The Style of Video Marketing in 2017

With modern mothers claiming to have less than 20 minutes of time to themselves in a day, advertisers need to take a high-impact approach if they want to have a precious place in their leisure time.

And it’s not just mothers – it’s everyone. In 2016 attention is fickle, so more and more businesses are relying on video to hit the marketing jackpot, and 2017 is only going to become even more intensive.

Content marketing is now highly visual. If your Facebook post doesn’t have a picture or video in it then it’s less likely to get shared, and some people might overlook it altogether. Facebook now boasts 8 billion video views per day while text engagement continues to decrease. Meanwhile, teen hangout Snapchat even managed to eclipse this figure midway through 2016, with a claimed 10 billion video views every. Single. Day.

Mobile devices account for over half of YouTube views, so your brand’s video can quite literally fall into the hands of your audience with the correct strategy. In 2017 you might want to think about remodelling your content marketing plan to exploit the success of video in its ability to engage with digital viewers. There is statistical proof that video increases conversions, and viewers can be as much as 85% more likely to buy your product after watching its video. Think about it, which would convince you more: reading a description of a vacuum cleaner in the Argos catalogue, or watching a beautifully shot video that shows in just a few seconds all its features, its elegant movement, how nice your house looks with a clean carpet.

Facebook introduced Facebook Live in 2016, and their ongoing investment in video and ‘the next big thing’ would suggest that you can expect further development of their video creation and publishing features. Not only is Facebook Live something new, it’s also a live streaming portal – which is the other thing you can anticipate in 2017. Along with Twitter’s Periscope and YouTube Live, Facebook Live leads us from the 2016 beginnings and into a more established, abundant 2017 of live streamed videos.

If customers prefer to watch product videos to learn about what you’re selling, imagine how it could help to train your staff. Training videos are becoming an increasingly fundamental part of developing employee skillsets, thanks to their easily digestible nature in comparison to a heavy, impenetrable manual. Don’t pretend you’ve never tried to build Ikea furniture without reading the instructions first.

Wallpaper videos are also gaining popularity, with many brands using their website homepage as a platform to house their company video. Your website is the digital doorway into your business, so why not capture your audience’s attention in the click of a button by making your door the most interesting, colourful, shiny one on the street.

360˚ video is an emerging method of giving your video an added edge over your competitors. Instead of just showing one video scene, how about an immersive image that looks all around you. To the left, by your feet, behind you – 360˚ video allows the user to pan and rotate the camera angle and see the entire video setting instead of just one shot. This is perfect for walkthrough videos if you have a cool restaurant or office, or if you’re broadcasting from the top of a volcano and want your audience to share the view. Following on from 360˚ video is the inevitable introduction of virtual reality. In the same way that the Nokia 3310 has now evolved into the omnipresent iPhone, VR headsets will one day be the norm, and 2017 is a year that is predicted to see this novelty item move towards becoming a household staple.

If you’re in need of some inspiration, one of the most watched YouTube videos of 2016 was Knorr’s #LoveAtFirstTaste. The reason this is so successful is because it’s not showing how to crumble a stock cube into a jug of water. In fact it doesn’t show much food at all. Instead it reaches out to meal-Instagramming millennials and explores people’s relationship with flavour: