Video Trends That Are Dominating Our Screens in 2021

Video is an essential and powerful marketing tool. Because of this, it is important for businesses to stay current with video trends that promote their message to rise above the competition. This helps with developing their video marketing, content marketing, and other marketing strategies. To give an idea of what's trending right now, we put together a list of five video trends popularizing in 2021: 

• Live Video
• Vertical & Ephemeral Video
• Searchable Video
• Animated Video
• Video for Internal Communications

Live Video

During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and brands got creative with how they held meetings, engaged with their audience and hosted events. Live streaming proved to be an effective way to accomplish these tasks while also following safety restrictions. In 2020, watch time for live content increased by 250% and this trend isn’t slowing down in 2021. People are actively looking for live streams, especially on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.

There are countless benefits to hosting a live stream:

• Cheaper than holding an event
• Connects consumers and businesses in real-time
• Feels more authentic to viewers
• Increases brand awareness

Check out our article for more information about how live streaming can help your business.

Vertical & Ephemeral Video

Have you ever watched a video on social media and got frustrated because you had to turn your phone horizontally to view it? In the age of smartphones, vertical videos are key to quickly grabbing and keeping a viewer's attention. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels inspired an explosion of vertical short-form videos in "snackable" formats. These videos have a 90% higher completion rate than their horizontal counterparts, according to MediaBytes. Although horizontal videos aren't going anywhere, businesses and brands should consider following the vertical video trend to reach audiences on smartphones.

What are the best platforms to publish vertical videos? We recommend Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Many of these videos are ephemeral, meaning they only last for a short period of time. Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram Stories are only available to view for 24 hours, making these videos feel addictive and engaging. Ephemeral videos are a compelling strategy for businesses to connect with their followers in a way that seems personal and unedited, while being easily consumed.

Searchable Video

When making a Google search, a video carousel often appears on the top of the page with results related to your search. Videos are as important in search results as written content, if not more. For this reason, it is critical for businesses to ensure their videos are searchable and search engine optimized (SEO). This means businesses should add as much relevant information with their videos as possible so they stand out in search engine algorithms.

How does a business do this? This Envato article recommends:

• Adding relevant tags and keywords
• Creating original thumbnails
• Including subtitles and closed captions
• Using file names, titles and descriptions containing target keywords

Another tip: Since 90% of video search results consist of YouTube videos, optimizing a video for YouTube will optimize it for search engines as well.

Follow these tips and your video will be easier for your audience to find.

Animated Video

Animation gained popularity during the pandemic because people were unable to produce videos in person. Many different styles of animation gained momentum including fluid animation, gradients and motion collages (see examples of these animation styles here). As we revert back to the norm, experts predict that producers will incorporate live action and animation into their videos and storytelling. Utilizing two mediums within one video will keep the audience engaged and entertained.

Video for Internal Communications

While videos have long been used for business internal communications, they became more important in keeping employees happy and motivated during the past couple of years. With the rise in remote work, internal videos increase collaboration, keep messages concise, and make employees feel closer to executives and each other.

According to this Vidyard article, types of internal communications videos include:

• Live streaming and recordings of meetings and events
• Onboarding
• Training
• Troubleshooting
• Updates and announcements
• Walkthroughs

Employees are already used to watching video outside of work, so utilizing video in internal communications just makes sense. However, many businesses may be intimidated by creating videos, may not have the resources, or simply may not know how. Video production companies like BW Productions assist these businesses in producing content. Here are some tips about how to choose the best video production company.

For more information on the type of work BW Productions does click HERE

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