Video marketing is increasingly becoming a marketing tool of choice for businesses of all sizes. The video consumption market will continue to become more saturated overtime. Because of this, businesses and brands will need to be extra intentional in iterating their video strategy and tactics based on what the data says with how consumers are engaging and interacting with content.
"Businesses and brands will need to be extra intentional in iterating their video strategy and tactics based on what the data says"
Data and Metrics on Video Marketing and Video Consumption in Roaring Twenties (2020s)
85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound, while 60% of Instagram Stories are watched with the sound on. (Instagram)
81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool — up from 63% over the last year. (Hubspot)
Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text. (Insivia)
71% of people watch more video than they did a year ago. (HubSpot)
62% of people said they were more interested in a product after seeing it in a Facebook Story. (Marketing Land)
A website is 53 times more likely to reach the front page of Google if it includes video. (Insivia)
83% of marketers would increase their reliance on video as a strategy if there were no obstacles like time, resources, and budget. (Buffer)
75% of all video plays are on mobile devices. (eMarketer)
Video marketing is not simply a matter of presenting product information. A study by Psychological Science magazine shows that people are much more likely to share content with emotional stimuli, especially positive emotions.
These emotions activate the nervous system and our intrinsic desire for "social transmission,” making the video watcher more likely to connect with the content. Brands can this to their advantage.
Humorous videos make us laugh - which creates a moment of happiness, explainer videos result in an “aha!” experience - which makes us feel smart, and stories with dramatic implications make us think.
"With social media, businesses of all sizes often jump right to tactics instead of plotting out the big picture. Tactics are actions. They can sometimes produce tangible short-term results, giving the impression that something bigger is being accomplished. In 2020, companies will start thinking more like a brand and with intentionality for their social media content. They’ll share customer and employee videos of their “WHY,” including stories of empathy, positivity, or social impact. The bigger picture for social media is creating content focused on building raving fans for the brand to amplify word-of-mouth marketing.” - My quote from 9 Marketing Trends for 2020.
To begin plotting out the bigger picture, assemble your marketing framework around #GCT (Goals, Content, and Targeting).
Next, think how you can best optimize video for each social media platform.
Video Formatting (Square Format VS Landscape Format VS Horizontal Format)
With 75% of all video plays are on mobile devices, let's look at how each video format looks on the mobile feed.
Square video takes up 78% more real estate in a person’s mobile newsfeed than does landscape video – making square video more engaging, more effective, and easier to watch.
In a study done by Buffer, where they spent $6,000 on tests, we learned that square video (1:1) results in 30-35 percent more video views and an 80-100 percent increase in engagement compared to landscape video (16:9).
In a test comparing vertical video to square video, Buffer found Cost per click (CPCs) is 26 percent less expensive with vertical video and Animoto found Cost per click (CPCs) 38 percent less expensive with vertical video.
Video Captions
A survey of U.S. consumers found that 83% watch videos with the sound off on mobile, according to a new report from Verizon Media and ad buyer Publicis Media.
The report concluded that:
Marketers should design for sound off by using visual cues, over-laid text, or open captions.
Marketers should utilize captions tactically to improve ad recall, brand linkage, and communicating information when sound is off.
It’s a balancing act between context and distraction. Choose the right branding formats and placements to avoid over-crowding the creative.
Success on Social Media Does Not Always Mean Having High Production Content
Let's address the fact that 83% of marketers would increase their reliance on video as a strategy if there were no obstacles like time, resources, and budget.
As Buffer defines:
"Organic videos are what you would imagine as DIY-style. These videos didn’t include much or any B-roll, special effects, transitions, or other more produced elements. In other words, they looked like they were made by an amateur.
Polished videos are much more produced. These videos included studio lighting, B-roll, special effects, transitions, and other elements that give them a professional feel."
There are no statistically significant difference between the two forms of video.
However, 'organic DIY videos' are seen to result in 50 percent decrease in cost per 10-second video views. Sometimes, unpolished smartphone imagery can be up to 2x more effective at capturing viewer’s attention.
From the consumer's end, unpolished videos feel more authentic and transparent thus allowing for more trust to be created between the brand and consumer.
All of this to say that it’s more important to experiment with a variety of video types and formats than it is to spend so much time on perfecting a single video. The more video content you publish, the more feedback you’ll receive from your audience, and the quicker you’ll improve.
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