Video Marketing Trends 2019: 13 Industry Experts Teach Us How to Crush It This Year

Not so long ago, the idea of video marketing was out of the question for all but the world’s largest brands.

There were a few small companies that seemed to find a magic formula for making video work, but the rest of us were left scratching our heads or dismissing video as a marketing strategy only for those of deep pockets and artistic minds.

But, we’ve come a long way since the days of exorbitantly-priced video shoots and “Will It Blend?” videos.

Luckily, nowadays, video marketing is more accessible for businesses of all sizes. The internet and tools like Promo have democratized video content and unleashed a whole new era of video, shaping consumer behavior along the way.

Last year, we asked a panel of 13 digital marketing gurus to give us their top tips for companies looking to get started with video marketing. This year, we took it a step further. For part two of our influencer series, we followed up by asking our favorite experts to identify the top video marketing trends they expect to see in 2019. As marketers and small businesses, we want to understand where video marketing is heading in the coming year and how we can not only use video but take advantage of emerging opportunities to beat out the competition and grow our business.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into the trends that are driving video in 2019!

Video Marketing Trend #1: Social video has fully arrived

One of the most undeniable shifts in video marketing is its explosion out of traditional video channels like YouTube and into nearly every social and marketing channel.

Needless to say, nowhere is this more apparent than Facebook.

Promo’s 2018 video research study found that 47% of consumers now watch the majority of video content on Facebook, versus 41% who said the same for YouTube. This is a major record as it marks the first year that Facebook has overtaken the video-first platform. This phenomenon is driving the way both brands and customers use social media.

This should really come as no surprise. All of us, Marketers and FB users alike, have experienced the uptick in video first hand. Unless you’ve taken the year off to sip mimosas under a rock.

“Short, social video will continue to perform better on social sites like Facebook where we consume short videos quickly on the newsfeed,” predicts Donna Moritz. And she knows her stuff.

Before you get too excited, there is one downside to this meteoric rise of social video–more competition.

The landscape will be more crowded than ever and companies will need to work hard to stand out, capture attention, and keep audiences engaged.

Tony Restell predicts an increase for 2019, saying, “This will inevitably mean that competition to get your videos seen will intensify in 2019.” He continues, “Social sites have to ration the available homepage feed space amongst a growing number of video posts.”

But don’t worry, we’re not just here to bum you out. We are here to tell you that smart businesses and savvy marketers (you!) can stay on top of trends to keep ahead of the curve.

Video content, in general, is shown to receive 1,200% more shares on social media than text or image content–combined! This means that any smart marketing strategy for small businesses will need to live and breathe video.

According to  Buffer, social video received 59% more total engagement when compared with image and link content.

The best part is that with video-making tools like Promo, marketers and business owners don’t need to spend there much-needed sleep-time or hard-earned dollars. Now, you can quickly and easily repurpose their text or image content into engaging videos.

More about the explosion of social video:

• What 777,367,063 Facebook Posts Tell Us About Successful Content in 2019 (Buffer)
• Video Content for Social Media – How Crucial is it For Your Marketing? (Ted Rubin)
• State of Advertising in 2019 (AdZombies)

Video Marketing Trend #2: Stories & Live Video are driving massive engagement

A big part of the surge in video content is being driven by the social platforms’ new video formats.

Two of these emerging formats for 2019 are Stories and Live videos. Both have a huge impact.

We found that 68% of consumers are watching Stories regularly on FB and Instagram, including 81% of users under the age of 34. Just in case you need a reminder, Stories are an ephemeral format video or image that disappears 24 hours after you post, giving your audience a sense of presence, urgency and the all-too-familiar FOMO.

Dennis Yu confirmed this in his predictions for what’s to come in 2019. “Facebook says that the Stories format is growing 15X faster than the feed and may overtake the feed within a year,” he says.

Video stories allow brands to push time-sensitive messages out to their audience on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. The ephemeral and sequential characteristics of stories mean that they capture the attention of social users who are hungry for new and interesting content throughout the day.

“Instagram Stories Ads [have] allowed my clients to test out what works for them from an awareness and conversion standpoint,” says Amelia Tran about the rise of this video format.

For brands, the Stories format is almost an entirely new opportunity to reach their audience. Rather than competing in a crowded newsfeed and trying to capture the attention of a scrolling user, Stories get their own UI and present a whole new unique experience.

Live videos also present a unique experience for your audience and allow you to create a real-time, two-way dialogue unlike any other form of content. We know that it can be scary to post a live video without any edits or re-dos, but it definitely pays off. This kind of engagement is exactly what social algorithms are looking for and they reward content that is clearly resonating with the target audience (with more visibility and reach!)

More about Stories and Live video:

• 15 Reasons Instagram Stories Need to be at the Heart of Your Social Strategy (Socially Sorted)
• 3 Ways to Add Video to Your Marketing Strategy (Shane Barker)
• Life After the News Feed: Why Facebook is Shifting to Stories (And Why Your Business Should Too) (Buffer)

Video Marketing Trend #3: Short, bite-sized video land an important role in the marketing strategy

Now that competition for attention is more fierce than ever, “snackable” video content is on the rise.

One of the cool things about this new video content format is that it isn’t necessarily professionally produced or even thematic. It’s all about capturing small moments, ideas, tips, tricks, or inspirational sayings and sharing them with your viewers on a regular basis. Give your audience a reason to keep checking for new content to keep them engaged and excited.

Studies have found that it’s the first 3 seconds of a video that generally determines its success. Sixty-five percent of viewers who watched the first 3 seconds will watch at least 10 seconds and 45% will make it to the 30-second mark.

“We will all have to make more bite-sized, entertaining content,” explains Dennis Yu, “which doesn’t replace, but complements the selling-related content we are all making already.”

Before applying this to your social media strategy, you need to think about the types of content (video and other) that you’re using and what role they each play.

Now, you may be worried that quick, engaging videos may not drive direct sales, but what they will do is help you grow your audience and keep them coming back. This is a critical part of your overall strategy and complements the other efforts that your business is doing to attract and convert customers on social platforms.

More full-sized articles about bite-sized content:

• The Power of One Minute Videos (BlitzMetrics)
• 3 Quick Short Video Ideas – Shake Up Your Visual Content (Socially Sorted)

Video Marketing Trend #4: Video becomes a key strategy to boost conversions

Another cool trend that we’re sure you noticed taking shape is marketers getting creative about using video strategically across ALL channels throughout their campaigns.

We’re seeing video being used anywhere and everywhere from Facebook campaigns, video funnels, emails, and landing pages. And the research is there to back it up.

One study found that website visitors spend 88% more time on a website with video. Another study found that video on e-commerce pages can lead to a 50% lift in average cart size.

Savvy marketers are continuously finding new and creative ways to use video in order to connect with their audience, build trust, and drive conversions.

“I am seeing companies being more receptive to video on their websites,” explains Jessika Phillips. “Companies who care about building a relationship with their audience are going to continue to enhance the use of video in emails, social media as direct replies and live videos to engage and bring their audience with them on their journey.”

This means that while video marketing has become red-hot on social media, it’s not just about generating likes and shares.

Video drives real engagement and real conversions. Yep, it’s the real deal. Creating educational content can help move customers through the funnel, answer their questions, and increase the likelihood that it will all culminate with an actual purchase. For marketers and business owners, this is where the rubber meets the road.

In 2019, informative videos will be the new secret weapon to increase click-through rates, reduce cart abandonment, and grow sales.

More about using video to drive conversions:

• 5 Tips to Make Facebook Your Lead Driving Machine (BlitzMetrics)
• How Customers Engage with Social Video: 8 Things You Need to Know (Socially Sorted)

Video Marketing Trend #5: Consumers will use videos to make purchasing decisions

You may not remember, but our shopping experience has radically changed in the last 10 years.

From the early days of e-commerce to the explosion of video product reviews and the age of showrooming, video content has played a pivotal role in the way that shoppers find and buy products–both online and in stores.

“I believe that videos are going to play a more important role in the future,” predicts Shane Barker. “More brands will use a variety of engaging videos to approach their audiences and influence their buying decisions.”

Our research has found that 80% of millennials say video content is an essential part of the purchasing decision and nearly half of consumers say that they’ve made a purchase that has been directly influenced by a branded video on Facebook. Video is an e-commerce game changer.

It gets even better. New tactics make it ultra-simple for companies to actually drive direct conversions and traffic straight from video to product purchases and businesses can now easily measure the full impact of video on their sales.

In 2019, with the combination of in-video CTAs and remarketing funnels, we’ll see an uptick in brands’ ability to identify where their videos fall within the buyer’s journey and set the stage for smarter video marketing strategies in the coming years.

More about using video to drive purchase decisions:

• How to Use Video Content to Raise Brand Awareness and Sell Your Product (Buffer)
• 3 of the Most Compelling Social Selling How-To Videos (Social-Hire)

Video Marketing Trend #6: The emergence of 360-degree video, VR, and more new formats

While we’re still probably a ways off from 360-degree video and virtual reality taking over our lives, now is the time for cutting-edge brands to jump ahead of this (awesome) upcoming trend.

The emerging VR and AR markets are projected to grow to over $209 billion (!) by the year 2022, which means that more people will be looking for content to consume on these devices. Without advanced hardware and in-house capabilities, it may not be totally reasonable to jump right in at this phase (you’re not alone). But you no one ever said we can’t start planning ahead…

These crazy new technologies will create more immersive experiences that will allow marketers to turn traditional “ads” into something that people actually want to watch and consume, while also engaging with the brand.

“One thing I keep in mind now is the ability for people to rewind and rewatch ads,” says Sarah Evans. “I love to create video ads where consumers WANT to replay what they just saw.”

As the bar for this kind of content comes down, more brands will be poised to take advantage and use them as part of their marketing strategy.

In 2019, we should see some brands start to dip their toes into these futuristic methods.

There’s likely to be a few big, splashy examples of what VR/AR and 360-degree video has in store for the future of content. For the companies that do jump in both feet, they’ll snag a lot of free press and probably go viral for their creative and innovative efforts.

This is likely to be the first year that early adopters fully embrace the technology and start to showcase where we’re headed with video content.

After that, the floodgates should start to open. This technology will quickly make the mainstream and become a more common part of marketing for both large and small companies. Flying cars, anyone?

More about what the world of VR/AR/360 has to offer:

• Google Shows off its VR advertising concept (Martech Today)
• From Gimmick to Game Changer: The Evolution of Augmented Reality Marketing (Skyword)

How to create a killer 2019 video marketing strategy

So, now that we are on top of all the trends, how can we create a winning video marketing strategy? So glad you asked. We’ve put together some top video marketing tips, tactics, and strategies to help you crush it all year long.

Create a mix of sales-focused, educational, and engaging, snackable video content

Here we see two interesting trends that are coming head to head. First off, the rise of bite-sized video content is making it more important for businesses to create and share short engaging videos. But at the same time, informative videos are playing a larger and larger role in the actual purchasing decision, driving conversions and revenue.

Take a beat, this doesn’t mean that every video you create should try to accomplish both tasks.

If you try to accomplish everything in one video, chances are, you’ll accomplish nothing. Instead, create a mix of different videos, each aimed at a specific goal within your strategy. Use quick-hit, engaging video content to generate likes and shares, grow your audience and reach new potential customers and use sales-focused videos that actually help turn those eyeballs into revenue.

Don’t worry, we’re not gonna leave you here to figure it out all by yourselves. Here are some actionable ideas to include in your strategy:

• Create consistent, engaging video content to keep your audience coming back.
• Nail the first 3 seconds–it can be the reason your video sinks or swims.
• Break down big, lofty creative ideas into bite-sized tips.
• Think about where you can use video outside of traditional social and video channels; landing or product pages are a great place to start.
• Add videos to your emails.they’re an awesome way to spruce up your messages!
• Repurpose text and image content into videos to boost engagement.
• Create your own product videos that show functionality, highlight details, and answer questions.
• Replace static images or mock-ups with videos that help customers engage with your products.
• Use video to showcase testimonials and other social proof that will ultimately help buyers make a purchasing decision.

Sprinkle in Stories and Live Video

While having a rock-solid foundation of video content is the bedrock of your social marketing strategy for 2019, sometimes a bit of spontaneity can take things to the next level.

We’ve already seen that in-feed video to Stories and Live footage are taking off with consumers and represent a whole new way to engage your audience.

With Stories and Live videos, you can explore a whole world of new ways to communicate.

There’s a whole slew of exciting strategies that come with these new formats. You can offer episodic content, tell engaging brand stories, or even host live video events where you engage with your audience in real time.

Putting this at the core of your strategy for 2019 is sure to be a winner.

Here’s how you can execute:

• Create a recurring daily or weekly series of “snackable” content that you can create and share quickly.
• Use multiple videos and sequences to tell a story and build a relationship. Videos don’t need to always stand on their own, they can be part of a bigger message.
• Experiment with different video formats to stand out from other companies and competitors.
• Host weekly or monthly discussions or live Q&A sessions.
• Live-stream a video chat between you and a partner or customer to create your own live talk show!
• Want more engagement? Ask for it! Captions, text, and CTAs are critical to the success of your video content.

Start thinking about the future of your video marketing strategy (now)

Just a few short years ago, video content was only just becoming a popular marketing tactic online. Now, it’s exploded into one of the fastest-growing media forms online! And consumers love it!

What can we take from this?

That the future will be here before you know it. Trends that seem like they’re just emerging today will quickly become mainstream and businesses that were early adopters will reap the benefits.

As we look forward now, it’s clear that virtual reality, augmented reality, and 360-degree video will be the next big thing in video content. So, even if it seems far off, now’s the time to start thinking, planning, and even experimenting with the next generation of video content.

Here’s how you can stay ahead of the game:

• Begin planning and thinking about how VR/AR or 360-video could be used as part of your marketing strategy.
• If possible, carve out some budget to explore and experiment with cutting-edge tactics that could give you a headstart on competitors.
• Think about video content from the perspective of the viewer; what can you create that they will want to watch over and over again

Meet the Promo.com video marketing expert panel

Our collection of video marketing trends for 2019 comes from the feedback we received by talking to 13 seasoned industry influencers and marketing experts. They shared their awesome ideas and thoughts on where video marketing is headed in the new year and gave us sage advice on how marketers can take advantage of these trends to stay ahead of the competition.

✔️Warren Whitlock, Digital Media Consultant & Author  ✔️Dennis Yu, CTO of BlitzMetrics ✔️Shane Barker, Digital Marketing Consultant ✔️Lilach Bullock, Online Business Expert & Speaker ✔️Donna Moritz, Digital Content Strategist ✔️Brian Peters, Social Media Lead at Buffer ✔️Jessika Phillips, Social Media & Relationship Marketing Strategist ✔️Tony Restell, Founder of Social-Hire.com ✔️Ted Rubin, Social Marketing Strategist & Speaker ✔️Jeff Sheehan, Influencer, Author & Speaker ✔️Amelia Tran, Activation Supervisor at Essence ✔️Ken ‘Spanky’ Moskowitz, Head Zombie Wrangler at Ad Zombies ✔️Sarah Evans, Digital Correspondent & Consultant

Learn more about the Promo.com panel of video marketing experts and get their tips on getting started with video marketing by checking out our first article in this series!

Read: How to Get Started with Video Marketing

Be Part of the Future of Video Marketing

Not only will online video continue to grow in popularity this year, but it will also continue to produce results for businesses that make it a core component of their marketing strategy.

Get a jump start on your video marketing in 2019 with Promo.

Whether you’re a savvy marketer or a business owner just trying to learn the ropes, Promo makes it super simple to create incredible video content in your browser!