At this point, using video to market your products and services is practically a must. Last year, 85% of marketers said that they used video as part of their efforts. And for good reason–video is among the most effective forms of marketing available. It engages people and makes messages stick. In one study, viewers said they could recall 95% of a message when it was delivered via video, but only 10% when reading it in text format.

But it’s not only about using video. It’s about what kind of video you use and how you deliver it, too. If you’re going to use video as part of your marketing push (and you should), make sure you’re doing it in a way that’s fresh, exciting, and effective. Here are some trends that you can expect to see in 2021, so you can capitalize on them before everyone else does.

1. Longform video will drive engagement.

With the popularity of short content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, you might think that videos that take time to tell a story have gone the way of the dinosaur. But you’d be wrong. In fact, the trend might even be going in the opposite direction.

In 2016, less than a third (29%) of smartphone users watched videos that were longer than 20 minutes. By 2019, that number moved to more than half at 54%.

The reason why? Longform content does more than introduce your brand, products, or services. It humanizes your company, making it easier for customers to build brand affinity with you. That affinity can easily become brand loyalty, the ultimate marketing goal, once you deliver the goods and services on your end.

2. But don’t ignore the power of short, quick-hitting content.

What you just learned above should not diminish the power of short content in any way. Short content can make a big impression without requiring much investment of time and attention from potential customers. Whereas longform video works to build brand affinity, short content is fantastic at building brand awareness.

A good professional will know how to do both. They will also know how to use one to benefit the other. Short content done right leaves the viewer wanting more. A good call-to-action at the end of an eye-catching video is a great way to allow your potential customers to choose to step into your world.

3. Shoppable videos increase purchase opportunities.

One of the newest and fastest-growing trends in the world of video marketing is the shoppable video. Even just a few years ago, if you saw a video ad for a product you liked, it required several steps to get to a point of purchase. You’d have to search for a product, click a link down in the video description, or navigate to a social media homepage.

Shoppable videos cut all those steps out of the process. Now, users don’t have to leave the video window to click on links to items they’re interested in. This streamlines the marketing funnel and reduces the inevitable drop-off in interest that happens with each step down the chain. Customers see something they like and they are just one click away from the point of purchase.

4. More people are watching videos without sound.

When scrolling through your social media feeds, you may have noticed that more and more videos have captions over them. That’s because more and more marketers and content creators are catching on to the fact that many people watch video with the sound off. One study found that when users have their Facebook and Instagram autoplay set to silent as default,  85% of video gets watched with the sound off.

You should be producing your content with this in mind. People aren’t always able to listen to videos when they can watch them. In order to reach those people, make sure your videos have captions that help people clearly understand them. Or try producing content that doesn’t require audio to deliver its message.

5. LinkedIn video is becoming more powerful and more common.

People don’t typically think of LinkedIn immediately when they think of social media advertising outlets. But while Facebook and Instagram garner much of the attention, LinkedIn is as effective as it gets and is gaining in popularity.

Content creation on the platform reached an all-time high in 2020 with a 60% increase from the previous year. No content is enjoying more of a popularity boost than video. LinkedIn says that its users are 20x more likely to share video content than any other kind of post. The platform includes a fairly robust and easy-to-use analytics tool to help you gain insights into how your content is doing as well. With these trends in mind, it’s worth keeping LinkedIn in mind when you’re developing your strategy.

Of course, all these facts and figures are only part of the story. No matter how you deliver your content, it’s the quality of that content that ultimately influences customers. A professional videographer can help you create the kind of video content that drives engagement and revenues.

Click here to find the right professional to help you take your video marketing and your business to the next level.