Video Production Trends: Using Videos to Convert Customers in 2024
There are so many different styles of video to choose from when considering video production for your business. Whether it's your first, or fiftieth video... as you get underway on any video production for your business, a lot of decisions will revolve around selecting the best "style" as it applies to individual aspects of your production.
However, not every option is right for every business. Marketers need to have the proper strategy in place before creating their video content. This will dictate how they approach their development and where the video should be shared.
The decisions involved are selecting a videos format, the messaging approach, the character design, and the video length and are referred to collectively as the video "treatment".
This can be overwhelming for some marketers who simply don’t know where to start in selecting the most appropriate video for their specific circumstances.
That’s why we’ve gathered insights and examples from some of our clients and other businesses that you can use as a reference when developing a video treatment to complement your marketing strategy.
In this article, we’ll show you the top video production trends that are shaping the way businesses interact with their customers in 2024.
Before we dive in, let’s take a look at some of the reasons WHY the demand for video production is so high right now...
Why Companies Will Be Producing More Videos in 2024
Businesses are relying on video to engage, educate, and convert prospects.
With so much “noise” online competing for your customer's attention, how can you make sure your message gets through?
Video is a proven medium to effectively separate yourself from the competition, and capture the attention of your audience.
While there's still a place for white papers and long-form blog posts (like this one), people simply don't have, or won't invest as much time as they may have in the past to read... well, anything really! Consumers are busy and simply don’t have enough time to read long-form documents with a lot of text.
Video allows you to engage more of your audience's senses at once and is generally a faster and simpler way to consolidate your message and convey emotion. Video can also be delivered into easy-to-digest segments... kind of like book chapters, but without the time required to read.
Most importantly, though, video is an effective medium that should be an integral component of a brand's overall marketing strategy.
Video content is an essential marketing tool because:
- Consumers are asking for more of it
- Video has proven to increase conversions across channels
- Video is a more engaging medium for storytelling
More companies are investing in video because of the value and ROI it brings to their business. Over 29% of businesses consider video “extremely important” to their marketing efforts:
But why, exactly, is video so powerful? There are a few reasons why it pays to integrate video into your marketing strategy.
WHY Is Video Marketing so Effective?
Let's look at some of the statistics behind why video is so effective...
1. Consumers are begging for more videos.
Consumers all around the world are always searching for new content. Every day, over a billion hours of videos on youtube are watched generating billions of daily views of content.
In fact, approximately 54% of consumers stated that they would like to watch more video content from brands that they support.
Your audience is telling you video is the way they want to be engaged... if you're ignoring this just remember your competitors are not.
2. Video marketing leads to higher conversions and more revenue.
It isn’t just that video marketing is popular now. It’s effective, too.
Videos drive more sales for businesses and lower the customer acquisition cost (CAC) for businesses who use video in digital advertising, content marketing campaigns, and more.
Approximately 92% of consumers watch videos before making an online purchase.
By making videos more accessible on your website and available on your social channels, you're more likely to get your content in front of them before they make a purchase and to help drive a purchasing decision.
Video tells your brand story as you intended it to be told.
Go beyond your catchy headline and blog post that shares your brand story. Produce a video that showcases the founders and explains why they started the company.
This will convey emotion and connect the prospects to the company on a deeper level.
With the right video, you can bring your brand to life and share a message that will resonate.
Now that you know the importance of video, let’s take a look at some of the top video production trends happening this year.
Video Production Trend #1: Remote Video Testimonials
The pandemic has shaped the way we interact with one another. Video conferencing wasn't the only video tool that organizations relied on to engage with customers throughout the pandemic...
Just as in-person meetings went virtual, video production did too!
While there is no replacing in-person interaction, the video helped fill the void and foster connection between businesses and their customers.
More than 74% of businesses believe that the pandemic made them increase their video production efforts.
This led to an increase in remotely recorded videos, a type of video production that involves shooting a high-quality video in a separate, remote location. While some tools like Zoom could be used for low-quality content, professional remote productions will use dedicated platforms which enable high-quality video and audio to be captured.
"Drop Kits" can also be deployed which include high-quality cameras and microphones that can be controlled from anywhere.
This is different from simply recording a video on a popular video conferencing software like Zoom or Google Hangouts. Those recordings tend to be low resolution and don’t produce the same quality level as a higher fidelity remote recording that a production company can provide.
There are three stages to any video production- Pre-Production (planning), Production (video capture), and Post-Production (editing the captured content). Remote Video Production changed the Production portion from capturing video on-site with a camera team or film crew, to capturing content remotely through cameras connected to the web, where the talent on screen could still interact with the Producer Team.
With so many companies looking to share their story, remotely recorded videos have become a popular way to connect with customers.
From a marketing perspective, they perform well, too.
In fact, remotely recorded videos are often packed with great content and engaging for customers. They attach a face to the business and give an authentic voice to the company.
Remotely recorded videos will appear more natively in the feeds of popular social networks since they aren’t edited with flashy transitions or distracting overlays.
Instead, they present essential, engaging information and often draw viewers in with a hook. With the right production team, you can make them truly memorable.
Take a look at this example from Envestnet Yodlee:
🌐 Testimonials - 4823_Yodlee_Wheelhouse_HD
Todd Buck, Managing Director and Head of Sales & Services at Envestnet Analytics described how his team helped Yodlee.
The video includes shots of Todd from different angles edited together to make the content more dynamic.
Todd explains the value that Envestnet can provide companies and describes a real-life application of analytics at work.
This video can easily be remote-recorded since it involves a limited number of people and relies heavily on the case study that is being provided by an employee.
Whether it’s filmed at a studio or remote location, this type of video can be produced in numerous ways to get a similar high-quality result.
Video Production Trend #2: Product Demo Videos
Have you ever stumbled across a cool product and wondered how it worked?
This is a common experience for consumers all over the globe. It happens so frequently that YouTube searches that include the phrase “how to” have increased 70% year over year. People need additional assistance when it comes to the products they buy.
Not only are consumers using the internet to educate themselves about products, but they’re turning to video in hopes to visually learn through an engaging form of media.
Online video consumption has been steadily increasing since 2013. In fact, 55% of consumers watch instructional or informational videos more than two times per week:
That’s a lot of time each week spent immersing yourself in a company’s brand and learning how their products work. Companies are producing high-quality product demo videos to “wow” prospects and delight potential customers.
Business owners are showcasing their product’s functionality and features through product demo videos. But why?
Consumers are always in a hurry, so videos can make your company and product more accessible. If they don’t know a lot about your company, a simple 30-60 second video can provide them with the core information they need in a flash.
Product demo videos don’t just serve as educational assets for existing customers, though. They also act as powerful marketing assets.
The best part, though, is that product demo videos increase sales.
Research shows that those who watch a demo video have a 1.81x higher chance of purchasing than someone who didn’t watch the video.
This makes product demo videos a worthy investment for your overarching video marketing strategy.
Let’s take a look at a product demo video that presented the company and product in the best possible way.
RealWear produced an engaging demo video that explicitly showed how their Pro Buds product worked and the benefits associated with using them:
Sanjay Jhawar, Co-founder & President of RealWear, shared the benefits of Pro Buds as live video content paired with illustrative icons appear on the screen.
You can see how the Pro Buds work by listening to Sanjay and watching them being used by the workers featured in the video.
This video is brief—only 1 minute and 50 seconds long. Yet, by the end of it, you’ll know everything you need about Pro Buds to want to make a purchase right then.
With a product demo video, you can answer prospects’ questions and squash any hesitations they have before nudging them to purchase.
Video Production Trend #3: Linkedin Video
What about posting native videos on a platform where your customers are browsing?
Linkedin video is a great way to connect with your customers in a native, organic way. More than 38% of marketers use video on Linkedin to connect with their customers. Approximately 75% of those who do use Linkedin found it an effective channel for video marketing.
But how exactly are people using Linkedin videos?
Well, business owners and marketers are turning the camera around to share their insights, products, and best practices with their online communities.
If you don’t have another option you can self-shoot your video on your phone and post it on your account. Ideally, though, you want a professionally shot video to make a great first impression. That type of video content will present you and your company in the best light on the platform.
Linkedin is an effective owned channel for your business if you’re targeting a business-savvy, professional audience.
You can post a video in two ways: on your personal account or through your brand account.
If you post a video on your business page, Linkedin will share that in the newsfeed of all the business’s followers. In addition, once a fan comments on or likes your content, it will be amplified to their connections and appear in their feeds as well.
This exponentially grows your reach on the platform and increases your brand awareness.
That’s why more than 63% of marketers are integrating Linkedin video into their 2024 video marketing strategy.
Take a look at this live Linkedin video by Megan from MeetEdgar:
🌐 MeetEdgar on LinkedIn: MeetEdgar's Virtual Co-Working
She leveraged the platform to share insights and strategy recommendations for small business owners attempting to shape their business.
The live video attracted hundreds of views and led more customers to the MeetEdgar page.
As you continue to post more videos on Linkedin, you’ll grow your following and transform your page into a centralized knowledge hub where people check for insights and interesting content.
By posting more proactively on Linkedin, you can engage existing followers and bring in new potential customers who may be interested in your product.
Video Production Trend #4: Video Sequences
Sometimes one video isn’t enough. That’s where video sequences come into play.
Companies can use video sequences to nudge prospective customers along a purchasing path. The different videos can be threaded together to tell a story or form a narrative.
The videos might be intended for different target audiences or prospective customers at different phases of their purchasing decision process.
Not every prospective buyer is ready to purchase at the instant they learn about their company. More importantly, though, there can be a lot of information to digest at once.
With video sequences, you can parse out essential information and present it to your prospects in a strategic, orderly way without the threat of overwhelming them.
Sequence videos can be added to drip email campaigns designed to nurture prospects towards conversion.
This is useful because 97% of prospects aren’t even ready to buy when they first see a product.
That’s why companies need to have mechanisms in place (like campaigns with video sequences) to capture prospect information and nurture them.
Let’s take a look at an example of a targeted video that could be found in a video sequence.
Hitachi produced a video series outlining their product’s capabilities that targeted prospective customers in specific industries such as retail banking, commercial banking, transportation, and more.
The company created specific videos that highlighted how employees in certain positions would use their product.
Take a look at this video that spotlights a Field Service Representative at a wind turbine manufacturing company:
These types of walk-through videos that highlight core product offerings can be beneficial for prospects who are struggling to visualize your product integrated into their business function.
Consumers have fleeting attention spans, so breaking up videos into multiple pieces of content can help guide the viewer along without causing them to lose interest.
Whether you’re using sequence videos for employee training or targeted outreach, building on the story you’re trying to tell with quality content is essential.
Video Production Trend #5: Video Testimonials
Sometimes, it’s better to step back and let your customers do the talking (and selling) for you.
Businesses that are able to monetize their passionate customer base and harness the power of video testimonials are the ones that will truly excel.
Video testimonials are short, customer-led content assets that feature an existing customer endorsing your product. These content assets are a form of advocate marketing that consists of a glowing recommendation from someone who is already using your product.
Video testimonials are powerful bottom-of-the-funnel marketing assets that every business should have. Featuring a happy customer in a video testimonial might just be what a hesitant prospect needs to push them over the finish line and buy.
But does it make sense to invest in a video testimonial when there are so many other types of videos you could make? Look at the following data point and derive your own answer:
Approximately 89% of marketers rate customer testimonials as their most effective form of content marketing. These assets outshine infographics, demo videos, blog posts, whitepapers, reports, and more.
Why is that? Video testimonials are authentic content assets that act as a powerful form of social proof. They provide credibility for the company and help form a bond of trust between the company and the prospective customer.
Best of all, video testimonials tell a complete story from start to finish. They start with the customer’s original problem that they were facing. Then, they introduce the product as the solution. Finally, the customer recommends the company.
This is all packaged into an easily digestible piece of content that is relatable and shareable.
It’s easier to send a video testimonial to a gatekeeper or executive at a company that needs to sign off on a significant purchase. They can watch the video and have a solid grasp of the product and its benefits.
Better yet, 59% of business executives perfect video over text, making this a valuable asset to incorporate into your strategy.
With the right video asset, you can convert hesitant prospects to convert and purchase.
Here’s an example of a testimonial video we created for our client Snowflake
🌐 Testimonials - 3814 Snowflake_Blackboard
Video Production Trend #6: Live Video
Live video will become yet more popular in 2024.
There’s something magical about seeing someone on screen. With authentic interactions unfolding in a video, you can feel closer to a business and its mission.
That’s why it’s so important to put a face to the business and showcase the founders, employees, and even the customers who make your company so special.
Businesses should humanize their brand in an attempt to make deeper connections with their customers. There are two ways to accomplish this: live capture video and live streaming.
Live capture video involves recording a live scene that involves people speaking to the camera or interacting with each other.
Take a look at this video for Amida Care:
It spotlights various customers who had positive experiences with Amida Care. There are more than a dozen customers that are featured in the video.
With quick transitions, you meet each of them individually and begin to understand how the company positively affected their lives. You might even trust the business more or feel a deeper connection to it.
Live Streaming
Don’t have time to pre-record the video? Consider live streaming as a similar option.
Live streaming involves shooting the content live and publishing it on a streaming platform for an audience to view in real-time.
This can consist of conducting a live webinar, filming at a live event, or simply going live on a popular network like Facebook Live.
Live streaming content is effective with audiences because it performs so well. In fact, videos posted on Facebook live videos are viewed 3X longer than pre-recorded content. They draw approximately 10X the number of comments as well.
With the integration of more live streaming options on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, companies are finding new ways to connect with their customers through live video.
Conclusion
Video marketing continues to evolve this year, and marketers are trying new strategies to engage and convert new customers.
To stay ahead of the game, consider how you can incorporate more remote recorded video, product demo videos, LinkedIn videos, sequences, testimonials, and live video into your marketing strategy.
By continuously evolving your video marketing strategy to include the latest trends, you’ll capture the attention of your target customers and nudge them closer to purchasing.
News- Levitate Media was recently named one of the top 30 San Francisco video production companies. We began our business in San Francisco and since have expanded across the United States, we’re happy to get this acknowledgment.
Take your video production to the next level with Levitate Media. Contact us today to bring your brand story to life with high-quality, customer-focused videos.
