In recent years, video marketing has gone from a relatively small piece of the marketing plan pie to a giant, generous chunk. Even way back in 2019 (you remember, pre-pandemic), about four in 10 online users reported watching videos from brands before buying a product. (And that was before the extreme rise in popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels.)
Marketers have taken a beat to catch up to this not-so-new medium but this seems to be the year for a sea change. According to a new, extensive survey by industry leader HubSpot, the number one top marketing trend of the year is that “Short-form video will see the most growth in 2023.” They surveyed more than 1,200 B2B and B2c marketing professionals worldwide and here are some of their findings:
“Not only is short-form video the most popular trend among marketers, with one-third using it, but it’s also the most effective and has the highest ROI.”
“On top of all that, short-form video will see the most growth of any trend in 2023, with marketers planning to invest in it more than any other trend.”
“90% of marketers using short-form video will increase or maintain their investment next year and 21% of marketers plan to leverage short-form video for the first time in 2023, also the highest of any trend.”
Some of the other trends HubSpot included in their data included sales directly in social apps, SEO efforts and ethics and values-based content creation (all still going strong), along with NFTs, Metaverse marketing and augmented reality tech (all on the decline).
So we all seem to be getting the gist at this point: Video matters. A lot. The question then becomes what can we do about it? Let’s take a look at some of the ways marketers can leverage this information looking ahead.
4 Ways Our Marketing Agency Has Leaned into Video
There are a lot of guides out there for creating strong videos. Rather than creating our own guide, we’d like to provide you with some inside tips from a marketing agency on how to make some real headway in this daunting medium.
1: Hire or train dedicated specialists.
With an industry as volatile and ever-changing as marketing, sometimes it’s valuable to not dive into trends as soon as they arise. It’s good to wait and see how things pan out (which is not a video pun, actually) before you hire and train dedicated staffers or purchase expensive specialized equipment. In 2023, after years of growth, it’s now safe to say that video’s importance is obvious and is not going anywhere anytime soon.
This means that it is a good time to train current content creators on your team on how to shoot and edit video, or to hire a specialist or video contractor for your firm. The level of video work that makes sense for an organization will vary but those who keep video in mind when planning personnel shifts and training are going to be in a better position going forward.
While we’re talking about allocating resources to video, make sure that your staff has the software and hardware tools they need. Ensure that those filming social media are compensated for the use of their personal devices and that they have adequate storage space. Consider that they may need an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription and a computer that can handle video editing. There may also be a need for lights, selfie sticks, microphones, camera lenses, tripods, etc. It is important to know how these needs will impact your budget.
2: Harness the potential of UGC.
When it comes to getting more short-form video on your social media pages, a common problem is simply getting enough footage to keep making new videos. Even if you do bring on staff dedicated completely to video creation, there’s a limit to how much they can churn out, especially if they are responsible for other marketing tactics. Fortunately, there is a wellspring of footage just waiting to be shared out there in the form of user-generated content.
Do not hesitate to get your organization in the habit of frequently searching for, requesting permission for and sharing video shot by your followers and fans. There are resources available such as CrowdRiff, a great UGC-collector tool focused on travel, which can help clients gather and sort through the seemingly endless amount of content out there. Other popular third-party apps include Bazaarvoice, Dash Hudson and Yotpo. These systems can help immensely with the logistics but remember to give your team the time they need to capitalize on this resource.
3: Don’t forget YouTube.
As super-short video surges in popularity on TikTok and Instagram, its important to remember the channel where online video grew up: YouTube. Under the umbrella of Google, YouTube videos continue to reign supreme in search results, where shorter-form content rarely pops up. In the not-too-distant past, YouTube also was a platform where ad dollars had the potential to go further, because there was less competition for clicks among videos. It remains to be seen whether that will continue to be true as other video platforms grow and more people are uploading more videos online but HubSpot reports that the platform is still a major priority in 2023:
“YouTube will see the most growth [among marketers] of any platform in 2023, with 91% of those using it planning to increase or maintain their investment. At the same time, 29% of marketers plan to try YouTube for the first time, the highest of any social app.”
Well-optimized YouTube videos, typically a few minutes long and a little meatier in content, are not only a great source of traffic but they can themselves be a source of content for your other platforms. More on that below.
4: Atomize and repurpose.
The latest buzzword in content: atomization. Simply explained, taking your one strong content idea and break it down into lots of different little content pieces.
An example: If you’re creating a YouTube video for your tourism destination that’s a tour of five fun things to do around town, how many other short-form videos do you think you can turn that footage into for TikTok and Instagram? Hint: Your answer should be at least five. Old footage gussied up with some new music, transitions and graphics is new content for a new audience. Look at what you or your clients have already created and mine it for a newly atomized piece. And when you create new video content, be intentional about what all you might need to capture for each piece you can dream up.
We hope these tips leave you feeling a little more confident about how to make more, better videos for your clients. Be sure to follow us on social media to see some of the video content we create, and reach out to Mary with your questions at [email protected].