Our Top 3 Predictions For Video Marketing in 2018

It’s a very exciting time for us in the video marketing industry, as a lot has changed in the last year, and a lot of changes are coming in 2018! So, how could this affect you as a business and how your market yourselves?

We have rounded up our top 3 predictions for video marketing in 2018, and how you can keep in the loop with your online marketing.

‘Top of the funnel’ marketing is generated with the intent of creating brand awareness and building a fan base. To do this, we must offer quality that hits our target customer’s pain points.

Our prediction is that 2018 will come with more top of the funnel video marketing, and less ‘hard selling’ and self-promotional video content. Why? Because businesses are beginning to realise that social media channels are filtering our content and prioritising it on the newsfeed depending on the value it brings, the engagement it has received, and the overall quality of the content.

So, if you were pushing sales before, it’s time to cut back.

Top of the funnel video marketing could be a number of things: a live Q&A session, tips/advice from your industry that solves a customer problem, a demonstration, or behind-the-scenes videos. The aim of this kind of marketing is to generate awareness for your brand and interest your audience. Do not try to sell your product or service in these videos, as that comes in at middle of the funnel and bottom of the funnel marketing.

Live video really took off in 2016, when Facebook launched its live video feature. Since then, it has only became more popular with brands and companies globally. From small businesses to huge corporate chains, live video had proven successful in the marketing sphere!

In 2018, we imagine that live video is going to be more in demand than ever before. 80% of people prefer to watch a brand’s live video, than read their posts. Live video is a great way to provide value fast, and will most likely become even more interactive. It is no secret that the past few years in marketing have produced a more personalised approach to consumerism. Marketing is no longer about screaming to the masses, it’s about finding that target audience and speaking to them directly. Live video allows you to do exactly that – you can run live Q&As where your audience can ask you questions in the comments, for you to answer live. This allows brands to essentially chat to their audience in real-time!

With less desktop computers and more tablets and smartphones, the rate of video views on mobile is increasing year on year. In 2018, it is predicted that there will be 2500 million smartphone users worldwide, an increase of 250 million from 2017. Facebook users on average spend 70% of their time on the social network on their phone, as oppose to a desktop.

So, what does this mean for video marketing in 2018? It means that we must ensure that every video we post on social media is optimised so that any user can view it on their mobile easily. This means using captions, for example, as most people are unlikely to have their headphones in to view a video, or will want to turn their volume up in public. A newly-found trick is to keep your videos in square-format, as it receives more engagement than a horizontal video. This is because square videos take up 78% more space in the news feed, helping you stand out.

We hope you enjoyed reading our 2018 video marketing predictions! Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @VisualPunch