Did you know that the human brain can process visual information 60,000 times faster than text? 

With social media developing at a rapid pace, brands have more than just text and stock imagery at their disposal when it comes to media content. From Instagram Stories to Facebook Watch to TikTok, there are plenty of new tools that brands can use to keep up with their audience.

Not long ago, video marketing was considered the next key piece to the social media marketing puzzle. Now, it’s shown to be the most engaging and effective form of content, and has paved the way for ‘next-level’ trends like virtual reality (VS) and augmented reality (AR). 

Do we have your attention yet? Let’s get into how you can ace content creation as new tech develops!

Video

Video content is both entertaining and engaging, as well as being easy to digest. Plus, since many of the latest smartphones come with high-quality cameras, video content can be produced quite cheaply if needed.

Purpose

One of the main purposes of video content is to explain or demonstrate a brand’s products, services or processes, as simply and quickly as possible. Video is more comprehensive and easy to digest than trying to do so with still imagery and text. 

Video gives people a greater understanding of content, and is more engaging and entertaining, with studies showing that 65% of your audience will be visual learners. Video connects with audiences more deeply, as well as more quickly. Content can be created by a third party, customer or influencer – or from the perspective of someone working in your business. However you decide to create, you’ll find your message is clearer and more intriguing when in video form.

Incentives

Video content is especially useful because search engines prioritise video in their search results and suggested videos, especially when accompanied by effective supporting elements like relevant keywords and hashtags. It’s also infinitely useful for repurposing across multiple channels, making it all the more worthwhile to spend time creating something special.

For example, featuring a video on the landing page of your brand’s website immediately captures the attention of visitors, and is proven to boost conversion rates up to 80%. With the right video, it can only take a few seconds to get your message across (even if someone scrolls away).

Ways to use video

YouTube

Since it is the second most used search engine after Google, YouTube is a valuable platform for housing video content. YouTube videos usually appear near the top of Google search results, too, so getting your content on the platform means your videos – and brand – can be seen in more places.

Instagram Stories

Instagram stories can be short and easy to produce and are often less formal than grid posts. A study conducted by Social Insider found that Instagram stories featuring videos have a lower ‘tap forward’ rate than those featuring photos, meaning people are more likely to skip through photo stories and move onto the next one quickly, but they are more inclined to stay and watch a whole video story. Stories pose a great opportunity for authentic content to build stronger relationships with your audience. 

Live streams

Live video content is perfect for capturing events that are time-sensitive or happening in the moment. The popularity of this format increased during the pandemic as an alternative to live events, so that viewers could still experience the novelty of watching something in real-time and interacting directly. Live videos are also likely to be casual, which creates a more intimate and personal connection between the viewers and the host. According to Facebook, live videos hosted on the site are great for driving engagement, as users interact with them 6 times as much as they interact with other videos.

TikTok

A major reason TikTok grew so quickly was due to the potential for virality; the TikTok algorithm allows a user to scroll an infinite feed of videos tailored to their interests. There’s no need to have thousands of followers to see thousands – even millions – of views on a video. This is a platform that sees user attention held tightly, due to how short videos are, and for a long period due to the bottomless feed. In 2021, TikTok is leading a lot of social media and “meme” trends online. 

User-generated content (UGC) is a large part of a successful brand social media strategy on TikTok due to the two-way nature of content creation on the app. Encouraging responses, as well as responding to others, will build brand loyalty and recognition from your audience through UGC. The key to these strong consumer relationships on TikTok is authenticity – creating content that doesn’t appear to hide behind a brand but actually flaunts the fact that it’s created by real people who relate to their peers. 

AR and VR

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality aren’t new concepts, but they have increased in popularity since the pandemic prevented customers from visiting stores and engaging with brands in person.

VR

VR allows brands to create experiences, which remove barriers such as location and distance. Events that are broadcast via live-streamed video on Facebook or other platforms can incorporate VR, giving users the virtual experience of being in the front row at a concert or festival without even leaving their homes, essentially transporting them into a different world.

We love this immersive experience that Merrell created to launch their line of Capra Hiking Boots.

Brands can also use VR to promote upcoming products, not just inviting customers to get excited about what is to come, but even giving them a chance to offer feedback during the development process. This allows the product to be tailored to the customers’ wants and needs, to increase eventual customer satisfaction before the product has even finished being developed. Internal development teams at corporations such as Ford, BMW and others are already using VR as part of their development workflow – reducing the need for as many prototypes of large items (like cars) to be made and allowing everyone involved in the project to interact with the product, no matter where they are.

AR

One of the main ways AR is incorporated into the consumer experience is as a try-before-you-buy opportunity. Using their mobile phones, consumers can see how a variety of products, such as clothing, shoes, and makeup, will look like on them, or how furniture and decor will look in their house. AR also overcomes the barriers of location and travel, allowing brands to reach a wider audience, including those who may not be able to see a product in person before they buy it, but don’t feel comfortable making a purchase decision based solely on photos and descriptions.

Interactivity also makes AR the perfect addition to an engaging marketing campaign. Heaps of brands have successfully created new filters, using AR technology, so that social media users can interact with them and feature them in their own posts, creating more awareness for the brand. The results are pretty conclusive – a study conducted by Interactions found that AR experiences caused a whopping 72% of shoppers to buy a product they hadn’t originally planned on purchasing.

It feels like every day sees a new trend and what we know is obsolete before we know it. To maximise the benefits of these new tools, brands need to stay up to date with the latest technology trends and what’s changing in popular media. Sure, it may be easier to pump out single-image and text posts – but the effectiveness of creating fresh, new content is second to none. 

If you need help keeping your social media content up to date, get in touch with us today.  info@fuseagency.com.au or 3198 4890.