What’s up-and-coming in the world of online videos? Now the market is booming, the art of making engaging and innovative content has become utterly crucial.
Change is the new norm when it comes to all things viral, and in order to stay ahead of your competition, you need to make sure that your videos are fresh and exciting. Here are a few pointers to help you stay ahead of the game in 2014.
1. Short-form is the new norm
First we took pictures, then shared them and discussed them in real-time. In 2014, we´ll start seeing short videos and lots of them. In 2013, we were introduced to Vine’s six second and Instagram’s more generous 15 second videos, that gave us a chance to experiment with short-form videos. This year, we need to start to deliver. So step up, think short-form and make those seconds count.
2. Money talks even when making videos
Google Helpouts connect people who need help with people who can help them over live video. This means that you can hire a person in the know, about something you want to learn, to teach you, and the other way around. Also businesses are looking for ways to make money out of videos. If you have a high quality video it will attract marketers, and if marketers are interested in it, it can be seen as a fertile ground for growth.
3. From views to time spent
Traditionally, video has been considered successful based on the amount of views it gets. However, to truly understand if the viewers like what they see and stay glued to their screens, time spent with the content gives you a more meaningful metric. For example, YouTube’s estimated minutes watched gives a clearer perspective on the video’s impact. If there is a low correlation between the number of views and minutes watched you know there´s something off in either the quality of the video or the distribution.
Binge-viewing, explainer videos and email video marketing are also something to keep your eye on to make sure you’re staying ahead of the curve. Binge-viewing is mostly due to the online media services like Netflix that give us the chance to watch a bunch of videos from one provider in one sitting and on-demand. Explainer videos, on the other hand, enable you to show your customers what your product or service can do, instead of having to use a lot of text. Finally, email video marketing — embedded videos within an email — create a new way for improving customer experience and engagement.
Oh, and be sure to make your videos are watchable from different mobile devices. It’s kind of a big thing now!
Tiina Leinonen is digital media manager of Finnish agency KLOK. KLOK’s co-founder Pauli Kopu — one of MIPTV 2012’s Young Producers to Watch — will speak at MIPTV 2014, on the “Meet the audience engagement experts” panel, April 9. And discover more online video innovation at the inaugural MIP Digital Fronts, April 9-10. More info here…
