2021 Video Marketing Trends: Insights from Social Media Experts
In 2020, brands of all sizes struggled to adapt to changing consumer needs. After a tough year, many small businesses have begun prioritizing making genuine and lasting connections online. Whether they’re doing this by ramping up their social media presence or adding remote services to their list of offerings — brands are finding a way to stay visible and relevant to their customers, even from a distance.
How do these efforts translate to social media in 2021? We asked 6 experts to walk us through the key video marketing predictions small businesses should keep in mind this year. Check them out in the infographic below.
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1. Community is key - and yours may be on Instagram Reels.
Natasha Samuel, Founder and Social Media Strategist / Sol Studio
In 2021, Reels could continue to be the best way for brands to grow organically on Instagram. It’s all about experimenting on the platform to see what boosts engagement most. By using Reels consistently in your content strategy, you can build a more engaged community with relatable, educational, and entertaining content.
2. Video is not a one-and-done strategy.
Sally Sargood, Chief Video Officer / Animoto
In 2020, brands that got the best ROI for their video marketing were the ones that used video consistently and across various social platforms. We’re going to see an influx of videos on social media at the start of 2021, so standing out will mean creating a strategy for continuous video creation early in the year, and setting specific goals for each month to stay on task.
3. Live video and real-time shopping are on the rise in 2021.
Mari Smith, Social Media Thought Leader / Premier Facebook Marketing Expert
In 2021, we’ll see a surge in live video coupled with real-time shopping on both Facebook and Instagram. The feature is already available to a limited number of creators, but will be rolling out to more users. Instagram alluded that the real-time shopping with live video is not just for online retailers of physical products; the company is also working on ways to help all types of businesses as well.
4. Telling your story with video helps humanize your brand.
Tanya Smith, Video Content Strategist / Get Noticed with Video
People are literally aching for connection with other people, not just a talking head. I predict that brands that use more interactive, snack-sized videos to share their stories and show their value will have a much shorter sales cycle than the ones that don't.
5. Simple gets traction.
Josh Krakauer, CEO / Sculpt Brands are getting more value from lightweight, bite-sized content. So, repurpose existing assets to create new content. For content that draws your viewers in: take your text-based content and create social videos, or take a long-form video and create several shorter, social-friendly pieces of content.
6. Organic video content fosters genuine connection with your customer.
Chelsea Krost, Millennial Expert / Marketing & Branding Strategist
In the year 2021, video will absolutely be a top of mind element in everyone's marketing and content marketing strategy. I believe a big video trend for this year will be, "simpler productions" as we are filming livestream content remotely or from our homes and using scaled-down studios and equipment to create content that connects with our audience and customer.
How you can apply 2021 trends to your video marketing strategy
Now that you know what works, it’s time to start creating. One helpful way to get started is with a weekly or monthly plan. Not sure what to create? No problem. In this post you’ll find a year’s worth of video ideas to help you get organized.
To start creating videos quickly and easily, try Animoto’s customizable video templates. With over a decade in the industry and partnerships with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn, Animoto is the trusted video marketing tool for more than 1 million businesses worldwide.
Try it for free today or learn more about using Animoto for business.
We’d love to hear what you’re most excited about when it comes to video marketing in 2021. To get insights from other business owners or share what trends are working for you, join our Facebook community.