turn to Google Ads video campaigns. Google video ads appear on YouTube or across the Display Network sites. We already know that YouTube is the world’s second most used search engine, which is why your video marketing strategy needs to incorporate video ads.

By 2020, Gen Z will make up 40% of all consumers and the key to Gen Z is through video.

Gen Zers consume video content for 3.4 hours a day and when asked which platform they turn to when they want to relax or cheer up, the number 1 response was YouTube.*

I know that when I was a teen I binged videos on YouTube all the time and still today (yet much more rarely), I can get into a weird YouTube hole for hours. Whether it’s “how to do makeup” or, “how to make your own acoustic guitar,” you can learn just about anything on YouTube.

Videos will become shoppable.

In 2020, we will see more and more video ads linking to products to make them easily shoppable. As we mentioned before, 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it, which is why this is a trend you should not be ignored if especially if you work in retail.

Interactive videos will become more popular.

While interactive videos may not work for every company, there are so many cool and interactive ways to use virtual reality.

For example, an interior design firm could use VR to allow their viewers to go through a virtual tour of their studio, or walk through one of their completed projects.

As technology continues to improve, it should be very interesting to see what other ways VR can be incorporated into different industries’ marketing strategies.

Video Marketing Best Practices

If while reading this article you’ve started to think, “Wow, I need to get on board with the video marketing trend,” you’re right! But first let’s talk about some best practices you need to follow:

• Focus on one topic. Don’t confuse your audience by trying to cover multiple topics. Be straight forward and get to the point as quickly as you can.
• Keep your videos short. People have short attention spans, which is why shorter videos have higher conversion rates. Make sure you use the ideal length video for each platform. Twitter should be no longer than 30 seconds. Instagram should be somewhere between 26 to 30 seconds. Facebook should be 1 minute and YouTube should be about 2 minutes. (Hubspot)
• Add a call to action at the end of your video. If you want your viewers to take action, let them know what they should do next.
• Include subtitles in your videos. Most people watch videos on their mobile devices or computers without sound so add subtitles so they can still understand your message.

The popularity of video marketing is on the rise and this upcoming year will be no different. So now that you have our predicted video marketing trends for 2020, take advantage of them so you won’t be left behind!

Incorporating video into your marketing strategy will help increase your engagement rate, CTR, likes, shares, comments, and more! If you’re ready to invest in video marketing or need help with creating your video strategy, reach out. Knowing what your competition us up to will only take your video content even further, but in order to do that you’ll need to analyze their content.  If you’re struggling to create a useful competitor analysis, then our Free Guide is just the resource you’ve been looking for!