Video Content Marketing Trends and Tips for 2014

12th December 2013

Which video marketing trends will we all be talking about in 2014? As it comes to the end of year, the marketers’ crystal balls have been working overtime to foresee the future.

We thought that instead of making predictions, it would be more useful to pick out some key areas for your content marketing 2014 to-do list.

Year of the Video (yes, again)

We’re biased of course, but it’s no secret that video is becoming increasingly important to brands. The stats are compelling. In the Online Video Marketing Survey and Business Video Trends Report 2013, 82% of marketers found that video had been effective for them. The chances are that video is much more affordable than you think, and can deliver a high ROI. One study about email marketing found that video in email marketing campaigns increased marketing revenue by 40%.

Video and search marketing

With the new Google Hummingbird algorithm putting SEO in a spin this year, it’s even more important to think about your audience when creating content. What are they looking for? How can you answer their questions? It’s no longer enough to rely on well-placed keywords. Try to contextualise your videos around longer content and integrate your campaigns with social media. As the long-tail search becomes more important, you could also engage audiences by creating niche content which is relevant for users of your brand.

Mix it up

Related to post-Hummingbird search marketing is the question of long or short content? We’ve seen a few blogs about 2014 trends praising short easily digestible content. However, with the focus of Hummingbird on answering questions and longtail search, there could still be a place for longer pieces.

Short video content certainly has its place. We love Twitter, and Instagram and Vine video can be an interesting way to engage with your audience. With the ever increasing importance of mobile, short ads will certainly have their place. But longer content can work too – check out Sainsbury’s Christmas documentary. So the long and short of it is that we would suggest you should use short videos where appropriate along with your longer content for maximum impact.

Second, third and fourth screen

In the first quarter of 2013, 49% of adults used their mobile phones for internet access, up from 39% a year previously. Compared with desktop ads, mobile ads can take up the full attention of the viewer, filling the screen. It seems obvious that you can’t afford to ignore mobile, but it’s interesting how many brands still don’t ensure that their videos are mobile-friendly. It is essential to analyse your stats to see where your audience is watching and interacting with your video content. You need to ensure that you’re catering for mobile for search marketing and also for your user experience.

Quality, quality, quality

A recent study showed that 58% of B2B marketers planned to increase their content marketing budget this year (up from 54% last year). So with all these content marketers, how do you differentiate yourself? For us, quality counts. Whatever style of video you’re creating, ensure that you put quality first. Exclusive video content targeted at a selected number can help to emphasise quality.

Customer experience via video

A common thread that we’ve noticed recently (across all sectors, but particularly in financial services, tech and retail) is the use of video to showcase an excellent customer experience. In a crowded marketplace, it can be useful to emphasis the customer journey and experience in testimonials and stories about the brand.

Video ads

Video adverts have increasing opportunities to appear online. As well as native video ads in content streams, which can offer relevancy to your audience, the social sphere will be important in 2014.

According to a report by Mixpo, nearly 70% of agency executives plan to advertise on YouTube in 2014, whilst nearly 25% expect to run video ads on Twitter. Although video ads don’t exist on Facebook, nearly 50% said they would pay for advertising when the service is offered. As videos are one of the most shared type of posts on Facebook, this is not surprising, and it will be interesting to see how this are develops in 2014. If you have a budget for online advertising, it’s certainly worth testing video ads.

Love visuals, love video

Over the last few years, content marketers have noticed how the use of visuals has improved engagement. Just think of the popularity ofPinterest. It’s important to integrate photos and videos in your social content to help engage your audiences more fully. Your video content should be present across all channels from your website and YouTube and all your social channels.

With 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter every minute, it’s worth thinking whether you can afford not to add video to your marketing mix.

How will your business be using content marketing next year?

We’d love to chat to you about ways that you can make 2014 a good year for your business, so feel free to contact us for a chat.

Give us a ring: 01179 240773

Drop us a line: info@hurricanemedia.co.uk

By Jon Mowat

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