If you’re running an ecommerce business, then you know just how important it is to keep up with the latest marketing trends. It allows you to stay a step ahead of your competitors.

In today’s digital age, consumers are watching more and more videos. To ensure you’re reaching your target audience as much as possible, video marketing should definitely have a place within your online marketing strategy.

But merely producing video after video isn’t enough. You need to also understand the what, the how, and the why of video marketing, which includes knowing about the current video trends.

If you’re looking to get up to speed on the top video trends, look no further. In this article, we’ll present to you the top ten video marketing trends you need to know about in 2021. 

Let’s get straight to it.

1. Video Usage in 2021

One of the most important video marketing trends pertains to its usage. 

According to recent research, as many as 85 percent of businesses have used video marketing in one way or another in 2020. This is a 24 percentage point increase from just four years earlier in 2016, during which just 61 percent of businesses used video for marketing.

Of the businesses that use video marketing in 2020, nearly all (99 percent) say they plan to continue doing so (Wyzowl, 2020).

That’s not all. More than nine in ten (92 percent) regard it as an “important” part of their overall marketing strategy, which is a testament to the effectiveness of video.

If you’re planning to jump on the latest video marketing trends, you need to know what marketers are producing videos for. Currently, the top video trends include explainer videos, which nearly three in four (72 percent) of marketers create, presentation videos (49 percent), testimonial videos (48 percent), and sales videos and video ads (42 percent each).

2. The Livestream Boom on Mobiles

But just what type of videos are hot? By the looks of it, live streaming is set to be one of the most popular video marketing trends in 2021.

The numbers say it all—in 2021, the average US consumer will have an average of 9.5 video streaming apps installed on their mobile phones (PR Newswire, 2020). 

Considering that users have, on average, around 80 apps installed on their phones. This means that more than ten percent of these apps are video streaming apps. 

If you need further proof of this video marketing trend, let’s take a look at its growth figures. The latest statistics show that the global streaming market has been growing rapidly in recent years. 

In 2020, the market was worth $161.37 billion, a whopping 55 percent year-over-year increase from its value of $104.11 billion in 2019 (What’s New in Publishing, 2020). Analysts predict the sector will continue to grow in 2021 and be one of the hottest video marketing trends of the year. 

3. More Short-Form Videos

Live streaming aside, short-form videos will also continue to trend as we enter 2021 (Design Shack, 2020).

This video marketing trend has been spurred by the recent launch of Instagram Reels in August 2020 and the continuous growth of TikTok.

There are a few rumors around Instagram’s plans to further develop Reels. These include possible monetization opportunities for content creators, enhanced video editing tools, an improved look, and the ability to sell products and services directly on Reels. 

If these prove true, we can definitely expect to see greater adoption of Instagram Reels in 2021. 

And who can forget TikTok? Not only has TikTok taken the social media world by storm, but the fastest-growing social media platform is also now on track to hit 1.2 billion average monthly active users in 2021. 

To win at video marketing in 2021, short-form, fast-paced, and energetic videos are certainly among the most popular video marketing trends to focus on when planning your 2021 marketing campaign.

4. Top Video Trends: User-Generated Video Content

User-generated content plays a key role in marketing strategies and video content is no exception to this. In fact, user-generated video content ranks among the top video marketing trends in 2021.

Its effectiveness in attracting users and keeping them engaged is clear. User-generated videos on YouTube receive up to ten times as many views as branded content. That’s not all: studies show that users who land on a site via UGC spend twice as much time on the site (Econsultancy, 2020). 

User-generated video content also does a much better job of converting users into sales. The chances of these users arriving on an eCommerce site via a video UGC and carrying out a purchase are also 184 percent higher and these users also spend 45 percent more.

This is particularly effective in industries that are heavily driven by user opinions, including travel and health and beauty. 

But whether or not your business operates in these industries, user-generated video content is definitely something you should be incorporating into your video marketing strategy in 2021. 

5. More Online Training and Educational Videos

Not only has the coronavirus pandemic forced employees to work from home in 2020, but students also have had to adapt as classes take a digital turn. More than one billion students worldwide from primary schools to universities are now learning from home. 

That said, one of the biggest video marketing trends of 2021 has to do with e-learning. Already, the e-learning market is experiencing a huge surge, growing by 36.3 percent year-over-year in 2020 (Report Linker, 2020). This massive growth will take its market value to nearly half a billion this year.

Online learning and educational videos were already en route to shape the video marketing trends of 2021. Even before COVID-19, the e-learning market was set to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 10.3 percent between 2020 and 2027.

6. Video Advertising Growth

If you need further proof of the growth of video marketing in 2021, let’s take a look at some digital video ads expenditure figures. 

In 2020, video ad spend in the US hit $9.95 billion. This is expected to increase by 13 percent to $11.24 billion in 2021 (Statista, 2019). 

The growth of video advertising is also not showing any signs of stopping. This figure is forecast to continue rising over the next few years and reach $12.66 billion by 2024. In other words, in the eight years from 2017 to 2024, brands’ expenditure on video ads in the United States will grow by a whopping 41.9 percent. 

This means that competition for video ad space will be fierce. If you want to excel at it and be ahead of others, you’ll need to get a jump on the latest video marketing trends now.

7. Video Marketing Trends: Keep Investing in Video Marketing

Just what are the drivers behind these video marketing trends in 2021? For starters: a sufficiently high ROI (return on investment).

This is so much so that nearly nine in ten (89 percent) video marketers agree that videos produce a good return on their investment (Wyzowl, 2020). 

In fact, 80 percent of them say that their video marketing efforts have directly resulted in increased sales, and 83 percent also say they’re getting more leads. These aside, video marketing has also helped more than 80 percent of marketers increase website traffic, time spent on their websites, and users’ understanding of their product or service.

Given these impressive stats, it should come as no surprise, then, that a big majority of video marketers (95 percent) plan to either maintain or increase their investment in video marketing going forward.

8. Interactive AR Content in 2021

Next on the list of the biggest video marketing trends of 2021 is the growth of the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The AR and VR market is forecast to grow over the next few years and reach $72.8 billion in 2024 (Statista, 2020).

To put this growth in perspective, this is six times more than the $12 billion that’s forecast for 2020 and a 54 percent five-year CAGR. 

Considering its popularity, it’s definitely something you want to consider in your video marketing strategy in 2021. Already, brands like IKEA have adopted VR into their online content. Consumers can use the tech to visualize their products in their homes without having to visit the store. 

This is one great alternative to the in-person shopping experience which may continue to be rather limited as we head into 2021.

9. The Rise of Shoppable Videos

As eCommerce grows, more and more brands are starting to create seamless shopping experiences for consumers. One of the latest video marketing trends in this regard is the rise of shoppable videos. 

Shoppable videos provide interactive experiences for buyers as it allows them to purchase the product being advertised in the video ad directly from the content. This does away with having to search for the product seen in the ad, which makes for a faster and easier purchase.

This will be one of the hottest video marketing trends not only in 2021 but beyond. Already, engagement rates of shoppable videos, particularly clickthrough rates and conversions, have surpassed those of display advertising (Internet Retailing, 2020).

US tech company Clinch, which helps brands integrate shoppable features to their video ads, says that their services are in “high-demand” among their clients and many are starting to launch these experiences for the 2020 year-end holiday shopping season.

10. Virtual Events Are Here To Stay

One of the biggest impacts the coronavirus pandemic has had has been on in-person events. About seven out of ten organizers have had to move their event online in 2020 as part of the measures to curb the spread of the virus (PCMA, 2020).

Going forward, even as restrictions loosen and face-to-face events become a possibility again, it’s likely that many events will continue to be held virtually—either as a standalone or a complement to an in-person event. 

In fact, almost half (48 percent) of all event planners expect attendees to prefer online sessions. Considering the benefits of holding events online, this is no surprise. 

Virtual events save on traveling time as attendees can be there and soak in the content in just a few clicks, which opens up the event to people all over the globe. It can also save costs, because organizers won’t have to rent a physical location to accommodate dozens or even hundreds of participants.

With so many advantages, there’s definitely a place for video marketing opportunities at these events, and we can expect this to feature as one of the biggest video marketing trends in 2021.

Conclusion

There you have it: the top ten video marketing trends you need to know in 2021.

Insights into these top video trends should help you better access how to approach your video marketing strategy going forward. That way, you can get ahead of your competitors and excel at one of the most effective marketing strategies.

If you’re hoping to use video to boost your ecommerce business, then don’t forget to also check out the ten ecommerce trends you need to know in 2021.

Summary: Video Marketing Trends

Here’s a summary of the Video Marketing Trends you need to know in 2021:

1. 99 percent of video marketers say they plan to continue using video in the future.

2. In 2021, the average US consumer will have 9.5 video streaming apps installed on their smartphones.

3. Short-form videos like TikTok and Instagram Reels will trend in 2021.

4. Users arriving on an eCommerce site via user-generated video content are 184 percent more likely to purchase.

5. E-learning grew by 36.3 percent in 2020 and is expected to continue growing in 2021.

6. Expenditure on digital video ads is forecast to reach $12.66 billion by 2024.

7. 89 percent of video marketers say they get a good return on investment from videos.

8. The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market worldwide is expected to hit $72.8 billion in 2024.

9. Shoppable videos have higher engagement rates than display advertising and will be starting to trend in 2021.

10. Seven out of ten event organizers moved their in-person event online in 2020. Going forward, nearly half expect virtual events to continue trending.

This article was originally posted by Ying Lin on https://www.oberlo.com