Welcome to the #trending in video blog from Best Made Videos®. Thank you so much for stopping by to read about some tips and tricks that you can hopefully use in your own video production strategy whether you are located in the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest, or beyond! Today we are looking at an article from www.clickz.com and they are talking about adapting to the new normal and how to best use video marketing after COVID-19.

30-second summary:

Video is now ‘the new normal enabler’ connecting brands and customers when offline interactions are still far from reverting to normal. Videos are bridging the gap for informing, educating, engaging, entertaining, and socializing with customers.

Low-budget videos are now the it-thing of the video marketing industry – they look nothing like ads or promotional videos customers are likely to skip.

Companies are expected to join the global conversation and express what matters to people behind the brand. And videos are a great tool for touching upon this conversation and revealing what the brand stands for as mere “We’re all in this together” message will not cut it.

Although not a new trend, the popularity of live streams has soared due to COVID-19. Yes, while WFH, people tend to get distracted with their devices and watch a live stream.

Not only stock markets are up – stock footage is getting increasingly popular as real video shootings are temporarily on hold.

As we adjust to the new realities of a COVID-19 driven economy, both brands and consumers have changed the way they sell and buy. Keeping customers informed, connected, and cared for is the biggest challenge businesses are facing. Challenges bring new solutions, and video content is the biggest one in sight.

The rise of video is unprecedented – Cisco estimates that by 2022, 82% of all created content will be video. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has shuffled the cards and brought up significant shifts in people’s online behavior and purchasing patterns.

With an 80% rise in content consumption since the coronavirus pandemic, video watchtimes are expected to reach a 100-minute a day benchmark. But brands willing to invest in video should adapt their strategies to match the new customer and the so-called ‘new normal’.

The new consumer

With shelter-in-place, stay-at-home, WFH, and other COVID-19-related measures, what else is there to do but watch video content?

The pandemic has been the time of record highs for video consumption: Netflix reached 16 million new subscribers globally, Sky reported that ‘Bulletproof 2’ has exceeded 5.4 million downloads and All4 has seen audiences up 54% YoY.

This may seem like an entertainment-only-related growth, but numbers say otherwise. With the sudden spike in people staying indoors and a total change in their lifestyle, consumers are now spending more time online than ever before.

The “buy online” search query has skyrocketed in March 2020, growing by 50% just within a month.

Some brands have embraced the ‘sofa-surfers’ trend and started adapting branded video content to best match their needs. Despite the slowing economy and financial instability, people do go online and make purchases.

However, businesses should reconsider their video communication strategy as 43% of consumers are unhappy with the COVID-19 messaging they receive from brands.

How marketers respond to the brave new world

In business terms, videos allow marketers to engage, communicate, and retain customers as well as drive tangible results during (and probably long after) the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why is video the best thing to place a bet on? Marketing spend has been drastically cut: out-of-home advertising doesn’t make much sense now, yet even digital ad spend is down.

With lower revenues, marketing budgets get cut, so limited resources encourage more and more marketers to consider video marketing that now requires fewer investments in production but brings more in return.

Although video was already on the rise before the pandemic, these extreme circumstances “forced” brands to reconsider their approach to some of the emerging video marketing trends that they were ignoring.

We highlighted some of the major “transformations” – different video marketing trends that businesses have adopted a lot more widely due to the lockdown.

How to adapt video content strategy to the new customer

As the crisis continues, businesses have to shift their marketing strategies to address the quarantine mode.

Minor or major, changes occurred across pretty much every aspect of the business: operation hours, brand-to-consumer communication, budget restrictions, product releases, and the overall planning.

So, besides ads and promo videos, video is now getting a stronger presence and broader use in customer care and support, direct communication with prospects, and educational means.

#1. Keeping production costs low

Working remotely has altered marketers’ approach to video creation. When thinking about video marketing, we were accustomed to employing camera crews, professional lighting and sound gear, and closely controlled sets.

What happened during the pandemic, more brands started getting used to the thought that they can do what vloggers have been doing all along – create short-form, amateurish videos that open up amazing opportunities for creative content production.

With new consumption habits and shorter attention span, new formats keep evolving and thriving.

Low-budget videos are now the it-thing of the video marketing industry – they look nothing like ads or promotional videos customers are likely to skip. This kind of production helps brands embrace some other growing trends and industry buzzwords:

Authenticity, Brand humanization, Connectivity

With fewer brands being ready to invest in Hollywood-level productions (think Masterclass video teasers), even larger brands are now turning to “from-the-sofa-broadcasts”.

With 74% of brands admitting they are posting less on their social accounts, there can be an opportunity here to grasp some share of voice from the competition.

Video content

Acknowledging that more laid-back videos are a big part of future marketing, brands can get an almost first-mover advantage over those who cannot imagine posting low-budget video content from official business accounts.

COVID-19 made it clear: better make videos with what you can and have right now or you may lose the audience.

Ed Lawrence’s comprehensive guide explains how to produce higher-quality videos for social media.

#2. Placing authenticity at the heart of brand communication

Brand loyalty doesn’t come easy. Companies are increasingly expected to act and feel like humans. And authenticity is at the heart of this trend.

Customers care about brands’ stance in regards to social and political issues, which was only highlighted at the peak of the #BlackLivesMatter movement or the #COVID-19 precautions.

Edelman research shows that 65% of consumers say that brands’ reaction to the pandemic will affect their attitude towards their business/products. 33% admit to withdrawing from a brand that did not meet their expectations.

Some brands are successfully employing a sense of humor while showing how they care about clients during and after the pandemic.

Many brands took a more personal and touching approach when speaking about challenges by reminding and celebrating good moments together with their customers.

#3. Utilizing Live Streaming as one of the most financially savvy video groups

In spite of the fact that not another pattern, the ubiquity of live streams has taken off due to COVID-19. Indeed, while WFH, individuals will in general get occupied with their gadgets and watch a live stream.

Be it for utilitarian (during the pandemic, all the wellness exercises have been live-spilled somehow) or diversion just purposes, US streaming utilization developed by 73% from February to March 2020.

In any case, brands have additionally profited. Live streaming is a financially savvy method of speaking with the crowd and working up commitment for:

Instructive purposes: Ecamm and Stephanie Liu online meeting accumulated over 6K participants;

Client care and backing: live Q&A's, interviews, online classes;

Network and diversion: bloopers, off camera, amusing work minutes, and so on.

#4. Indicating genuine individuals behind the brand

Individuals purchase from individuals. A brand that shows that it doesn't just think about its administration/item or clients yet additionally about its representatives has an edge over the contenders.

This is particularly squeezing during worldwide pandemic occasions. In spite of the fact that this technique expects staff to conquer stage dread, an ever increasing number of organizations show their representatives and exhibit that there are caring individuals behind each brand who are attempting to put forth a valiant effort for other people.

#5. Grasping the rise of stock video

Not just financial exchanges are up – stock film is getting progressively well known as genuine video shootings are briefly waiting.

To broaden social feeds and substance conveyed to the clients, stock film is an incredible option in contrast to putting resources into top of the line creation now and again when that is not so much as a possibility for most organizations.

Uncovering inward Wave.video clients information, we see that 79% of all prepared to-utilize (delivered) videos contain stock videos. Also, inside the previous 30 days, stock visual resources were utilized in excess of multiple times.

Model: Real domain office Zillow utilizing stock film to share tips on the most proficient method to endure the lockdown

Last Words / Final Thoughts

The current coronavirus emergency is just quickening existing computerized video change patterns. With the new buying propensities and way of life designs, buyers anticipate that brands should adjust to the changing real factors and present new video organizes that are both drawing in and relatable.

Regardless of whether it's about minor changes like utilizing stock film, imaginative jumps with livestream communicates, or bringing inventive briefs for staff to film in their own homes, video content promoting is currently getting an exceptional edge over other showcasing correspondence positions.

Thanks again for checking out the #trending in video blog. I hope you found some useful tips that you can use to propel your video content creation to the next level. Whether you are a Seattle based video production company, or you are based outside of the Pacific Northwest, I hope you can utilize some of these video production strategies and you find success in your own online digital marketing. Thanks again for stopping by, take care and stay safe!!