We whip out our pocket companions innumerable times every day to check time, notifications or prove our dear friend wrong that Ostrich’s, in fact, do NOT bury their heads in the ground.

The point is smartphone browsing is picking up the pace, and statistics tell us that by 2020, 75% of all mobile traffic will come from video content. With that point in mind, let’s get you acquainted with some of the top trends in mobile video marketing so you can craft a great video for your mobile audience–

1. Emotional Hook-Line and Sinker

A major part of advertising is to realize what the consumers want to see.

Nowadays, a shift can be seen from light-hearted advertisements of the 90s to more immersive content, which not only tells a story but also addresses a current issue, educating its audience about the same. Campaigns and advertisements that are relevant to today’s scenario and help the viewer connect emotionally to the content have garnered widespread acclaim everywhere.

An effective example of the above is the ‘Like a Girl’ Campaign executed by Always which went viral across the globe. The campaign addresses the issue of rigid gender roles, putting forward the question-What does it really mean to say ‘like a girl’? The campaign saw tremendous praise because the content was not only emotionally engaging but put forth a progressive perspective that many could identify with.

All of these viral campaigns have one aspect in common- they go above and beyond the literal utility of their product and attach value that impacts society as a whole. This helps increase the advertisements recall rate and develop goodwill for the brand.

2. Embracing the Role of Social Media

With the upsurge of mobile phones, social media has become a powerful weapon for increasing visibility and promotion. The faster companies recognize and embrace its potential, the faster they will be able to reap its benefits.

Even if we keep aside the fact, that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat see ginormous traffic due to their popularity, the fact that these apps have developed themselves to become catalysts for running ad campaigns cannot be ignored.

Organizations have caught onto this fact and have started developing videos tailored to suit each platform. While videos on Facebook range from 60 seconds to 2 minutes, brands have realized that to reap maximum benefits videos should be up to 10 seconds on Snapchat. Similarly, other platforms like Instagram, Periscope, and Vine have their own specifications such as 60-second videos, short live videos, and engaging videos that loop, respectively.

3. Appropriate Use of the Autoplay Feature

It is a well-known fact that a video watcher’s attention span ranges from 60 seconds to 2 minutes after which they are likely to stop watching. Keeping this fact in mind Facebook developed its autoplay video feature in 2013 to facilitate advertising. Now advertisers aren’t dependant on their audiences click rate but can pull them towards the ad if the content is engaging enough. Seeing the success this feature garnered, Twitter and Instagram were quick to follow Facebook’s lead, leading to a new era of silent, default advertising. In similar fashion, Youtube soon started it’s unskippable ad feature for advertisements up to 20 seconds, marking itself as a pioneer in advertising.

4. Establishing a Connection with the Viewers

Another creative method companies are using to attract user attention is engaging with them in real time with the help of Facebook Live,Periscope – Twitter’s live streaming video app, Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories. This possibility of connecting with their viewers instantly has helped attribute authenticity to the campaigns as the content ranges from unboxing brand products, showing its utilization to reviews from customers. Being able to connect with their viewers in such a way not only provides solid content but also increases the shareability of the video, leading to a higher viewer base.

Keeping all these points in mind, it has become necessary for the marketing industry to execute properly planned social media campaigns and strategies so as to fully utilize the potential of the same,

5. Employing Virtual Reality in Mobile Ad Campaigns

The emergence of virtual reality videos on mobile phones has opened the door for more immersive and interactive content. Many organizations have used this technology to their advantage by providing their viewers with life-like experiences. One of the best examples of this is the recent launch video for Game of Thrones, Season 6 wherein Facebook provided a special 360 degree viewing of the series’ opening sequence, making the video go viral, with more than 15 million views. Many vloggers on Youtube have also made use of the 360 degree video stitching technique to help their fans get a more personal and in-depth experience of their videos.

6. Going with the Times – Bringing Back Vertical Videos

Ever since the increase in popularity of smart phones, it has become a known fact that 90% of the time we hold our phones vertically. Attributing to this fact, the trend of vertical videos, which was earlier criticised by video makers, has sen a spike in the recent times. Jon Steinberg, CEO at Daily Mail, in an article stated that vertical videos see 9 times more viewership than horizontal videos due the convenience of it. This has been perpetuated due to the popularity of platforms such as Snapchat and Periscope which are tailor-made to increase a viewer’s video watching experience on a smart phone. Seeing this, many companies have come up with 10 second vertical advertisements for Snapchat’s Discover feature, helping vertical videos carve a space for themselves.

7. Utilizing the Entire Virtual Space such as App Stores

It is a well-established notion that videos are more engaging than any other form of media due to the diversity in content they provide. Companies have found that having short videos with content ranging from a minimalistic introduction to the app, describing its features to having customers vouch for it through video messages have helped increase their app downloads. An impactful yet brief video which elucidates upon the basic nature of the app can go a long way to persuade a viewer to download it, making their experience all the more holistic and positive.

Wrapping Up

Therefore, keeping at par with changing technological trends and gaining first-mover advantage over them has become imperative for businesses in order to have a competitive edge.  It has become a necessity for the marketing industry to optimally utilize mobile phones due to their increasing presence and impact in everyday life. Keeping this in mind, we can expect more landmark campaigns which will revolutionize the sphere of mobile video marketing in the near future. So now’s the time to fully utilize this trend and devise suitable mobile video marketing strategies.

Let us know down in the comments what strategies have worked for you so far or what you would like to recommend to businesses just starting out!

By: Sadbhav Shah

Thought Strategist @ Crackitt