Video Marketing Trends for 2022

Video as a Marketing tool

In the digital age we live in, using video content will be more and more important to make your brand stand out. People learn things by seeing, hearing, and doing. Without a doubt, video marketing has become the best way to pack all of these styles into one.

In this post, we are going to cover 4 trends in video marketing and business branding. Additionally, we will provide some tips and tricks about how to make them super effective in 2022.

User Generated Content

Customer testimonials, brand advocacy videos, case studies, live streamed Q and A forums and other types of user generated content will be a great way to give your brand substance. Think of this as the digital form of word-of-mouth advertising. For example, consider how you read reviews before buying a product online. Clearly, end-users are a bit more trustworthy to speak on the efficacy of a product or service. Let your customers create videos of the product in action and leverage those on your website. If you need help getting them to do so, offer them a discount or free piece of merchandise. You’ll be surprised how effective this can be. These end-users will be able to provide specific examples of how the product helps them in a way that feels much less sales-y than it would coming from you. No offense 🙂

A couple tips and tricks here:
Use different end-users to speak on the various aspects of your product or service.
- Say your product is an email marketing tool. The head of marketing will be able to mention how much time it saves them in generating leads. The PR director will be able to highlight how the messaging benefits their brand’s image. Finally, the CEO or CRO will be able to mention how your service brings in more valuable customers.
Look at the most frequently asked questions about your product or service and see if the people that you interview can answer them for you.

Influencer Partnerships

Along with customer testimonials, this branding technique leverages a word-of-mouth approach. Additionally, you’re drawing on the current following of an influencer and the trustworthiness they have built with that audience. Furthermore, this “raw content” usually comes across a lot more genuine than traditional marketing techniques. Unboxing videos, product challenges, and comparisons are popular examples of this type of partnership..

A few tips and tricks here:
Be ready for honest feedback. You need to be ready for them to point out a flaw or two and you should take that in stride. At the end of the day, it is still helpful feedback.
You don’t need a famous influencer. Contrarily, It is better to find someone who is an expert within your specific niche. Their followers are going to be closer to your customers than generally popular influencer audiences.
It is not all about money. For example, depending on the scale of the project, offering free products or heavy discounts can be enough to secure the partnership with an influencer. Get creative and save some money.

Social Media Content

Because of it’s rise in popularity, social media is a great way for a business to reach it’s audience. Short videos are a great way to gain attention and build trust with your target market. For example, financial advisors are posting tips for taxes on Tik Tok. Realtors are posting renovation before and after reels to Instagram. Remember those customer testimonials? Take one of the stories you heard from a customer and make it into a short story on Linkedin. The great part about this video branding technique is that it doesnt require high-end cameras or intense editing skills. For the most part, these types of videos can all be created on a smartphone.

A few tips and tricks here:
Make it valuable. Provide something useful to your audience and show off your expertise. Check out @Dukelovestaxes on TikTok for a great example. https://www.tiktok.com/@dukelovestaxes?lang=en
Keep your videos short and focus on one idea in each video.
A/B Test different videos to see which ones work the best for your brand.
Look at what else is working in the industry and specifically in your niche

Animated Explainer Videos

This is the only technique on this list that might require a decent investment. However, there are plenty of companies who offer this service, so you have some options to choose from. Chances are you have seen these types of videos in action before. Essentially, these are cartoons explaining what your brand offers. They are very effective with products or services that are more complicated to visualize than others (for example, software services). They are a great way to create general awareness and a lasting impression on your audience. Additionally, they also give you much more creative license to play around with concepts and ideas.

My advice here is to not skimp on the quality of the animation. Not so much of how great the animation looks but how seamlessly it flows. For an example, check out Crash Course World History on Youtube and their use of “The Thought Bubble”. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9 right around 2:18.)

When it comes to video marketing, there is no cookie cutter approach that will help every business. Typically, the best way to find what works for your brand is to identify your niche, what is working for other businesses, and A/B test different methods. Different techniques will work for different brands. However, these are some trends that everyone can try out for little to no cost. You will only know if it’s right for your business once you give it a shot.