2020 Radar: Video Trends on the Horizon
new year, new prepared you.
1. shoppable content
I am just going to say it – if one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to stop buying items online, this is your warning.
One of the latest trends on the horizon for 2020 is “shoppable content.” In other words, brands are allowing viewers to purchase products WITHIN their videos…yep, you heard right. A great example of this already released (and proven to be popular) was by fashion brand, Ted Baker, and their #TedPresents Christmas campaign.
Simple Shopping
Viewers simply watch, click (via hot spots), and buy if they see something they like. For brands, it could be one of the most direct conversion opportunities ever.
Reference: Styla
2. less actually is more
There’s no need to “Go Big”
In the world of branding and marketing, you can throw all your resources into the best and biggest of everything – equipment, external contracts, you name it. The thing is…it is not necessarily needed.
If you have a compelling video idea, an eager and open-minded team, and time for preparation, you can produce content that achieves every aspect of your desired objective, even without the “frills.”
What do We Mean? Take a Look at Apple.
In early December, Apple released their popular “Snowbrawl” video (commercial). This action-packed, snow-filled encounter was filmed entirely on an iPhone 11 Pro. Now, Apple could very well utilize the biggest and best cameras and lenses if they wanted, but opting for this simple approach and a few supporting items (stabilizers, grips, lights, etc.), they were able to showcase their product (and innovation) at a grossly cheaper cost.
For businesses looking to capture their brand in a more budget-friendly way, why not look at your videos from a new angle like this?!
See Apple’s Behind-the-Scenes video of “Snowbrawl” here.
Reference: Inc.
3. google’s “featured videos”
In 2018, Google gave word of a new results section they would be presenting. It would showcase keyword-tailored videos amongst web, image, and other types of search results. Today, it’s just as relevant and important as the representation of video continues to grow exponentially among online communications.
For “Googlers,” this means a more diverse array of content to view and learn from. For content creators, it poses the question of how to best optimize their brand’s videos for a higher chance of display.
So, how do we optimize video content exactly?
- implement strategic keywords into file names, tags, titles, and descriptions
- offer subtitles and closed-caption options within video to clearly identify content for search engines, and to optimize retention.
- insert and use original additional content (thumbnail photos, for example)
References: FinancesOnline
4. silent videos: are we going back in time?
We’ve all been there – sitting in a public place as the video you’ve decided to watch begins blaring at nearly full sound. It’s not anyone’s idea of a way to make friends, let’s put it that way.
Luckily, to help prevent instances like that, Facebook began to offer an automatic silence option for videos in their network. It allowed users to brief themselves with the video in a much more private way, all the while having the option to turn the volume back on.
As people view silent videos more frequently, content creators are catching onto this and tailoring their content so that it’s visually descriptive, or even sometimes utilize captions or subtitles.
Interesting how trends repeat…sometimes over a hundred years later!
Reference: 99Designs
our thoughts...
The world of video and social media marketing will always be adapting. It’s one of the reasons we love working in it.
With a new year ahead full of tech-related advances and more original and innovative ideas to capture, here at Empress, we’ll be keeping our eyes out for these trends and what they mean to the industry.
To stay up-to-date on our future findings, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or visit our blog page!