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Future Proofing Your Video Marketing

Future-Proofing Your Video Strategy

Video is still the future of marketing. We’ve been hearing this for years, and somehow it’s still true. No matter how much the medium grows, there’s plenty of room left for brands to make a big impact with video. More excitingly, increased consumer interest and new technologies might make video even more valuable in the future. Forward-thinking brands are considering how to be successful today while future-proofing their video presence. How can you reach your immediate content goals while ensuring that it will serve your brand in the future?

Future Of Video: Still Ascending

Marketers have been talking about the power of video for years. It might seem natural to wonder if we’re reaching the end of the video craze. After all, marketing changes all the time and tactics that worked in the past don’t always stand up to future demands. However, statistics show that video is an exception to that rule

  • 54% of users told Hubspot they want to see more video from brands in 2018
  • 88% of marketers who use video reported a positive ROI in 2019
  • Video is expected to account for 82 percent of all internet traffic by 2022 according to Cisco’s 2019 whitepaper. 

It’s clear that user preference still skews heavily in favor of video. Meanwhile, technology advances are helping marketers deliver more video faster than ever before. Cisco predicts that by 2022 broadband speeds will nearly double from their 2017 level. That means users will be able to view more content more quickly. Video, which demands more resources than text or still images, will reach user’s screens faster and with fewer disruptions.

With Great Power Comes Great Competition 

Of course, as more brands embrace the power of video, marketers will face steeper competition for user attention. Quality and authenticity will become more important than ever. To stand out from the competition, video will need to inform as it entertains. Poor quality videos or those without a clear value proposition will lose ground to better produced, more targeted content.

These five tips will help your videos compete today while future-proofing your video strategy:

1. Know What Works

The first step toward future-proofing video strategy is to understand what works today. You need to provide high-quality content that meets user needs and surpasses their expectations. Only then will users return to your brand again and again, building trust with each interaction. Here’s what works today: 

  • Short videos: You only have a few seconds to capture users’ attention. Keep your video length to 2 minutes or less. 
  • Accessible audio: If your video includes narration or spoken words, adding captions can help get your message across. Up to 92% of viewers watch at least some videos with the sound turned off.  However, that doesn’t mean you can ignore audio all together. Make sure your audio is clear and compelling when the sound is on.
  • Targeted: The best videos have a clear audience in mind with content tailored to the preferences of those viewers. Think about what topics, colors, themes, characters and ideas will appeal to your ideal audience.
  • SEO optimized: Surround your video with SEO optimized written content so it can be properly indexed by search engines.

2. Beware The Trend Trap

Capitalizing on a rising trend can give your content a big boost when it comes to visibility and memorability. Consider the Anheuser-Busch Dilly Dilly commercials that rode the coattails of the Game of Thrones craze. Those commercials performed well for Anheuser-Busch, but the company has since retired the campaign. Why? Because the trend is over and the public has moved on to a new obsession. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mGNhvkVT8Q

Riding the wave of popularity from the hot new television show or latest technology gimmick is a great short-term strategy, but it’s not a long-haul solution. Consider whether your videos will still make sense next year, or even next month. Are they so trendy that they’ll fall out of fashion faster than the styles at last season’s runway show?

For a future-proof solution, carve out your own space and your own voice. Create content that stands on its own merits. That way, you don’t have to rely on trends or gimmicks to grab the attention of your audience. Create your own interesting characters and compelling storylines. Do this well and your videos might be the ones starting trends.

3. Optimize For Mobile Video

The rising popularity of video is tied closely to the ubiquity of mobile devices. Carrying a high-powered video viewing device in their pocket at all times means that 62% of users watch video on mobile and 36% on tablets. Those statistics will probably get bigger in the coming years. A Facebook for Business survey found that 45% of people in the US and Canada expect to increase their video consumption on mobile. That’s good news because Facebook studies have shown that people are more interested and engaged when they view a video on mobile versus when they see it on a television, even if it’s exactly the same content.

How to optimize for mobile: 

  • Hook viewers in 5 seconds or less.
  • Design for silent viewing.
  • Include only the essentials.
  • Format to match your platform.

As phone service providers across start introducing 5G across the United States, we may see even greater demand for video. 5G will mean more people can stream high quality video without buffering or bandwidth problems. Don’t count on 5G just yet, though. The rollout is still in its early stages and providers need to get through plenty of redtape before it becomes commonplace. Then users will need to buy 5G enabled smartphones.

4. Diversify Your Video Placement 

Video is a great place to spend your advertising budget, but only if you make smart choices about where to place your videos. Fewer and fewer people are watching traditional television. Those that are watching are older. For a bigger audience or to target younger viewers, spend your video advertising dollars on streaming services and on-demand video like Hulu or Sling. At the same time, don’t put all of your video eggs in the basket of a single streaming service. Plan a smart mix of social, streaming, and other platforms.

Stay up to date with the latest ad platforms and social media networks to make sure you’re capitalizing on the best opportunities for your content.  In many cases, you can use the same content across several platforms to maximize your reach without inflating your ad creation budget.

5. Watch Your Metrics

The best predictions are just that, predictions. The only sure-fire way to know what works and what doesn’t is to watch your video metrics. Track click-through rate. Identify high-performing videos and dissect them to see what works. Pay attention to how the same video performs across different platforms. Watching your video metrics can help you identify trends and react to changes in the video marketing world. 

6. Choose The Right Partner

To truly future proof your video presence, seek out an experienced video partner who watches trends, understands best practices, and knows how to combine them all into powerful videos for your brand. Look for a production company with wide ranging proficiencies. Then develop a long-term relationship so you can create consistent high-quality video project after project.

Idea Rocket has created hundreds of videos for insurance companies, cryptocurrency creators, popular television shows and everything in between. We’ve recently jumped into the Argentinian animation market. It’s the next logical step in our quest to stay at the leading edge of the video industry. Let’s future proof your video presence together.  

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