Top Video Trends of 2023: What businesses are creating
Didn’t get a chance to join our Top Video Trends webinar? Here’s a recap of what you missed!
Top video trends of 2023
My name is Sally Sargood, and I'm the chief video officer at Animoto. Today I’m going to share some of the changes that we've seen happening in the video space and how video is evolving, especially for businesses and in the workplace. I also have a bunch of examples to show you real-life examples from real businesses because there's nothing more inspiring than seeing what other people are making.
For those of you who don't know about Animoto, we're an online video creation tool that makes it easy for anyone to create professional videos with absolutely no editing experience necessary. We've been an online video creator for over 15 years. And with a wide variety of templates, and a simple drag-and-drop interface, you can make videos in minutes.
It's absolutely no secret that video is everywhere. It only seems to be growing with greater use cases and more and more people using it. We used to think that video was social media – video initially exploded with the rise of social media. We saw Facebook start to favor video, then Instagram with the introduction of Reels, the rise of TikTok, and, of course, the steady presence of YouTube for tutorials and vlogs. But during the pandemic, we saw people go online to connect with others, because we couldn't connect any other way. We all jumped on Zoom, and suddenly meetings were held via video.
Now, post pandemic, companies and businesses have realized that connecting with video is actually working and helping to engage their employees and customers. This is where we have seen the biggest shift in video trends. Just last year, we surveyed over 400 small and medium businesses who were creating videos and asked them how they were using video. The results were quite eye opening.
What types of videos businesses are creating
We found that organizations aren't just creating video ads or using video for Zoom meetings anymore. Today, businesses use video to teach and educate their teams in a more engaging and memorable way. Contrary to previous years, where marketing videos reigned supreme, the most common videos made by businesses were actually training videos. These videos are much more engaging than traditional live video conferences, and they allow viewers to pause and consume the information at their own pace. This is a real benefit when you're in your own space and trying to complete these training videos on your own time.
These factors helped to increase information retention, completion, and compliance rates for training videos. This is why people are embracing it so much – because it's working. Presentation, social media, website content, advertising, and recruiting and employee onboarding videos were also types of videos that we saw businesses making frequently. This also illustrates the shift to internal business videos.
How businesses are using video
As a follow up to what kinds of videos they were making, we also asked businesses how they are using video. To no surprise, the most popular response was for training and onboarding new team members. Marketing to new customers and engaging existing customers were also big use cases.
Video allows you to show and tell exactly what your audience needs to know. We're seeing that screen and webcam recordings help cut down the time and back-and-forth communications by showing your audience exactly what they need to see. We're also finding that webcam recordings help teams to create a more personal connection with employees and customers alike. Just turning that camera on helps to connect when you can't be in person.
Where businesses are sharing videos
We were also curious to find out how and where businesses were sharing videos. We found that social media is no longer the favored destination for business videos. We now see videos being shared on companies’ websites more than any other destination. It’s not surprising either, because landing pages that have a video on them actually get 41% more traffic from search than those without a video. Website videos also help keep your visitors on the site longer. This reduces the bounce rates and it boosts your SEO value. We know that it's going to help boost your business by simply putting a video on the site. We also know that consumers rated video as the number one most helpful form of content when it came to shopping online. All of these factors make a company website the prime spot to put a video.
Additionally, two of the top three destinations for video were internal – and for good reason! After three years of remote work being on Zoom calls, and G hangs, the Zoom burnout really caught up to us. As a solution, businesses turned to asynchronous video to help to cut down on lengthy emails and meetings. Now, people are creating videos to present compelling information in a way that engages and resonates with their audiences, both remote and in person. In 2023, you can expect to see even more video content in your day to day communications.
What are the biggest challenges businesses face when creating videos
Finally, we wanted to know what challenges businesses face when creating videos. What we found was that it wasn't lack of time, a lack of enthusiasm, or even lack of know-how. Rather, it was the lack of ideas.
As a content marketer, this is something I know I can definitely relate to. After one or two videos, I start to get writer's block as to what I'm going to make next. Luckily, we've identified the top six use cases and the top six types of videos that businesses are making. After seeing those examples, it’s only going to help spur even more ideas. But before I share those, I also want to say is don't overthink it. A lot of the time, we think we have to make a big story and make it really pretty and perfect. But a lot of what we're seeing is simple videos, like a company announcement or team announcement, being shared. If you've got something to tell your customers, turn the video camera on and create a video. Video is a way to communicate. So just think about what message you're trying to get across, and how you can bring that to life with a video. That's my best advice for you.
Top 6 videos made by businesses
Let's dive into these top six types of videos made by business.
#1: Explainer videos
Number one is explainer videos. These are a great way to communicate a business's value proposition quickly and clearly. Some of the best explainer videos we see are concise, visually appealing, and engaging. They use simple language to convey complex ideas, and they're designed to hold the viewer's attention from start to finish.
When creating an explainer video, it's important to define your target audience, craft a compelling script, and use high-quality animation and visuals to keep the attention of your viewer. You can also optimize your video for SEO by including relevant keywords in the title, the description, and the tags when you're posting it.
Another best practice for explainer videos is to keep it short and sweet. Aim for a length of one to two minutes. I know we're used to short and sweet being a 30 second social media video, but for an explainer video, you need enough time to get the message across. Use clear and concise language to explain your product or service. Use the visuals and animations to help illustrate your points and include a call-to-action at the end of your video so that your customer or potential customer will know what to do next.
Here is an example of a great explainer video created by our customer, Zeen101:
#2: Training videos
Next up is training videos. Training Videos are used to train employees on various aspects of their job. You can make them for things like onboarding, compliance, or even the professional development of your employees. Training Videos are ideal for businesses with large or distributed teams, as they allow for consistent and scalable training.
The best training videos are clear, concise, and engaging. They use visuals and storytelling to convey complex information in an easy-to-understand format. When creating a training video, it's important to define your learning objectives. One of the best practices that we see is breaking the content down into bite-sized chunks to make it easier to consume. The supporting visuals need to be engaging and relevant to what they're learning. They take on a conversational tone to engage your audience, so that it doesn't feel like they're being spoken at, but rather, like you're all in this together.
Before sharing your training, you can test it with a sample audience to ensure it's effective. It's a great way to create one and make sure that it works before you go through and create even more videos.
Here is a really great training video created by our customer, amey:
I think it's also encouraging to know that you can bring your own spin to it. Simply pick a template and then make it your own. That’s what all of our customers are doing.
#3: Promotional videos
The next one we want to talk about is promotional videos. Promotional videos are designed to promote a product service or even an event. They're typically short, attention-grabbing videos that highlight the key benefits of your offering. The best promotional videos are creative, entertaining, and shareable, because the more people that hear about your promotion, the better.
Promotional videos use storytelling to create an emotional connection with the viewer and inspire action. That's super important. We often see people forgetting to include a call to action, and we know it's really important to point your viewer in the right direction at the end of the video.
When creating a promotional video, focus on the benefits of your offering rather than the features; not so much talk about the product itself or the service itself, but rather the benefits your customer will feel. Again, use visuals and music to create a compelling atmosphere and keep the viewer engaged.
Now let's look at some of the best practices for promotional videos. First, make it visually appealing and attention-grabbing. The first three to five seconds are super important, we call it the hook. To do this, you can highlight the benefits and the unique features of your product or service or show your product or service in action. Even if it's from an event, you can share this footage to entice your customers as well. Use music and sound effects to create an emotional connection with your audience. This is a big one, especially if it's for an event or upcoming holiday like Mother's Day.
Using driving or heart-tugging music can help your customers emotionally attach themselves to the product or service that you're selling. We've got a fabulous example of a promotional video made by the Los Angeles Zoo.
#4: Internal communication videos
Next up is internal communications videos. This is proving to be one of my favorites, because we're seeing such a breadth of use cases with internal comms videos. The different ways that businesses are using video to communicate with their teams has been really inspiring to me, and I hope it will be for you too!
These videos are used to communicate important messages to employees such as updates, announcements, and training materials. They are ideal for businesses with hybrid, remote, or distributed teams looking to foster connection, communication, and most importantly, engagement.
When creating an internal communications video, it's important to use a conversational tone, and make your message succinct and to the point. But most importantly, the best thing is to be as authentic as possible. These videos are a great way to bridge the distance between remote teams and bring the team together. They’re the perfect opportunity to let your personality and the personality of your business really shine.
A great way to do that is through webcam recordings or even voiceovers. But if you're a little shy or uncomfortable making these personalized videos, you can still bring out the tone of voice of your business in your messaging. One of the best practices for internal communications videos is to keep it short and to the point. Use a conversational tone to engage your audience. Use visuals to support your message, especially visuals of people and members of your team.
So now, here is a great example of how another business is using video for internal communications. This video was made by the team at MindLeaf Technologies, Inc.
#5: Testimonial videos
This next one is actually one of my favorites, and that's mostly because they’re really easy to create. Testimonial videos feature satisfied customers or clients sharing their positive experiences of your product or service. They can be very validating for potential customers to see. These videos are powerful marketing tools as they provide social proof that builds trust with potential customers. The best testimonial videos are authentic, emotional, and relatable.
One of the simplest ways to create a testimonial video is to take any of the reviews that you have online. If you've got Google reviews, Yelp reviews, or any kind of reviews, you can simply cut and paste them into a video with some photos.
When creating a testimonial video where you’ll be interviewing your customers, it's important to choose a customer or client who's articulate, enthusiastic, and representative of your target audience. Your prospective customers want to be able to relate to your current customers, and they want to see that they really are enjoying your offering.
Let's look at some of the best practices for testimonial videos. Once again, talk with real customers about their successes with your product or service. Ask specific questions to get detailed responses. Don’t be afraid to prompt them and give them a question to answer. It can be better than giving them free range, because you can really hone it in and get the message across that you're trying to communicate. Use either visuals of your customer, the product, or better yet, them using the product. If you can't have your customers speak on camera, using a quote from them can be equally as impressive.
Here is an example of a testimonial video so you can see how they pan out.
#6: Sales videos
The last use case that we're going to share today is sales videos. Sales videos are designed to persuade potential customers to purchase your product or service. I don't know about you, but my inbox is inundated with sales emails and every now and then, they’ll include a video. When they've turned their webcam on so you can actually put a face to their company, it can make “cold emails” a little bit more personal. Showing a bit more about your product, while you're speaking to the customer in the video can have an even bigger impact.
Sales videos are typically longer than other videos, and they focus on the benefits that you're offering. They're also a lot more personal. They give you an opportunity to speak the client's name and talk to them more directly. When creating a sales video, it's important, once again, to define your target audience, and to highlight the benefits that you're offering. Use social proof to build your credibility.
Focus on the benefits of your product or service and use visuals to demonstrate how your product or service solves the problem. This will definitely resonate with the viewer. Use customer success stories or testimonials to build trust. Don’t forget to include a call to action at the end of the video.
This example is more than just a video - it's a template! Click the button below to use this free Animoto template and create your own customized sales video.
How to make a video the easy way with Animoto
Now I'd like to show you just how easy it is to use Animoto. I want to show you everything that Animoto offers, so that you can start making these videos in minutes. Just create a free account and follow along with the video below!