The Future of Social Media Video: 2024 Trends and Strategies 🎥

Social media remains a driving force in the way that businesses engage with their audience and community. It’s an area I know we all would prefer NOT to spend time on because it sucks our lives dry, but it’s a VITAL part of everyones content strategy.

Video content, in particular, has established itself as a powerhouse for brands seeking to captivate users and make a lasting impact. I know I always say to everyone VIDEO IS KING 🤴🏻

With 2024 now here, marketers and business owners must stay ahead of the game by understanding the emerging trends in social media video and how to leverage them effectively for their business or products 💪🏻

Before you read… 👋🏻

Until the end of March, I’m again offering my 1-1 sessions where I teach you how to create engaging content that converts into customers,

AND…

A MASSIVE 50% off my video services till April. So you can apply for this discount, all you have to do is click the button below.

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Shout out to Page Turner Awards, for their video sessions. Now there is a highly engaging video-based production schedule I’ve created for their social media across the whole duration of the their awards.

Running a creative or video agency that has a social-first approach means that I’ve got to keep my eye on what’s hot, and what’s not. Although, like many I struggle for the time to this!

Over 2023 into 2024 I’ve seen emerging trends grow to become a core part of the majority of SMBs’ marketing strategies with great success. So, here’s what I predict to be the five ‘What’s Hot’ and 5 ‘What’s Not’ trends for 2024:

Ins - What's Hot 🔥📈

1. Short-Form Videos 🎥
   Short-form video content is here to stay. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts continue to gain momentum. Businesses should focus on creating concise, engaging videos that quickly grab attention and deliver value within a few seconds. So, keep this in mind for your 2024 video strategy!

My Guidance: Experiment with storytelling techniques to convey your message in a brief and clearly expressed manner. Use eye-catching visuals, music, graphics or text overlays to make an immediate impact and keep viewers hooked. I usually like to use Adobe Express for these types of videos, you should check it out!

2. Vertical Videos 🎥
   With the dominance of mobile usage on social media these days, vertical videos have become a preferred format. GO FIGURE! It’s no secret its because they occupy more screen space, providing an immersive viewing experience. So are you embracing vertical video creation to cater to mobile users across various platforms?

My Guidance:Tailor your content specifically for vertical viewing on platforms such as Facebook/Instagram and TikTok etc. Ensure all important elements are within the vertical frame and optimise visuals for mobile screens. A top tip I could give for you girls n guys out there is to create a template that you know works. You can find TONS of amazing templates on Envato Elements for this type of creative workflow.

3. Interactive and Shoppable Videos 🎥
   Interactive features like polls, quizzes, and clickable elements within videos drive engagement and offer a seamless shopping experience. Often you can engage viewers with clickable elements to directly purchase from the video with these type of tactics.

My Guidance: Strategically place interactive elements to coincide with your product/service highlights. Encourage viewers to engage by offering incentives or exclusive offers tied to the interactive graphical elements and it should drive massive conversions.

4. Authentic and User-Generated Content 🎥
   We ALL KNOW audiences crave authenticity. Right 🤷🏻‍♂️ So, user-Generated Content creates trust and connection with your brand. Encourage your customers to share their experiences and stories related to your products or services. This is not only a FREE marketing tactic you can use but will help other potiential customers see value in your brand from real customer-focused stories.

My Guidance: Develop UGC campaigns that incentivise customers to create and share content. Or, like I’ve done with Page Turner Awards, you ask them to leave a testimnonal which will showcase thier content across social media channels to humanise your brand and build a community around it.

5. Live Video Streaming 🎥
   Live videos generate excitement and urgency, fostering real-time interaction with your audience. They offer an authentic way to engage, answer questions, and provide exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses.

My Guidance: Plan live events such as product launches, Q&A sessions, or tutorial sessions. These will help you Interact with viewers, respond to comments, and involve your audience in the conversation in a manner that connects in real time!

Outs - What's Not Hot 🙅🏻‍♂️🚫

Overly Polished Content 🎥
Audiences are moving away from overly produced, polished content that feels inauthentic. I know, strange as it is only the real big players in the marketing world are appearing to keep high-quality content. Avoid content that seems too staged (faked) or lacks genuine connections with your audience.

My Guidance: Embrace authenticity by showcasing the human side of your brand. Focus on real experiences and connections rather than perfect visuals. If you want to keep great visuals, then ensure you don’t go OTT on the creativity side of things!

Unengaging Videos 🎥
Passive viewing experiences are becoming outdated. Avoid creating videos without any interactive elements or storytelling components that fail to engage the audience. I mean, unless its for a more corporate based storytelling video similar to the video I created for La Bastide De Marie Hotel & Vineyard where the main focus was brand awareness through stunning visuals.

My Guidance: Incorporate storytelling techniques, interactive elements, or graphical hooks within the first few seconds to capture viewers' attention and keep them engaged. Another top tip I try to focus on for clients, is click-through elements through CTA’s (call-to-actions). However, this is more usually created on the social-side as you cannot really create clickable area within video in post-production.

Ignoring Accessibility 🎥
Inclusive content is now more crucial than ever. Neglecting to make your videos accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, is a missed opportunity. I often even forget this myself, so I’m even preaching to myself here!

My Guidance: Add closed captions, and audio descriptions, and ensure your visuals are clear and easily comprehensible for everyone. R̶e̶m̶i̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ T̶o̶ S̶e̶l̶f̶ to follow this 😂

Ignoring Emerging Platforms 🎥
Focusing solely on established platforms might limit your reach. Neglecting emerging platforms where your audience is shifting could result in missed opportunities. I know this first hand, mainly because I tend to only focus on specific networks myself, and I’m not personally the biggest fan of some networks such as TikTok for example. However, for clients I always like to make sure you know to keep reach as far as possible by ensuring you don’t ignore what’s hot on the block!

My Guidance: Keep an eye on emerging platforms and trends. Experiment with new platforms to connect with early adopters and expand your reach whereever possible whilst you still can.

Ignoring Data and Analytics 🎥
Relying solely on intuition without analysing data can MASSIVELY hinder your growth. Ignoring data-driven insights and trends might lead to ineffective video strategies. I was once video interviewed for a UK-Wide campaign where I helped with the building of SEM Plus with Google for CarGurus due to how much I used analysics to drive sales at Sascron Car Supermarket - where we piloted the new SEM software. You can see the interview here however, the main reason I mention this, is what I said “Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed” and I should copyright that really 😂 As not only is SOOO true, but its probably one of the best quotes I’ve ever created to explain something so important!

My Guidance: Regularly analyse video metrics, audience behaviour, and engagement patterns. Use data to refine your video content strategy and make informed decisions on what is working, and more importantly…what isn’t working! Then, you can adopt better methododies within your business that have tangible results not just swinging the bat and hoping for a home run!

Staying updated with the evolving landscape of social media video trends is vital for businesses to remain relevant and competitive.

Embracing emerging trends while being mindful of outdated practices will ensure that your video content resonates with your audience and drives meaningful results for you this 2024!

Trust me, it’s going to be a crazy year for video on social media, and if you’re not already putting it into your marketing plans for the new year, you’re going to fall behind the curve.

Well.. that about wraps it up for this week! Sorry its a been a bit of a LONG one, but hopefully a lot of the above has helped you?! 🤷🏻‍♂️

Q&A

• So, are you ready to harness the power of using new trends for your business?

• Do you have any pain points I can help you with smoothing out?

• What do you think you could utilize from any of these points above to make an impact your business?

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

1. Book a {10 MINUTE} Business Power Call with me, to arrange working together to make your social media videos stand out online as I tweak your approach, and analyse how to improve your current video, business strategy or marketing.

2. Don’t have time to create great videos yourself? Focus on your business, whilst we focus on creating the videos that you’ve always dreamed of. Get in touch to find out more.

Until next Friday, love to you all!

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