Video Trends in 2022 

The last couple of years have been unpredictable. It has been a major challenge for many to adapt to the ever-changing environment. Now that things are starting to settle, we are getting to a point where we can begin planning ahead. When it comes to communications, having a content plan is the best way to keep messaging tight and audiences engaged. Before planning, it’s important to work out where you are. With all the upheaval of the last 24 months, now is a good time to take stock of the current digital landscape so you can create an effective plan to execute your communications this year. 

Let’s take a look at the digital trends for 2022.

What is clear is that video is here to stay. Wistia’s State of Video survey found that businesses are looking to increase their video creation budgets this year. The hope is that greater emphasis on video will drive brand awareness, increase product education and engage customers. A Wyzowl survey found that 93% of businesses say video marketing is an “integral part of their strategy”, and 86% say that “video has increased website traffic”. With 91.9% of internet users watching an online video every week and 1 in 4 of these users watching a brand video each month, it is not surprising that businesses are looking to invest more in their social and digital channels. But not all videos are created equal, and there are some clear trends when it comes to what people want from video content. 

Silent Videos 

A clear trend for 2022 is video content created specifically with social media users’ behaviour in mind. The rise of ‘silent videos’ on social media, where the content has no sound or relies heavily on on-screen text, reflects watching patterns. Users scrolling through social media in public don’t want loud videos blaring out from their phones. They, therefore, keep phones muted when scrolling, and videos need to work around this. 

85% of Facebook videos are watched with the sound off. If you rely on voice-overs, viewers will miss your message or just scroll straight past. One of the highlights of using animated videos on social media is they work very well without sound. On-screen text is easily applied and the strong visual focus makes the message clearly stand out, regardless of if they are played with or without the backing track. 

Shared Purpose

Another clear trend is a move towards storytelling in videos. A trend that increased during the pandemic as big brands tried to humanise their messaging in the wake of global tragedy, there has been a clear move towards companies selling us their vision and identity, not their products. 

The notion of a “shared purpose” highlights a changing dynamic in digital marketing. It is no longer about the individual campaign issue or research paper, but the organisation as a whole. The rise of the B-Corp movement, which helps organisations improve their social and environmental policies, reflects this shift where we now want the companies we buy from, the organisations we support, the associations we join, to work not just for the individual but for the greater good. We have seen this in the rise of organisations sharing their personal stories, their new policies, and their social and environmental impact studies. Storytelling, creating a narrative of who you are and what you stand for, will be a big trend over the coming year. 

Stories

Originally pioneered by Snapchat, all the main social media platforms have tried out a ‘stories’ feature, some with more success than others (as Twitter’s fleeting experience with Fleets shows). With 86.6% of Instagram users posting a story every day, they have become a prominent part of the user’s social media experience. Seen as more personal and flexible, their temporary nature, disappearing after 24 hours, creates a fear of missing out and keeps viewers engaged. Since their conception, individuals, brands and organisations have jumped on the bandwagon, with great results. 

Much of this success comes down to the interactive nature of stories. With features such as reactions, polls, prompts and Q&As, digital marketing has become less static and passive. Social media users enjoy engaging with the content, sharing their reactions and opinions. In turn, this leads to greater click-through rates and raises more awareness of your message. In terms of video messaging, using stories as part of your social media plan is a great way to maximise reach and engagement. 

For example, the Terrence Higgins Trust’s PrEP awareness campaign used a combination of long-form videos for TV and Instagram posts and shorter videos specifically for Instagram stories, leading to significant engagement and coverage. Stories are therefore the perfect way to build awareness of your campaigns.

The New Normal?

The pandemic forced many businesses to rethink their video strategy. When producing live-action video went out the window, alternative channels of video production came to light. We saw a rise in Vlogs, Tik Toks and animated videos being created when the world shut down and we couldn’t film big budget, in person, content anymore. 

However just because things are returning to normal doesn’t necessarily mean that organisations want to return to previous production methods. There are significant restraints and obstacles to creating live-action video content, with time and resources/company size often sighted as the two main barriers to publishing video content. In the face of these issues, many organisations are choosing to stick to these less production intensive alternatives. Resulting in similar, if not better engagement, these video styles which came about due to Covid-19 now seem like they are here to stay.

So where are we now?

Much of the video content created in the past two years has been through necessity. We’ve watched webinars and live streams rather than go to talks and training events and had to get by with do-it-yourself content creation. With a lack of elsewhere to turn, we’ve looked increasingly to social media to inform us. However, it is clear that while we got to this point out of necessity, we’re staying here by choice. Users have responded well to the video content produced of late. Now that businesses are getting some flexibility back as the situation eases, it is time to learn from the current trends, invest in the strategies that work, and start making plans for 2022.