Video wouldn’t be as popular as it is without Social Media. There are a lot of effective ways to use video (check out our thoughts on that here), but social media – and the way people use it – continues to shape how we think about video content, and how organizations interact with their communities.
Social media these days is a combination of un-edited (or under-edited) content, and more traditionally curated marketing content. A good video strategy will include both types of content, and speak authentically to your brand or story.
Here are some of the trends we’re seeing in 2020, that will continue into 2021 (especially if we keep spending so much time at home because of COVID-19).
GIFs
You know, those short looping moving pictures that you see all over social media? We’re seeing more businesses use GIFs in their social video marketing strategy. Attention-grabbing and fresh, they are a great vehicle for visual humor and making an impression in a short amount of time.
Promoted Posts & Video Ads
Not an emerging trend, but still a huge presence in the social video landscape. It is not always enough to create an awesome video. To get your video seen by the right people, you often need to pay to promote it. Social media platforms like Facebook and Youtube allow you to target different groups, and they are workable at pretty much any budget.
Stories
This format for sharing content, where a user shares images or short videos that are only viewable for 24 hours, originated in SnapChat and was quickly, uh, adapted by Facebook and Instagram. Stories are a great way to showcase timely updates, since they are viewed in chronological order. Your Facebook or Instagram feed is determined by an algorithm which can bury certain posts and highlight others. Stories are great for candid moments and produced content alike.
Live
Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all have a Live feature where you can broadcast events, performances, classes, or other content in real-time. This can be a great way to interact directly with your audience around a specific topic.
Tik Tok
Tik Tok took a lot of us by surprise… The Chinese app arrived on the global scene in 2017 and has grown in popularity ever since. Short (15-second) video is what it’s all about, and that time frame really forces people to get creative with what they post. Forty-one percent of Tik Tok users are 16 to 24 years old, so if you’re speaking to that demographic, you’ll want to start using Tik Tok.
So, the trends for 2020 and beyond are all about shorter, time-bound, often less-produced and more candid videos. The wider takeaway isn’t that we should all be live streaming our work-from-home setups (though depending on your business folks might think that’s interesting…), to us it shows that people are looking for authenticity.
That just happens to be one of our core values. Over the years we’ve perfected the art of telling stories in a way that’s emotionally resonant, intellectually engaging, and true to the mission and values of our clients. Here are some of our thoughts on Communicating With Authenticity and Heart. This trend towards authenticity is a great opportunity for brands to tell their story – instead of placing ads, how are you sharing chapters of the novel of your brand experience? Or teasing trailers to the documentary about what you do?
We’d love to help tell your story on social media – or anywhere else – in an authentic and engaging way.
