It’s safe to say that video marketing is not a passing craze by any means. It’s very much so an important tool for reaching and engaging your audience. And the scope of it is growing and expanding all the time. Not to mention that the average time a customer spends watching videos online has increased from 84 minutes in 2019 to over 100 minutes per day this year. 

But that brings up the question – what kind of video marketing should you try out? What’s going to give you the most bang for your buck? Chances are you’ve already come across or even thought about trying out some of the wide variety of marketing videos that have proven to be popular. These include super short micro clips, live videos on social media and ads as well as full production stories.

With a new year on the horizon and the possibilities of life getting back to normal emerging, let’s take a look at the 2021 video marketing trends that can help your brand continue to grow.

And keep in mind, if you need some help editing your footage, or getting marketing videos designed and animated from scratch, Kimp Video is here for you.

Animated explainer videos

These are short and branded videos that are usually used to describe a product or a service in a creative way that is also informative. Generally, they have a run time of less than 1 minute and will help you reveal or reinforce your brand’s style. This is done through the particular types of illustrations and animation styles you opt for.

Even if your business idea may be complicated, this kind of video will let you explain it to your customers in a simplified and entertaining way. Animated explainer videos are a big hit among B2B companies. They can be seen in use across many industries from healthcare, finance, and real estate, all the way to digital marketing. Brands like Spotify have been using this style for years and getting great results.

Animated commercials in 2D and 3D 

Animated commercials have also become increasingly popular. These videos are best used to promote your brand as well as the products and services that you have to offer. Many marketing professionals across various industries believe that this type of video is the most effective type of advertising to draw in customers. As a brand, you can use animated commercials in both 2D and 3D for your social media advertising, product demonstrations, trade shows, landing pages and for multiple other mediums.

The most creative and well thought out animated commercials are the ones that come with a strong emotional message. And in turn they help you build better relationships with your audience. If you want to increase engagement and brand loyalty, we recommend that you try this out. Take a look at the example below from Safari, which is a paint production brand that has used animated commercials with impressive results.

Hot spot videos 

Looking at all of the 2021 video marketing trends, videos with hot spots certainly are among the top picks. They are interactive and rather popular. Videos with hot spots include an area where the viewers can click or tap (the hot spot) and then interact with the video in more detail. This could either be a hidden link in the video or a zoom or scroll. This type of video works, because they help you to keep your customers interacting with your video content for longer. If you are an ecommerce business, videos with hot spots are ideal for you. They are also great for any kind of social media promotion as well. 

For other types of businesses, or those looking for ways to promote something other than a product, videos with hotspots can still be very effective. As long as you’ve got a page that you can link to with the additional content you want to promote, you’re all set.

Reels and Tik Tok videos

By now Reels and Tik Tok style videos are certainly on almost all of your social media feeds. An increasing number of brands seem to be making use of these fun, energetic and fast videos. Most of these videos feature pranks, stunts, jingles or dance moves. Both Tik Tok and Reels style videos were made popular by teens when they first came into play. But since these videos are so much fun, they can help brands with marketing too. 

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For example, the Washington Post actually has a Tik Tok account they use to ‘sell’ their news in a fun and engaging way! It may look easy but don’t be fooled. This kind of video is challenging to perfect because it requires you to strike the perfect balance between being informative and entertaining. To make the most of this 2021 video marketing trend, try doing some storyboarding first so that your execution is on brand and on message.

360 degree videos 

Videos are perfect for marketing because they give your customer a very good visual representation of what you have in store for them. Unlike with images, videos can actually allow customers to see your product or products in action. This is why, if you want to thoroughly highlight your products and services, a 360 degree immersive video experience could work for you. 

These videos have really redefined the viewing experience for many customers. It immediately gives customers more control over how they can view a product or service. Because of the immersive product demonstration style, your customers can get a much better idea of how they might use a product. This in turn helps influence purchasing decisions. 

In fact a staggering 93% of customers say that they find 360 degree videos to be more exciting as compared to other video formats. It’s not surprising then that 360 degree videos have a +300% click through rate and +46% completion rate when compared against other types of display adverts. Oreo is one brand that was able to create a 360 degree video that their customers loved. Take a look at how well this ad was done. It transports Oreo lovers to a world that is whimsical and just delicious.

Mixing up animation and live motion 

These videos imitate the concept of augmented reality. They borrow from the same visual and perceptual hacks that augmented reality has. However, there is one difference. The live motion video is enhanced with animated characters or environments. This makes way for a video that is not just fun but also creative and unique. If you have the tools and resources, this kind of video will help you introduce concepts to your viewers in a way that is surprising and memorable. PayPal pulled off a commercial video using this style which stands as a brilliant example of how well brands can make use of this 2021 video marketing trend.

Minimalistic videos 

Each year new technology that can be used in video production is rolled out. Some of these examples are 4K videos, cinemagraphs, high speed cameras and hyper lapse tools. However, most of these can be quite complicated and expensive. Luckily, businesses need not invest so much in video production. As 2021 draws near, the trend of leaning towards simple marketing video seems to grow. As brands focus on more content that they can get out to the masses with the least amount of expenditure, this trend will likely see a surge in the coming year. 

Much of the video content that you see on social media has been shot entirely on phones. A good example of this would be the ad that Bentley did using just an iPhone. Of course, they could have used the most expensive equipment if they wanted to, but they took the simple way and since then, many brands have followed suit. 

In the example below, Code.org interviewed professionals for a video that takes the format of a vlog. Yes, they have interviewed some very high profile personalities. But that does not mean that you cannot put your own innovative twist on your video production without the need for expensive gear. For example you can do a fun BTS (behind the scenes) shoot with your team, take videos of your employees working on your products or the likes. The key point here is that businesses can stick to simple video production for their marketing. If you can focus on bringing out great value and substance in your videos, your message will be heard by your target audience. 

Longer video formats 

While shorter videos are definitely still popular and increasing in numbers, certain long format videos are equally gaining momentum. Viewers seem to be getting used to watching full length videos online. These include social media clips and interviews that last for several minutes to complete episodes on YouTube. 

The strategy that you need to master when creating a longer format video is that the content needs to be of high quality. Think about all those great recipe demos you see on Facebook. You may have to keep watching for 2 minutes or more, but you do really want to see what the completed dish looks like right? 

Longer videos can give you better engagement rates. Twentythree.net conducted a study that found 50% of all video engagement comes from videos that are longer than 15 minutes. But they also accounted for just 8% of content. This means that you can produce a fewer number of long format videos and get better levels of engagement. 

Subaru decided to take their popular ‘Dog Tested’ campaign to YouTube and featured outtakes they had from their ad campaign. The video is more than one minute long and it has over a 100 000 views!

Educational and training videos 

Videos are a great tool to educate and raise awareness. They are effective because they are both visual and auditory as a medium, and so make it easier for any information to be digested. 

From a marketing point of view, this can be leveraged for your brand to get more leads of higher quality. And this is important the more consumers experience fatigue with ads. Be it on social media, TV, browsing the net or even travelling to work, people are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of ads. As a result, they are blocking ads wherever possible – especially when they become intrusive or slow down page loading times. GlobalWebIndex stated that 47% of internet users are making use of ad blocking apps. 

So how can you make sure that your ads don’t get blocked? Invest in informative content that gives the customer value. Focus on high quality content and your leads will watch your videos. HubSpot is a good example of a brand that really gets it right. They use their videos on YouTube and blog to share tutorials of various content marketing strategies. For instance, this how-to video is about creating a how-to video. Because of this strategy, Hubspot has come to be known as a thought leader in their industry.

Whiteboard videos 

We have seen this style play really well throughout this year and the trend does not look like it is going away in 2021 either. Whiteboard animation videos look like you are hand drawing the storyline of your message. 

They are also immensely popular because of how cheap they are to produce as compared to the full 3D animated videos. The biggest advantage of videos of this kind is that they explain a subject clearly and with consistency. They show concepts using hand drawn illustrations in a concise and cohesive step by step manner. 

This helps viewers understand information no matter how complicated it is. This style of video is ideal for promoting events, marketing products and brand advertising in general. In the example below, author Charles Duhigg helps us consider how teams work together and achieve success. He creates a fascinating story that has a clear plotline and expands more than just one illustration.

Vlogging 

Vlogging isn’t new but it’s become an increasingly popular type of marketing video. These include video diaries, tutorials and reviews and are great for helping customers find your product or service organically. Vlogging is now more mainstream than ever with tools like Instagram TV and the DIY videos that are almost synonymous with the trend. You also need not have any high end gear to create a successful vlog. 

Just a phone with good camera quality, a microphone and editing software is pretty much all that is needed. A good example of this would be Goop – Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand. The brand has a YouTube channel where they regularly publish their updates about the brand. They also educate people on how to use their products. And they even curate content that features their staff members and customers (who are also influencers).

This kind of content helps you reinforce your marketing strategy because it humanizes your brand. Of all the 2021 video marketing trends, vlogs are the most raw and unfiltered and let you connect with your audience in a more authentically intimate way.

Why 2021 video marketing trends matter to you

Customers are overwhelmed by large volumes of ads, no matter what they are doing. And with marketing getting too invasive at times, video is a format you’ve got to go for in 2021. 

No matter what type of marketing videos you opt for, they can help you come across as engaging, helpful and informative. This not only means that people will be more likely to watch your content, but that they’ll be more likely to consider buying it too.