The explosive growth of volume and variety in video for sales communication brought on by the pandemic last year is not slowing down. In fact, among marketers recently surveyed by UK video producer Wyzowl, most (67%) who were not using video last year, plan to start using it this year.
Trends worth considering
An interesting perspective on video trends is that of Envato, a subscription service popular with millions of creative types who use their stock footage, photos, video templates, etc., to come up with marketing content.
Among trends they see taking off in 2021 are these:
1. Social Media Video
Snackable content, much of it in smartphone-friendly vertical format, that stops people scrolling and keeps them watching.
2. Interactive Video
Videos that respond to viewer input (e.g., choose your own path, take a quiz, click-to-buy).
3. Live Video
20% of Facebook videos are live streams — and so is a Zoom meeting. Viewers respond to authenticity — so “prerecorded” videos are effective, too.
4. Personalized Video
The “personal” here generally means on-screen text drawn from consumer data. It’s been shown to increase engagement for consumer brands. But, this might be pretty tricky for technology products.
5. Animation
A lot of production shifted to animation in 2020 because the pandemic made shooting live video problematic. (But there are intriguing new developments in live action production. See below.)
6. Searchable Video
The more you rely on video, the more important it is to make it easy to find. Well-crafted titles, thumbnails and captions can make a big difference at very little cost.
7. Video for Internal Communications
Businesses have become so dependent on Zoom, Google Hangouts, and the like, the “Zoom fatigue” is a more common than the common cold. To fight it, try Zoom’s excellent Mindful Meeting Checklist.
The future of production
Broadcast-quality live videos, across multiple sites, can be shot using contactless camera systems, remote video communication, autofocus facial detection, and professional sound and lighting. Drop Kits™, developed by Hayden5, can be set up by non-professionals on-site and remotely controlled by professionals on the other side of the world. Here’s an example.
