2017. Not a year that sticks in our minds for any particular reason (Looking back – it was in fact a pretty significant year, with Trump becoming the president of the USA, Harry and Meghan’s Royal Engagement AND April the Giraffe’s viral live-stream as she welcomed of her baby calf into the world… who knew!) In 2017, Tik Tok was the noise a clock made, listening to headphones without wires seemed like something futuristic, and talking to our home speakers would have got us some seriously funny looks.
As we move into 2022, and arguably into a new era of marketing and technology, we thought it would be fun to look back on one of the blog posts we published back in 2017. 5 years ago, we started to explore how video would continue to be a more prominent part of the marketing mix for brands and retailers – and this is a trend that has continued to evolve as we move into a more connected virtual world. Looking at our predictions, we think we pretty much nailed these video marketing trends.
2017 us:
Thanks to the development of improved mobile technology, widespread video consumption is available frequently and at any time. Video content isn’t necessarily new, but it’s certainly growing with 74% of all online traffic due to video and the fact that 55% of people watch videos online every day. This will to continue to expand in 2017 and beyond. Here are the top video marketing trends of 2017.
2022 us:
Video consumption has moved far beyond mobile viewing, as we start to explore mixed reality experiences across VR and AR. With audiences now watching on multiple devices at once, attention spans are at their lowest, which has made short-form, throwaway content more valuable and more in-demand by brands. In 2022, audiences have moved from customers to creators, and user-generated content is more influential than ever before. In 2022, we are starting to see video become a way of building connections with our customers, and in order to succeed online and engage with our communities, we must start thinking like creators.
1. The rise of the 360-degree video
2017 us:
According to recent studies, the average percentage of people who viewed a 360-degree video was 28.81% higher than for the same video in a non-360-degree format. This has proven a particularly successful technique for product videos used by different sales teams. For example, the use of 360 videos in property sales is increasing as it lets someone feel like they’re looking at the product “in person.” The rise of 360 videos will continue to grow, so it’s definitely a strategy to consider.
2022 us:
The Metaverse. Need we say any more?
Even though VR has been around for a while, technology is rapidly accelerating, and customers are becoming more comfortable with the idea of a communicating and collaborating in a virtual world. The lines between our real and digital lives are becoming increasingly blurred as customers forge new, virtual identities with limitless possibilities. For those of you who think this is some kind of sci-fi alternate reality – a significant proportion of those under 18 are already living their lives virtually – engaging daily with people they only know through online games. However, VR has moved far beyond 360 degree video, with users being able to move around and interact virtually like never before.
2. The growth of live-streaming
2017 us:
Live streaming has been integrated across various social media platforms, including Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. It’s a great platform for marketing techniques and one effective tactic is to use the live feed to show your audience what goes on “behind the curtain” of your business. This gives them an exclusive peek into parts of your business that haven’t been revealed yet or the build up to a new product launch. For example, a tour of your office and staff interviews. The more people feel connected to a product and company, the higher the trust and the more likely the sale.
2022 us:
In 2017, the idea of a global pandemic was a scenario we’d only expect to see in some kind of farfetched, sci-fi/horror movie. However, when Covid-19 came crashing into our lives in early 2020, lockdowns and restrictions became the norm, and subsequently live steaming services have soared. Even as we move back into ‘normality’, live video and virtual conferencing are here to stay, and we’re being asked more than ever before about translating in-person meetings and events into online experiences. We’ve run a number of live streamed events over the past few years; from internal sales conferences, to product launches and awards ceremonies, and as the world becomes increasingly more comfortable with the idea of hybrid and remote workforces, we don’t expect this to slow down anytime soon.
3. Video email marketing
2017 us:
Emails are a great marketing tactic and incorporating video into your marketing strategy can make a great difference. By introducing video links into your mail, you can increase your email’s open rate and CTR. More email audiences appreciate video because it’s something different, interesting, concise and convenient.
2022 us:
We all know that email is a brilliant way to market to a warm audience who have opted-in to hear from you. Emails with the word ‘video’ in the subject are opened 7% more than emails without, and emails with videos in them improve click-through-rate by 300%.
However – do we think video is essential for effective email marketing? No. If you already have great video content, then you should definitely use email to amplify its reach, but if not, our recommendation is that you focus your efforts and budget elsewhere when it comes to email. Gathering user-generated content, audience segmentation and data-driven personalisation are all ways you can increase open and conversion rates by making your content more relevant. Taking the time to truly understand what your customers want from you is the first step to email marketing that works hard for your business.
If you want to find out more about the growing power of video in 2022 and beyond as part of a highly effective marketing strategy, why not get in touch today to find out how we can help your business?
