Videographer POV: What’s Trending in Video Marketing and Why It’s Essential

It’s not news that video is an essential marketing tool, but are you using it in the right way? There is so much change in the digital landscape, but we’re staying on top of the trends. Here’s what new in video marketing, why it matters, and some recent videos I love.

Video Marketing Trends:

Product Videos 


What’s better than reading a long description of a product and viewing photos from every angle? A product video! I’ve seen this a lot lately with online shopping—both amazon.com and ASOS.com now offer product videos to enhance your shopping experience. I was searching for a cold brew machine on Amazon and was having trouble deciding between brands. I ended up choosing one with a how-to product video explaining the benefits and ease of use.


Return of the long-form video


Marketers know that consumers have short attention span – it’s lead to shortened copy, quick tips, and social media videos under 30 seconds. Recent research has found this may not be the case for everything, especially video. These short-form teaser videos don’t give the viewer enough time to engage and connect on an emotional level. Long-form videos allow you to tell a story and leave a memorable, lasting impression on your viewers. It’s also helpful to note that the average user spends 88% percent more time on a website that has video, so the longer the video, the more time they invest on your site!


 Audience-driven videos (no more one-size-fits-all) 


Retargeting and data-driven advertising has been around long enough—we see ads that fit our likes and interests. So why not have multiple videos created with different audience groups in mind?

Live Videos – If you’re not doing live videos, you should be. Here are some recommendations to get started:

• Find the right talent. Let’s face it—not everyone is cut out to be in front of a camera. No matter how knowledgeable and skilled your employees are in their field, or how wonderful they are in person—they may not exactly be stars on camera. You need the right personality to represent your company and brand—confident, likable, and genuine. Using in-house staff may seem like the right choice for your budget, but hiring professional talent or an influencer may be the most beneficial option in the long run.
• Stage your environment. Even though some live videos are meant to seem “spur of the moment” and “behind-the-scenes”, it’s important to have a well-thought-out / staged environment. Everything in the camera’s view should be taken into consideration. Besides making sure your background is clean and visually appealing, you may want to consider using a backdrop and props. Even special lighting and effects can improve the entire mood of your video.
• Proper lighting and sound. Nothing’s worse than a harshly lit video, or a beautifully shot video with horrible audio. Make sure you have the proper audio levels/volume and account for background noise—especially outdoors (wind/traffic/etc.). 

• Always always always have a backup plan in place. Technology isn’t perfect. Things will go wrong. Account for loss in internet connection, audio issues, on-camera problems, or a server crash. Have a Plan B, and always do multiple test runs.

• Content vs. Quality.
Reminder: content can be better than quality in some cases. You don’t need top of the line professional equipment and you don’t need super-high resolution (4K)/ television-quality for your live videos. The majority of your viewers aren’t tech geniuses and won’t spot minor flaws in quality. Make sure your content hits all the right points and connects with your audience on an emotional level.

Why Videos Are Important:

With the internet, we all have the world at our fingertips. It’s more important than ever to differentiate and stand out from competitors. Having a beautiful photo and a thoughtful caption doesn’t cut it anymore. The more you’re able to engage and connect with your viewers and the longer you’re able to hold their attention, the better your results.

Video is a powerful medium that can grab hold of emotions—we’ve all seen commercials or videos that have made us laugh or even brought tears to our eyes. Using emotion in video content helps consumers understand and connect with your product/brand/service and helps them get to know and trust you as a business.

Videos can be used for anything! But it’s important to have a purpose. Producing videos just to have them and keep up with the latest trend isn’t enough. It’s important to make sure you have a strong message and intent behind your video—What are you selling—A service? A product? Who is the video for? What will it accomplish?

Recent Videos I Love:


• Ryan Reynolds Aviation Gin
• The Loretta / Google Super Bowl commercial (of course)
• This is Duration, a new Norfolk Brewery
• Melzingah Tap House / Support Local video

By Alyssa, Senior Digital Designer / Videographer | June 15, 2020