Marketing Trends Series: Mobile Video Rapidly Growing in Use Among Marketers

May 2, 2017 by Christine

Welcome back to our series on marketing trends that have taken over the industry in 2017. Today we focus on mobile video, a blossoming marketing niche that continues to grow more refined as more marketers focus on this specific tactic.

Over the last several years, video marketing has evolved into one of the most important marketing strategies a company can use online. It is impossible now to scroll through a Facebook newsfeed, a Twitter timeline or a web article without seeing video embedded. And it’s easy to see why!

Video has been shown in numerous studies to be one of, if not the, most engaging forms of content marketers can use.

Now, with people spending the majority of their internet browsing time on mobile devices, it has become more important for companies to ensure they have optimized their videos for mobile devices.

Here are just a few of the biggest reasons why mobile video has become an ideal marketing tool:

It maximizes your ability to use the available space: Screen size limitations of mobile phones can limit how effective text-based marketing is, even when websites have been optimized for mobile use. Video, however, is easy to put into full-screen mode to allow you to use all of the available screen space.
It’s instantly attractive and engaging: When you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed, you can’t help but stop and pause when you see the moving images of a video being shared by a friend or a brand you follow. Brands know this, and have developed strategies to craft their videos in extremely visually pleasing ways.
It’s user friendly: At this point, people who have spent any amount of time on the internet know exactly how to use video functionality. They won’t have to scroll or navigate to other areas of your site; all they have to do is press play, and open the video in fullscreen.

Tips for creating a successful mobile video campaign

So now that we know why mobile video is so popular and important, how can companies set themselves up for success when it comes to using mobile video?

Here are a few tips:

Always keep your videos relevant: Whether you are creating a video yourself or sharing one made by someone else, it should always be relevant to your brand. Just because a funny video might get more clicks or shares doesn’t mean it’s worth posting—your ultimate goal is to find high-quality leads and followers, which you will only accomplish through relevant content.
Distribute across numerous platforms: YouTube may be the most-used video platform on the internet, but you should publish your video on many other sites as well. You can upload directly to Facebook or Twitter, embed on your website or submit to industry-specific sites.
Know your platform: As you broaden the variety of platforms you use to publish your video, make sure you understand how people who are using those platforms engage with content. Videos made specifically for Instagram or Snapchat, for example, will likely be much shorter and simpler than standard marketing videos you will publish on Facebook or YouTube.
Make sure the quality of the video is high: You need to have certain quality standards when creating branded videos. Using a shaky, low-quality iPhone camera isn’t good enough. If you do not have the capacity to create high-quality video content yourself, it is highly recommended that you work with a professional.
Include calls to action: All videos should have a clear call to action included, whether at the end of the video or throughout it. It could include social media buttons, a website URL, links to promotions or products or verbal calls to action.

For more information and tips about mobile video marketing, contact us at Viral Solutions.