February 4, 2021 6 min read
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In 2021, videos will dominate the online world more than ever. From branded videos to live videos to general video content, videos have received the greatest possible boost as of 2020. The statistics are staggering.
According to Oberlo, 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand, person, or company they endorse. What is more astonishing is a recent YouTube survey that found that 50% of Millennials and Generation Z users say that they “couldn’t live” without video in their life.
The explosion of video content comes with the need. The only question that remains unanswered is whether branded content evolves with the ever-changing appetite of the typical video content consumer.
I caught up with Emmy-nominated television journalist Charisse Yu, a former reporter for ABC, CBS, and CNN partners for a chat. Since then, Charisse has left television coverage and started a recipe video-based business under the Charisse Yu brand. Parts of this article are inspired by my conversations with Charisse about how today’s social media users are consuming video and how these trends could affect brand visibility and adoption in 2021.
Related: The 8 Most Popular and Effective Uses of Video Marketing
Videos are getting even shorter
This year I’ve spent a lot more time watching videos on Instagram and YouTube than the average person. It became increasingly clear that I was naturally interested in shorter videos. It almost felt like my goal was to incorporate a larger number of videos into the hour I spend watching videos every day. The tendency to skip an ad also stuck to this unwritten rule.
Charisse gives the same feeling as a professional video artist. According to Charisse, their average video length is 45 seconds. Charisse has built a strong following with her quick 30-60 second recipe videos. The reason she cites for the ever shorter lengths of her videos is simple: “Viewers appreciate videos that are light and easy to consume. Videos must also pique the viewer’s interest in the first 5 to 6 seconds.”
Length has always been important to content creators, whether it’s text, audio, or video. The longer a piece can run, the better they can express themselves and inspire the audience. However, tolerance for longer videos has decreased year on year and content creators have little wiggle room. The results? More innovation.
Stop motion videos have come to the fore with the new realities. Charisse Yu used this system almost exclusively to build her brand in 2020. She believes that due to the success it has achieved along with a combination of traditional top-down videos, this trend will take over more and more brands in 2021.
Animated videos are also characterized by the fact that an innovation brand has passed on its message with great effect and at the same time is innovative enough to shape the brand qualities in the minds of its viewers.
Augmented Reality is also gaining a stronger presence in the area of ad and video content. Of all the future technology inventions Techlurn has predicted in the business, AR is likely to be the most widespread in 2020.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said that one day AR will be as important in our daily lives as “eating three meals a day”. It looks like his prediction may come true.
Longer videos aren’t exactly out the window; They require a far more creative “in your face” quality to keep the viewer occupied. Brands can often post such engaging videos.
Related: Overcome Short Attention Spans With ‘Micro-Content’
User generated videos are becoming mainstream
User Generated Content (UGC) has gained in importance in recent years. However, 2020 seemed to be the breakout year for UGCs, with brands starting to use it more widely.
A recent study found that 81% of customers are influenced by the purchase of a product, service, subscription, or membership through a social media friend or a post from a family member. The bottom line behind UGC’s success is people’s subtle distrust of brand marketing due to increasingly unethical marketing practices.
Getting loyal customers or viewers to talk about your brand can be more effective than anything else you can say about your brand. Charisse Yu describes this phenomenon as a “trust construction” process. In their opinion, the world of video has a huge impact on customers and viewers and therefore tends to arouse the greatest suspicions. UGCs are a great way to build trust with customers.
This is especially effective when the user who generated the content is trackable and accessible to other users on your platform. In 2021, UGC is sure to explode even more in the video scene.
Related: 4 Main Benefits Of Video Content
Collaboration videos and live videos are becoming mainstream
The video live streaming industry grew 99% in 2020. Let this statistic sink in. It probably goes without saying that brands must seriously try to generate more live streaming content in 2021.
“Live videos have the opportunity to invite people into the process and turn them into stakeholders in the end product,” says Charisse. The impact of live streaming on various industries in 2020 has been encouraging.
Live video also creates space for collaboration with your users and other professionals. The popularity of video conferencing collaboration content in 2020 signals a growth in this trend in 2021.
In the words of Charisse Yu: “Collaboration videos expand the horizons of your brand in the eyes of your audience and signal that you are relevant in your industry and beyond.”
This type of video has overlapped with influencer marketing in 2020. Brands have created collaboration videos with influencers like the popular SkillShare ad starring Olivia Wilde and Neil Patrick Harris or the Coin Master ad starring Jennifer Lopez and Kris Jenner. The success of these ads is expected to result in more similar video content for both ads and regular content.
Collaboration videos can also include members of your audience. This strategy also serves as the UGC and is sure to produce similar, if not more tangible, results. Another popular ad that took advantage of this strategy in 2020 was the numerous Expert Option ad that featured users of their platform.
Collaboration videos can stand on their own, but when combined with the tremendous success of live videos in 2020, brand engagement could double in 2021.
In 2021, Charisse plans to continue her video effort to support her 400,000+ followers on social media. These strategies have shown that their videos produce an average of over 275,000 views, some of which have more than 1 to 3 million views.
The pandemic has come, but not quite over yet. The effects will surely be with us well into 2021. It is therefore not surprising that the trends that have risen this year will only explode more strongly into the scene in 2021. The idea is for brands to find out which trends work best and ride that wave into the sunset.
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