They say a picture is worth a thousand words (sorry, Language team!) and that’s especially true for video marketing. But to get the most bang for your buck, it’s worth knowing what’s hot and what’s, well, not. So here are five video content trends that are helping our clients get the results they deserve in 2024.

UGC

Everyone wants to feel seen and heard, right? Well, that’s where User-Generated Content (UGC) comes in. It’s all about letting your customers and clients take the wheel and create content about your product or service. User-made videos are pure gold for any business doing video marketing – and they’re very cost-effective too.

You can have them share reviews, tutorials, personal experiences, or testimonials – anything that puts their real, unfiltered feelings front and centre. Not only does it help build brand loyalty and a strong community, but it also adds that authentic touch you can’t fake.

If you’re serious about being an influential business, include UGC in your video marketing this year. It’s like the secret sauce that brings diverse perspectives and authenticity to your brand’s community. We’ll be seeing a whole lot more of it as brands fully embrace the power of UGC in their video strategies.

Live-action explainer videos

Move aside, animated explainers. There’s a new star in town: live action explainers! These snappy videos provide a quick sneak peek into a product or service, and brands are embracing them everywhere. An alternative option to the favoured animated explainer, having actual people showcase what you do is taking off in a big way.

So, what’s the recipe for success (for live or animation)?

  • Step one: identify the pain points your product or service solves.
  • Step two: physically present the solution, highlighting the key features and benefits in a really tangible way.
  • And last but certainly not least, bring it all home with a call to action so your viewers know exactly how they can benefit.

(PS: we’re huge fans of explainers, so whether it’s live or animation you’re after, we’re here to help!)

Short-Form

Has short-form video content ever not been a trend? OK, it might not be as cutting-edge as some of the other video content entries on this list, but one thing’s for certain: videos under 60 seconds are still dominating our social media feeds. They’re dynamic, engaging, and provide a quick way for brands and marketers to promote a wide range of topics.

When we say short, we mean anything from under 60 seconds up to 5 minutes. But the longer it is, the more you need to focus on keeping it engaging all the way through.

Whether we like to admit it or not, Instagram and TikTok have made short-form content the most attention-grabbing way to captivate audiences – platforms where there’s always another video ready to be watched if yours starts to drag. So keep it short and sweet.

Blogs plus video

Gone are the days when adding a video to your blog content was just a nice little bonus. Now, it’s the main attraction.

We’ve all become so accustomed to watching and interacting with videos that it feels strange not to include them. Just take a look at YouTube, with over 122 million active daily users and a projected 2.85 billion global users by 2025. It’s no wonder that adding video to the mix leads to a skyrocketing level of engagement.

So anytime you’re putting together a bit of web copy like a blog, think about the video as a natural part of it.

  • Where on the page will it live?
  • Is it covering some of the same stuff as the writing, or is it more stand-alone?
  • Is it designed to keep viewers on the page – or to take them somewhere else, like a social channel you’re trying to promote?

Thinking about these questions early on – rather than tagging a video on at the end – will help you get the most out of all your content.

AI

OK, let’s talk about the biggie: AI and video. It’s not without controversies, but here at Definition, we believe it’s a case of staying ahead of the game or getting left behind. And we know which one we prefer, which is why our top-notch AI team are integrating it into everything we do.

So here’s our hot take: video and AI are a match made in heaven. We’re already witnessing AI’s transformative effects in personalising basic content for our clients, resulting in a significant boost in their video marketing output.

But we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg, because AI is revolutionising the entire production process. Currently, we’re using it to suggest ideas, boost our research and even get involved in voiceover recordings.

And although true bespoke video creation from scratch still has a way to go, models like Runway and Pika are paving the way – AI-driven platforms that show immense potential (even if their current output is just a few seconds of content).

Of course, all of this will still need dedicated creative types to direct and refine what the AI comes up with. But we believe adding it to our toolkit is only ever going to be a good thing – and hopefully result in content that may be quicker, cheaper and potentially more ambitious. All of which is good news for our clients.

Any of these catch your eye?

Give us a shout and we can talk about bringing your video ideas to life.

Written by Sian Evans, Head of Production at Definition

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