Video marketing — or, simply, the practice of using video content to advertise your product — is a booming market. People ingest hours and hours of video content per day, from TikTok, to YouTube, to Instagram Reels. Instagram — once a popular photo-sharing app — has even started prioritizing video content.

Research shows that video marketing is only going to continue getting more popular, with 92% of marketers thinking that video will play an important role in marketing over the coming years. So if you’re thinking about putting an emphasis on video, now is a good time to start. Let’s look at some trends that we expect to become the future of video advertising.

1. Short-Form Is King

It’s hard to exist online or on social media without having at least heard of TikTok (or for the millennials: Vine, which came before it). Short-form video (or videos that are two minutes or less) is everywhere. They help capture the attention of people who may not have a long attention span, or who don’t have much time to consume content. From a branding standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense for anyone seeking relevance not to be on the app, or to at least mimic the short-form video style that has made it so popular.

• Benefits: This popular, engaging video style increases video engagement while still leaving a lot of room for creativity.
• Potential drawbacks: It can be hard to get your message across with the time constraints of short videos.

2. Create Accessible Videos

Accessibility has become an important topic in nearly every media space — from television and movies to music, web design, and art. Focusing on accessible content helps make sure that everyone can get the most out of what you’re creating. You can add accessibility features to your video content by adding captions or subtitles and audio descriptions.

• Benefits: Allows people with disabilities to access and enjoy your video content.
• Potential drawbacks: May take extra time to add accessibility features to your content — but it’s worth it.

3. Incorporate SEO Into your Video

You may have seen jokes that searching “[topic] + Reddit” is the way to get the best answer. While that may not be based in reality, it is a reality that younger people tend to use video websites like TikTok and YouTube as their search engine. So the same way that you’d optimize for keywords if you were launching a blog or website, you should optimize your video content.

• Benefits: Integration SEO will make your video strategy worthwhile by getting more eyes on your content.
• Potential drawbacks: Fitting keywords into your videos may be a little clunky or awkward.

4. Use Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is useful in many aspects of life, and video marketing is no different. AI can’t write the perfect brand video for you of course, but it can help you do the appropriate research and create a script to use as your jumping-off point. There are AI tools that can generate images, scripts, text, or research, so find one that fits what you need to make your video conceptualization just a little easier.

• Benefits: Can help streamline the process of researching and writing your videos.
• Potential drawbacks: You need to make sure AI is a crutch and not a tool — don’t rely too much on AI to create your entire video, or it may come across as disingenuous.

5. Adapt For Mobile

What does every adult in the world have in common? They probably have a phone on them. Not only are more people watching videos, more people are watching videos specifically on their phones. You should create videos that can be watched in a vertical format, so they are better optimized for mobile.

• Benefits: More people can easily watch your videos on the go.
• Potential drawbacks: Vertical videos may not have the large-scale production quality of horizontal videos.

6. Look To Your Users

User-generated content (UGC) is one way to up your authenticity. By asking your users to be part of your videos, you can capture authentic, real moments from people who actually know (and appreciate) your brand. An important element of UGC: it should be unsponsored, so it isn’t just another advertisement.

• Benefits: UGC is authentically created by your loyal users, so it can really pack a punch.
• Potential drawbacks: It can be hard to walk the line between appreciating your users and relying on them for reviews and making them feel exploited. Don’t ask for too much — remember, they’re making this content for free!

7. Go Live

Live streaming presents brands with a unique opportunity to meet their audience where they are — literally. Going live can give your brand a deeper connection with your users, because you’re presenting a face to talk to them directly. This can up people’s trust in and engagement with your brand if you are able to provide engaging live content they find valuable.

• Benefits: Creates a more intimate connection with fans by putting a face to your brand.
• Potential drawbacks: With live video, there is a lot of room for mistakes (lag time, technical issues, inappropriate comments, etc). Work out how to run a smooth live stream before trying it out.

8. Experiment With Interactive Videos

In a world where short-form videos have become king, keeping viewers engaged can create a new challenge. One way to do so is by making your videos interactive. If viewers have buttons to click or forms to fill out while watching your video, they may be more likely to stay for the entire thing.

• Benefits: Allows you to collect data (with polls, email forms, etc.), while also keeping viewers entertained.
• Potential drawbacks: You want to make your videos interactive in a fun way, not a burdensome way. No one wants to give a ton of personal information in the middle of a video.

9. Don’t Be Afraid of Trending Audios, Memes, Etc.

We all know that brands trying to capitalize on trends can easily become a little cringe-worthy. However, when done right, it really hits home. Look at Dunkin’ Donuts: after so many years of the iconic Ben Affleck memes, they brought him in for a commercial, and people loved it. Brands doing thorough research to see how they can join in on trends in a funny way can up your marketing game and keep you relevant.

• Benefits: Capitalizing on trends can increase your reach (if you use trending audios, etc.), and when done right it will definitely get people talking.
• Potential drawbacks: Forcing yourself into trends that you don’t belong in can easily become cringe.

10. Create Videos For Different Personas

When season two of the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon was advertising, they created two different trailers for fans of each of the two different warring houses. What resulted was a group of fans who felt that their advertising experience was being catered to them, and it got people talking. Even if you’re using the same footage, catering your editing and messaging to different user personas can make your videos feel more personal.

• Benefits: Creates a personalized viewing experience that will send the right messaging to different audience members, drawing in a wide range of people.
• Potential drawbacks: It may take more work to shoot additional footage, or edit footage to cater to different people.

What Is the Most Popular Form of Video Marketing?

Short-form videos on platforms like TikTok are currently the most popular form of video marketing. Short-form videos cater to the attention span of the younger generation and allow brands to get their point across quickly and in a way that viewers will understand.

Other forms of video marketing include testimonials, interview videos, short brand advertisement videos, and demonstration videos. All of these are a good way to give your audience more information about your brand.

Benefits of Focusing on Video-First Content

If we haven’t made it clear enough: video is very, very popular. There are many benefits to making video an integral part of your marketing strategy, from a bigger audience to more creative opportunities.

A few lesser-known benefits of video content include:

• Increased rankings (websites with video typically appear higher on search results pages).
• A more engaged audience.
• More reach, as videos are an extremely shareable medium.
• More opportunities to establish trust with your users by creating genuine videos.

Press Play On Video Content

Video content can open up many possibilities for marketers. It can expand reach, create authentic connections, and increase your relevance in an age where many people are consuming video as their top media.

While focusing on video may seem like a lot of work, adding accurate captions to your video content doesn’t have to be. Platforms like Rev can help add accurate captions at lightning-fast speed.