The Marketer’s Guide to 2024 Video Marketing Trends
There’s no doubt about the importance of video marketing. If content is king, then video is definitely the king of kings. 91% of businesses leveraging video as a critical component of their marketing strategy and acknowledging its significant importance, video marketing is undeniably at the forefront of engaging and capturing audience attention in 2024. This pivot to 96% of marketers said that video marketing showed a positive ROI and 88% plan to incorporate more videos into their marketing strategies in the future.
In the fast-evolving landscape of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. As we navigate through 2024, several groundbreaking video marketing trends are emerging, reshaping how brands connect with their audiences. From the growing influence of AI to the resurgence of longer horizontal videos, these trends are not just fleeting fads but transformative shifts that marketers need to embrace. This comprehensive guide explores the key insights and innovations shaping video marketing today, providing valuable strategies for harnessing these trends to enhance engagement and drive results.
AI is Here to Stay and Grow
Ever since the introduction of ChatGPT to the public in 2002, the use of AI in different business fields has been significantly growing each year.
In marketing, the adoption rate of AI is at its highest. 75.7% of digital marketers now use AI tools for work and 88% of marketers believe their marketing organization must increase the use of automation and AI to meet customer expectations and stay competitive, especially those in the marketing industry.
The integration of AI tools boosts productivity for video teams, allowing them to “do more with less”, a necessary adaptation as 75% of video marketers utilize AI for creating or editing marketing videos. It is a rapidly evolving field that is transforming the way brands create, distribute, and analyze video content.
AI technology is increasingly integral to video marketing, offering tools that significantly enhance personalization, efficiency, and creativity allowing creations like this:
Efficiency
AI video generation technology is providing video creators with innovative tools that drastically reduce the time required to move from an idea to a polished video. It offers numerous advantages that reduce costs and time while maintaining high content quality.
AI’s role in the video production process covers the entire production cycle with support in research and ideation, script creation, storyboarding, illustration, AI-generated audio and speech, and adding subtitles.
Similar to how the internet was the new technology that became the norm for most platforms and tools, this will be the future of AI. What is trend now, will become the basis of most tools.
Automation
Automation has become one of the most essential skills in marketing with 63% of marketing leaders reporting that they use automation in their email marketing efforts, 50% use it for social media management, and 40% automate their paid ads efforts. It comes as no surprise that nearly 70% of customer journeys are somewhat automated, and 10% are fully automated.
Video marketing automation tools, such as Vidon.ai, can generate videos from URLs or prompts. This can be done in bulk via a CSV file or a manual list.
Also, integrating AI with automation tools, such as Make, Zapier, and Pabbly can automate tedious time-consuming, and repeated tasks. This can significantly reduce the time and effort required, allowing marketers to create high-quality videos more efficiently.
Enhanced Capabilities
AI not only can do the things we always did faster with less hustle, but it also introduced new capabilities to the table that otherwise wouldn’t be easily doable, if possible at all.
Creative Accessibility
While human creativity is still irreplaceable, it is without a doubt that GenAI has made it more accessible to people outside of the creative industry, lowering the barrier to entry by empowering everyone to convert their imagination and curiosity into artwork.
Technologies such as text-to-video AI models, and tools such as HeyGen, Synthesia, and Runway, made it possible to generate videos that otherwise would have required years of skilled experience and time, in a matter of minutes.
This gave rise to the faceless AI video content phenomenon across different channels as one of the practical manifestations of this. It allowed regular people with no extensive animation experience to create video content at scale as a profitable business model.
Personalization
Personalized marketing is not exclusive to emails. AI-powered tools are transforming the ways we personalize video marketing by creating content that is customized to individual viewers. This customization not only enhances viewer engagement but also strengthens the connection between brands and their audiences.
Platforms such as HeyGen, BHuman, and Gan.AI, among others, have made it easier to automate the process by integrating their video personalization solutions with your CRM making the possibilities endless.
Advanced Analytics
The use of AI in video marketing enables advanced analytics and real-time optimization. This includes interactive experiences and video analytics that provide deeper insights into viewer behavior, engagement, and preferences.
AI can identify your science segmentation based on certain behaviors, allowing better understanding and targeting of your audience.
In addition to that, AI predictive analytics can analyze data from past marketing videos to predict the performance of future videos, helping marketers make informed decisions about content strategy and resource allocation.
Final Note
With the rise of AI content, we see pushback from the industry to regulate it. Google announced measures regarding AI content and SEO early this year and TikTok announced last week that it will be more transparent in labeling AI-generated content on its platform. While this might regulate the use of AI in creating marketing content, it is not expected to hinder the growth of using AI in content marketing.
Embracing the Bigger Screen
In 2010, vertical videos made up to 5% of total videos viewed on the internet. That number grew to 29% in five years. In a world once dominated by YouTube landscape videos, vertical short-form videos became the norm.
Longer Videos
TikTok started as a platform with 15-second videos tailored for an audience with a short attention span, which was stretched to 60 seconds in 2017.
With more and more people joining TikTok, the users’ behavior evolved beyond its Musical.ly roots. These changes prompted TikTok to increase video limits to three minutes by 2021, and again to 10 minutes in 2022. Neither Meta’s IGTV failed experiment stopped them from following TikTok’s lead, extending their Reels to 90 seconds long.
Landscape is Back
Over 75% of all online videos are viewed on mobile devices. So it comes as no surprise the popularity of vertical videos.
However, while vertical video popularity is going nowhere any time soon, the landscape format has its dedicated fans, especially for longer videos. It is reported that 70% of users default to horizontal viewing when watching YouTube videos on their phones.
TikTok, wanting a piece of the pie, has been encouraging creators to post horizontal formats this year. In February, it announced to some creators that it would “boost” horizontal videos over a minute long within 72 hours of posting.
Takeaway
This paradigm shift in short-form video platforms could be due to the following reasons:
- Diversifying Content Offerings: accommodating different video preferences
Most social media platforms start with limited features and then expand as their audience grows. Longer videos can accommodate better educational content and deeper conversations, like in podcasts. - Fighting Back YouTube: Just as Google’s video-sharing giant was creeping into the short-form territories with Shorts, TikTok was experimenting with longer horizontal videos.
- Capturing an Older Audience: While 58% of weekly TikTok users were over 25 in 2021, that figure has now risen to 73%.
- Catering to a Wider Range of Content Creators: Many content creators prefer to explore the potential of full-horizontal screen longer videos, something that short-form video platforms lack.
- Increasing Ad Engagement: YouTube mobile users are 2X as likely to pay close attention while watching YouTube compared to TV users while watching TV. This compared to the short attention-skipping behavior of short-form video audiences is a competitive advantage in the advertising industry.
- Expanding Beyond the Mobile Screen: People worldwide watch more than 1 billion hours on average of YouTube content on their TVs every day. The living room experience can be more convenient for longer content, baby shows, and group watching. Platforms and creators alike want to accommodate these viewing habits.
Meta has been capitalizing on the ongoing TikTok ban in the US by further monetizing paid reach in the form of the recently announced subscription packages. This could push some creators away from Instagram to other video platforms, such as YouTube, in the upcoming couple of years, which could lead to fewer audiences for businesses on Instagram and a spike in the popularity of long-form videos.
The Rise of Silent Videos
Silent videos are gaining traction in the video marketing landscape, especially as more consumers engage with content in sound-sensitive environments. Here are the key insights on this emerging trend:
- Prevalence of Muted Viewing Habits: 75% of people say they often watch mobile videos on mute. That number jumps to 85% for Millennials, highlighting a generational shift in consumption habits.
- AI and Captioning: Advances in AI tools facilitate and automate the integration of complete and accurate captions, enhancing the effectiveness of silent videos.
- SEO Benefits: Including captions in videos improves SEO as it provides more text content for search engines to index, thereby enhancing discoverability.
- Accessibility: Optimizing videos for sound-off viewing caters not only to the preference of watching videos silently but also improves accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing, impacting hundreds of millions globally.
- Visual and Textual Content: Effective silent videos often feature visually captivating content paired with on-screen text and captions to communicate messages clearly.
- Adaptation to Viewer’s Environment: The rise in silent video consumption is attributed to the increasing number of people watching videos in public places or during commutes, where audio is often turned off.
These elements highlight the shifting dynamics in video consumption and the strategic adaptations marketers must consider to stay relevant and effective in their video marketing campaigns.
Sound Memes
Internet memes, particularly video memes, have evolved alongside the internet itself, shaping digital culture in fascinating ways. In the early days of the internet, memes were often simple images or text-based jokes shared across forums and early social media platforms. However, with the rise of broadband internet and faster connection speeds, video memes began to gain popularity.
Musical.ly, and later the meteoric rise of TikTok in recent years, has ushered in a new era with a significant shift from visual trends to auditory ones. TikTok’s unique format, which allows users to easily create short videos set to various sound clips, has propelled audio-based memes to the forefront of digital culture. The viral nature of trends and challenges driven by popular sounds and audio clips on these platforms has become a lucrative opportunity for marketers to tap into highlighting the immense potential for audience reach. Also by incorporating popular songs, sound bites, or creating original audio content, brands could increase brand visibility and foster user-generated content. Today, nearly 90% of TikTok users state that sound is crucial to the TikTok experience.
Furthermore, the sound and audio features have empowered content creators to elevate their creativity. And with the absence of Universal Music after its last licensing conflict with TikTok, which was recently resolved, it also gave rise to many low-production sounds and music from smaller labels.
These changes in the way we create and consume content affected the way we use this content in pop culture. Memes now often center around catchy phrases, soundbites, or songs that users remix and reinterpret in creative ways. These sounds become the building blocks for viral challenges, lip-syncing skits, and comedic mashups that spread rapidly across the platform and beyond. The emphasis on sound in TikTok memes, which later expanded to other platforms such as Instagram, has not only revolutionized the way we engage with internet culture but has also democratized meme creation, allowing anyone with a smartphone and an idea to participate in shaping the ever-evolving landscape of online humor and entertainment.
While this started with TikTok, it expanded to other platforms. TikTok is the trendsetter now; Instagram follows.
Unpredictable Virality
The two most viral videos on TikTok so far are Bella Poarch’s M to the B viral video from 2020 with over 826M views and Leah Halton’s viral video with over 808M views. The commonality between these two videos might suggest a formula for success.
However, the third most-viewed video throws a wrench into those predictions. A simple 12-second clip of chocolate-covered strawberries with poor filming and bad lighting reached over 100M views and 10M likes. This, and many other viral videos on the platform, starkly contrasts with the elaborate and personality-driven content of the first two. This demonstrates that predicting viral success on TikTok has become increasingly complex and unpredictable, and the formula for virality seems more elusive than ever.
Virality was never a sure thing. Yet, brands in the past have managed to follow best practices to calculate the success of their video content to a certain extent. TikTok, with its unique algorithm, has changed this game.
This unpredictability highlights the evolving nature of social media trends and the challenges content creators face in anticipating which videos will resonate with audiences and achieve viral status in the ever-changing TikTok environment. As the platform continues to evolve, the quest for virality remains a complex and multifaceted endeavor, requiring a blend of creativity, strategy, and adaptability to navigate the shifting landscape of digital content consumption.
This unpredictability highlights a broader trend in social media and the challenges content creators face in anticipating which videos will resonate with audiences where virality is less about following a set formula and more about striking a chord with viewers in a fleeting moment.
As the platform continues to evolve, the quest to capture the ever-changing whims of its audience remains a complex and multifaceted endeavor, requiring a blend of creativity, testing, and adaptability to navigate the shifting landscape of digital content consumption.
Takeaways
The phenomenon can be attributed to:
- TikTok’s unique algorithm that is prioritizing content based on engagement rather than follower count. This means that any video, regardless of its creator’s popularity, has the potential to go viral if it resonates with the audience.
- The diverse interests of TikTok users further complicate the matter; a video that appeals to one niche can rapidly gain traction while another, seemingly similar in style and effort, might not.
- The unique sense of humor of GenZ, a truly digital native with a culture strongly shaped by online trends transcending geographical boundaries with ease.
- The ephemeral nature of trends and challenges on TikTok also means that what works today might not work tomorrow, making the platform a constantly shifting landscape for content creators.
- Factors such as timing, novelty, and sheer luck play pivotal roles in determining the virality of a video.
Manufactured Memes
The phenomenon of virality on TikTok has become a dynamic and unpredictable landscape, where content creators navigate a realm where the potential for a video to go viral is both elusive and highly sought after. Early this year, a clip (explicit language) from a Lebanese podcast went viral on TikTok. According to the subject of the meme (Jawad), this monologue was planned but not fully scripted. Regardless to what extent this clip was improvised, many other TikTok memes that became viral were clearly acted.
North Valley Group, a California-based real estate agency, has mastered this game. One of their sketches not only went viral but also evolved into a widely-used meme. They understood their audience, built a brand around their sense of humor, and even provided a CapCut template to make it easier for other creators to use it.
The landscape of virality on platforms like TikTok is a fascinating phenomenon. The viral nature of TikTok has given rise to a new breed of creators who have mastered the art of crafting trends and memes that capture the attention of millions. While the platform’s algorithm may seem unpredictable, some creators have cracked the code, leveraging the power of scripted and improvised content to ignite global crazes.
In this digital ecosystem, creators navigate a delicate balance between spontaneity and strategy, constantly iterating on what resonates with audiences. While some trends emerge organically, others are meticulously orchestrated, reflecting a sophisticated understanding of the platform’s algorithms and user preferences.
By crafting clever and relatable sketches, often providing templates and sounds for others to participate, these savvy creators have harnessed the platform’s inherent shareability. They understand that the key to virality lies not only in the content itself but also in the ability to foster a sense of community and collaboration. By inviting others to contribute their own spin on a trend, they amplify the reach and longevity of their creations, turning them into cultural phenomena that transcend the bounds of the platform itself.
Everything is a Podcast Now
The growth of podcasts into mass appeal in recent years, with over 504 million listeners worldwide, has motivated many professionals, influencers, media personalities, and public figures, in general, to appear or even create their own podcasts as part of their personal branding channels. Podcasts have risen in popularity in the past few years as we started to see the word “podcast” added to TV show titles with no significant difference from any regular TV show except the visible microphones.
From the podcast trend, a new sub-trend started to emerge from influencers using podcasts pretending to be on a podcast. This involves creators filming themselves sideways, or from a 45-degree angle, speaking into podcasting microphones, and creating the illusion of participating in a podcast when, in reality, they are not. This visual trick has become a popular tactic among professionals seeking to build their personal brand and amplify their authority and credibility in their respective fields.
- Tap into the growing popularity of podcasts.
- The setup conveys expertise and professionalism, tapping into the widespread perception that podcasts host thought leaders and influential voices.
- This way they can talk to people without directly talking to them, which can make what they have to say more appealing to the audience, especially when they seem like they are answering questions while they are, in fact, delivering a scripted monologue.
In addition to bolstering personal brands, some creators repurpose these faux-podcast videos as advertisements. By leveraging the authoritative aesthetic of the podcast format, they can effectively promote their services or products.
Authenticity and Faux Authenticity
In recent years, we have witnessed a drift away from the Instagram glamour culture and polished aesthetic toward a more raw and natural style that feels relatable. This became more evident, especially with the rise of TikTok and the accessibility it provided to people from all walks of life to create content from the comfort of their cars or bedrooms. A 2021 Nielsen study shows that TikTok is a place where users feel free to be themselves with an average of 64% of users saying they can be their true selves on TikTok and an average of 56% of TikTok users saying they can post videos they wouldn’t post elsewhere.
In addition, authenticity in content not only plays a crucial role in amplifying engagement and fostering deeper connections with the audience, but it also drives conversion. More than 70% of consumers have reportedly spent more on brands they deemed authentic.
There have been several examples of creators embracing simplicity and authenticity in their content, but one creator who stood out the most last year was Sam Sulek. Sam is a 22-year-old fitness and bodybuilding influencer. His YouTube channel has 3.37M subscribers and 179,486,935 views (at the time of writing).
His rise to fame was nothing but astonishing to many. Not only by the speed he managed to grow his channel from a few thousand to over three million but also by how he did it. He uses boring titles, raw unpolished thumbnails, no fancy cuts or animation, no hooks, an average video length of around 40 minutes, and most of his videos are filmed on a poor car or gym lights. If there were anyone who’s trying to do the opposite of what most YouTube experts would recommend, it would be him. Yet, not only did he grow his channel exponentially, but he also developed a cult brand with strong influence.
This approach contrasts sharply with the highly produced, clickbait-driven content prevalent on the platform. Sulek’s success suggests that audiences are increasingly valuing genuine, relatable content over polished, algorithm-driven videos. By presenting himself authentically and embracing a more natural style, Sulek fosters a deeper connection with his viewers, who appreciate the transparency and realism he offers.
However, the pursuit of authenticity has also given birth to “faux authenticity”, where content creators consciously manufacture a sense of realness and low-budget aesthetic to engineer higher engagement and view time. This trend is exemplified by creators who purposefully film in low-light settings, with minimal setup, use shaky camera work, or incorporate intentional imperfections to cultivate a sense of rawness and relatability.
This shift towards authenticity, whether genuine or manufactured, reflects the changing preferences of social media users and the importance of relatability in the digital age.
Engagement by Imperfections
Comment Provokers
In video marketing, intentionally incorporating errors or anomalies has been used as a marketing technique to boost engagement for quite a while now. Marketers purposefully include mistakes, such as mispronunciations, incorrect facts, or unexpected elements that seem out of place. This tactic is designed to provoke viewer engagement through comments, as people are often quick to correct mistakes or point out oddities. This interaction, in turn, boosts the video’s visibility and performance due to the algorithms that favor content with high engagement rates.
This approach leverages the psychological tendency of audiences to participate in correcting or discussing the content, thereby increasing the time spent on the video and its engagement metrics. It’s a clever manipulation of platform algorithms that prioritize user interaction, as comments are a strong signal of a video’s relevance and popularity. While it may seem counterintuitive to traditional marketing wisdom, which emphasizes perfection and polish, this strategy acknowledges the power of human nature and the mechanics of social media engagement. It’s a testament to the nuanced understanding of digital platforms, where sometimes, perfection is less engaging than a flaw that sparks conversation.
In addition, this tactic can also tap into the psychological principle of the “Zeigarnik effect,” which suggests that people remember incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. By creating a deliberate imperfection, marketers ensure that the content lingers in viewers’ minds, encouraging them to revisit, share, and discuss the video.
In some cases, these techniques apply the “pope in the pool” psychological tactic by giving the audience something to focus on while conveying important information. A tactic often used in films.
This creator employs this technique in many of his videos. Here Darth Vader exists in the Star Trek universe.
Endless Loops
The endless loop trend on TikTok represents a clever and engaging video production tactic where the beginning of a short video seamlessly connects with its end, creating a continuous, cyclical viewing experience that appears to have no discernible start or finish. This technique increases watch time as viewers often get caught in the loop, watching the video multiple times before realizing they’ve seen the entire content. By boosting the total watch duration, the video’s performance is enhanced within TikTok’s algorithm, leading to greater visibility and reach.
Moreover, endless loops tap into the inherent human fascination with puzzles and optical illusions. The seamless transition from the end back to the beginning creates a sense of curiosity and intrigue, prompting viewers to watch the video multiple times in an effort to unravel the mystery or simply to appreciate the craftsmanship involved. This replayability factor not only boosts engagement but also encourages viewers to share and discuss the videos with their networks, potentially amplifying their reach and virality.
Creators often leverage specific types of music and audio that complement this looping effect, typically using tracks with consistent beats or smooth transitions that enhance the seamless nature of the loop.
Clear Mode
Traditionally, creators have adhered to safe zones—areas of the screen free from UI elements like buttons, captions, and icons—to ensure that essential visual content remains visible and unobstructed. The necessity for safe zones often limits creative freedom, compelling creators to design within constrained spaces to avoid important elements being hidden by the platform’s interface.
However, two years ago TikTok introduced “Clear Mode” which allows users to hide most UI elements from the screen to view more areas of the video, and earlier this month, Instagram followed suit by introducing the same for Instagram Reels. This development offers a more immersive viewing experience, where the entire screen can be utilized to showcase content. By removing these visual obstructions, Clear Mode allows for a fuller, more engaging presentation of the video, enabling creators to craft more intricate and aesthetically pleasing designs that can captivate audiences without the fear of important details being hidden.
While Clear Mode does not entirely eliminate the need for considering safe zones—since not all users will opt to view content in this mode—it significantly reduces the constraints, offering greater creative latitude. This shift encourages innovation and experimentation in video production, as creators can now exploit the entire canvas of the screen more freely. As a result, we can expect to see more dynamic and visually compelling content on these platforms, further enhancing user engagement and the overall quality of social media videos.
Collaborative Videos
TikTok’s introduction of collaborative posts, akin to Instagram’s “Collabs” feature, marks a significant development in the evolving landscape of social media collaboration. Since its inception, TikTok has been a hub for creative interaction, with features like “Duets”, “Stitches” in 2020, and “Green Screen Duets” in 2021 fostering a culture of shared content and dynamic engagement. These tools have allowed users to build on each other’s videos, add context, or engage in debates, enhancing the collaborative spirit that defines the platform. The addition of collaborative posts takes this a step further, enabling more structured and strategic partnerships between users.
Instagram’s Collabs feature, introduced in late 2021, has proven effective in reaching broader audiences by allowing two accounts to share a single post. This feature is particularly valuable for partnerships with influencers, brand collaborations, or campaigns involving multiple accounts from the same brand. By leveraging the combined follower bases of the collaborating accounts, “Collabs” can significantly amplify reach and engagement. TikTok’s testing of a similar feature indicates a strategic move to enhance its own collaborative capabilities, providing users with a powerful tool to co-create content and extend their influence.
The impending introduction of collaborative posts on TikTok could have profound implications for content creation and marketing strategies on the platform. This feature will likely enable more formalized partnerships, facilitating co-branded content that can harness the unique audiences of each collaborator. For brands and influencers, it offers an opportunity to co-create engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences, driving higher levels of interaction and visibility. As TikTok continues to evolve, the integration of such collaborative features will likely reinforce its position as a leading platform for creative and interactive social media experiences.
Shopping Videos
Interactive videos have significantly transformed consumer engagement by offering a more immersive and engaging experience, particularly through the advent of shoppable videos. These videos allow viewers to click on products within the content to learn more and make purchases without leaving the platform, streamlining the path to purchase and merging content with commerce seamlessly. This integration has become a game-changer for e-commerce brands, enabling them to capitalize on the attention and interest generated by engaging video content and convert it directly into sales.
The concept of video commerce isn’t entirely new. Instagram’s introduction of Shops during the COVID-19 pandemic provided businesses with an immersive, fullscreen storefront to enhance product discovery and storytelling. By 2022, Instagram had expanded product tagging to everyone on the platform, significantly expanding the reach and potential of shoppable content. This shift has redefined how consumers discover and purchase products, making social media a crucial component of the e-commerce ecosystem.
TikTok, aiming to capture a larger share of the e-commerce market, has continually enhanced its shopping features. Recent expansions include deeper collaboration with Shopify, increased visibility for Video Shopping Ads, and the introduction of the “identify similar products” feature, guiding viewers to the TikTok Shop tab. TikTok’s efforts to become an e-commerce powerhouse are evident in these developments, which simplify the shopping experience and drive higher engagement.
The potential TikTok ban in the US could indeed act as a catalyst for ByteDance to accelerate the expansion of TikTok Shop into new markets. By diversifying their e-commerce presence globally, TikTok can mitigate the impact of losing access to one of the largest markets for social media and online shopping. This strategic pivot could not only help compensate for the loss of the US market but also establish TikTok as a formidable global e-commerce platform, challenging the likes of Amazon and Alibaba, especially among the younger demographics that favor social media as their primary online habitat.
As video marketing continues to evolve, staying ahead of the latest trends is essential for brands looking to make an impact. From short-form videos and live streaming to interactive content and personalized experiences, these trends are reshaping the way we connect with audiences. Embrace these innovations, experiment with new formats, and let your creativity shine to unlock the full potential of video marketing in 2024.
Conclusion
The evolution of video marketing trends in 2024 showcases an intriguing blend of technology, creativity, consumer behavior, and even politics. The increasing integration of AI in content creation and automation, the resurgence of longer and landscape videos, the backlash from Instagram’s glamorous aesthetics, and the video wars between the three video platform giants, all highlight the shifting dynamics of content consumption and represent innovative strategies to capture audience attention and enhance brand visibility.
As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of video marketing, these trends underscore the need for brands to stay agile and continuously adapt to changing audience preferences and technical updates.
