Must-know 2021 video marketing trends to guide your strategy

If last year taught us anything, it’s that even the most flexible plans need to have an additional measure of flexibility built in, for those "worst-case scenarios." That includes your digital marketing strategy plans.

Luckily, some of the trends from last year will stay consistent because the majority of us are still in some type of remote working situation and socially distancing from others.

So, for marketers, that means we have some level of "normalcy" to back our strategies for the first half of this year. Or at least consistency between the norms of what we were doing toward the end of last year going into 2021.

🎓 Free IMPACT+ course: Video sales and marketing strategy for brands

And in that time, in this post-coronavirus world, one medium in particular — video — has risen to the top in its ability to drive results. Yes, video been an increasingly successful tool over the past five years. But the pandemic has forced much of the business world to finally take the plunge, now that we can no longer meet nose-to-nose and face-to-face the way we used to.

Because so many more businesses and entrepreneurs have been incorporating video into their strategies, a clearer picture of video marketing trends has emerged.

The content creators at Oberlo curated a list of 10 video marketing trends for Social Media Today and we’re bringing you our biggest takeaways from this data to help you craft your strategy in 2021.

Top 2021 video marketing trends

Oberlo gathered 10 of the most prominent trends in video. When it comes to SMBs and marketers looking to up their game, here are our most noteworthy trends:

99% of marketers say they plan to continue using video

I have to ask, who is the 1%? 

While not everyone may love video due to being camera shy or a lack of strategy, it's comforting to see that so many marketers that tried video last year will continue using this medium moving forward because it’s so effective. 

🍿 On-demand video: How to feel confident, be likable and build trust on camera

For marketers, this means more noise in their networks, but also a needed push to commit to building out their video strategy in order to keep up with everyone else. 

Short-form videos like TikTok and Instagram Reels will rise in popularity in 2021

With more video content out there than ever before, it’s no surprise that people will want shorter forms of information as a way to change it up from longer content. We see that with written content, we saw that when Twitter grew in popularity. 

While users will always love helpful content, they’ll also appreciate short and informative pieces too. 

TikTok may not be a good fit for every type of business, but consider that users may get used to shorter content in their daily lives, and may want that from you in some other way.

Expenditure and investment in video ads is forecast to reach $12.66 billion by 2024

Not only are people making more video content, but they’re willing to put ad spend behind it as well. And there’s a reason why — they perform better. Just like with unpaid content, users are growing to expect this medium as a form of communication.

Seven out of 10 planners moved in-person event online in 2020, and half say virtual events will continue to trend

For those that coordinate in-person events small or large, this is going to be huge. Not only are virtual events going to compete with other virtual events, they’ll compete with in-person events.

This increase in virtual events will start to make people question the value of in-person events if they could spend less, stay at home and receive the same value. 

🔎 Related: How long does it really take to plan a virtual event?

With more virtual events in the space, marketers will need to get creative to make events as engaging as possible, whether that’s through the content being presented or the networking opportunities, there’s a big learning curve for companies and plenty of opportunity to be the leader in your space. 

Our say, 'focus on what matters to your customers'

There’s plenty of reasons why you should be incorporating video into your strategy, but the challenge is to focus your energy on the right tactics. 

If you haven’t spent much energy on developing a video strategy, it can seem overwhelming to figure out where to begin. Over the past few years we’ve helped companies get their video strategy off the ground and have plenty of resources to empower you to get started with video. 

For those that started using video last year, consider what worked well, and how these trends could be incorporated into every campaign you’re working on. Plus, video in the sales process is always a good area to put focus on.

Lindsey Schmidt, one of IMPACT’s video trainers, works with companies making video a big part of their strategy. She had this to say about video trends in 2021: 

“In 2020 we learned how important it is to have connections with other humans. Stay-at-home orders left many isolated, and in need of interaction with other humans. In 2021, the video content that will win will be the content that’s honest, helpful, educational, and shows off the personality of the brand producing it. Authenticity is cravable.

Don’t count out long-form content either; use features like YouTube Chapters to break up longer videos into smaller chunks that will not only make it more digestible, but help your YouTube SEO."

Video as a core element of your strategy is here to stay, so how will you embrace it? You can choose to incorporate what you’re seeing and get creative and stand out, or you can choose to keep doing the things you’ve always done.