At Voicebooking we interact with all sorts of video content professionals on a daily basis. And if there is anything we have learned from them in recent years, it’s that trends can move incredibly fast. So fast that keeping up with these trends is important if you don’t want to fall behind on your competition. That is why we dug deep into the video content trends of 2023. Ready? Let’s get started.
1. Creating Conversations – Livestreams
With the rise of the internet, the world has gotten smaller as people can interact with each other over huge distances. A simple livestream now allows people to have real-time conversations with anybody in the world. And now that they are used to it, tomorrow’s audience wants to have conversations instead of just being spoken to. Therefore, live streaming content through platforms such as Twitch, Facebook and Youtube has become increasingly popular, as it allows for people to have live interactions with you and your content, making it all feel much more authentic.
If we take Facebook for example, only 12% of marketers are making use of its live streaming platform, Facebook Live. This means that even doing a quick and easy Q&A stream could set you apart from your competition, and allow you to come across way more authentic. Honestly, with 80% of people saying that they prefer watching a live stream to reading a blog, I might need to rethink my own content.
2. Power to the people – Interactive content
While live streamed video is one way of facilitating interaction with your audience in an authentic manner, there are also other ways to satisfy people’s need for interaction. One example of this interactive content can be seen in 360 degree videos, a medium that gives your audience the opportunity to look throughout the entire scene instead of being locked into a single viewpoint.
You can make audience members feel unique by allowing them to make decisions in your content, for example through an interactive quiz. Giving them power and influence over your content allows them to fully engage with it. As long as you create some way for your audience to control and affect the content they are watching, they will be more engaged with the content. And with 90% of marketeers already reporting boosted sales after making use of interactive content, you can only expect this trend to last even past 2023.
3. The rise of goldfish content – Short video content
Ever heard of goldfish content? We just came up with it ourselves. With the massive amount of content options available nowadays. It’s easy for audiences to switch to something else when they are bored. Short video content allows you to get messages across before they get bored, allowing you to hook these people instantly. This is very important since their attention span is very short.
According to research, our attention span has dramatically decreased in recent years. In 2000, it was 12 seconds. 15 years later, it has shrunk significantly to 8.25 seconds. As a matter of fact, we now have shorter attention spans than goldfish, who are able to focus on a task or object for 9 seconds. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that incredibly short video content on a platform like TikTok has gotten amazing traction in recent years. And there is no change for 2023.
People simply want to watch some quick little clips while on the toilet, instead sitting through a full 15 minute video. Even on a platform like Youtube, with its primary focus on more long form content, times are changing. Currently 75% of its audience watches Shorts every month, to put that into perspective: that is 1.5 billion people watching Shorts. This is a number that will likely grow, so make sure to get into short content in 2023, as there is a massive audience to capitalize on.
4. Make them work for you – User generated content
With so many companies vying for their attention nowadays, audiences are starting to get more and more media savvy. User generated content is the key to break through these new barriers. By using user generated content your content will be viewed as authentic, and like it’s endorsed by actual people. Research even tells us that 72% of consumers believe reviews and testimonials from customers are more authentic than a brand’s conversations about its own products.
User generated content is simply more relatable as opposed to content from a company directly. The people of 2023 are looking for brands they identify with, and there is nothing easier to identify with, than other people. A simple example is encouraging people to write reviews of your products that you can share on social media. It was discovered that 84% of consumers trust peer recommendations above all other sources of advertising. The consumer from 2023 is more aware than ever about what is corporate marketing content and attempts to filter it out completely. User generated content allows you to get around this problem, and back into the heads of your audience.
5. Showcase why and how – Brand building content
Your video content should wholly revolve around selling your products, instead it should be about selling your brand. It is Brand Building Content that forms the future of marketing. Don’t focus on what you are selling, but why you are selling it. This means creating content like behind the scenes videos, interviews and brand stories. To give you an idea, look at this video from KIA where they highlight their brand value and try to stand out from other companies.
Or, merely get on social media during pride month in the summer, when the rainbow themed company logos are suddenly everywhere. As long as it showcases the values your brand stands for, it’s gold. Since 57% of people say that they increase their spending with a brand when they feel truly connected with them, it’s important that you make sure your content taps into this need for audiences to have a connection with your brand as a personality. In 2023 we need to realise that audiences don’t consist of the mythical “Homo Economicus”. Instead, audiences are following their heart more and more, so make them feel good about not only your products, but also your brand values.
6. Creative Computers – AI generated content
Some of the things that we thought were impossible only 10 years ago, we now see on a daily basis. One of technologies that is currently making giant leaps forward is AI generated content. It was often thought that the only thing machines could never do was the concept of creativity. But nowadays there are a multitude of startups that have developed AI’s that can perform a whole host of creative endeavours. From stories to videos and from images to music, they can do it all.
Our own AI voice generator is even able to make whole voice overs out of thin air. And with the development of new technologies going so fast, we are sure to see major innovations in 2023 allowing more and more marketing uses for this technology. Recently ChatGPT gained a lot of popularity with its ability to understand prompts like no other, and Dall-e Image generator has improved massively in only a single year as you can see here:
New AI projects develop constantly, some of them are able to make incredibly realistic AI art. Midjourney for example can create images that look incredibly realistic:
Considering that, in 2021, marketing and sales represented 20% of AI adoption across all industries, this will surely have more growth going into 2023. Possibilities could be in generating video descriptions or facilitating more effective creative processes through the visualisation of written prompts. When it comes to AI generated content, the sky’s the limit.
7. Brands as influencers – Creator Content
As mentioned before, audiences nowadays want to connect with people instead of companies. They want to see Creator Content on their timeline instead of Corporate Content. And when you understand that this is especially the case for the younger generations, we can only expect this trend to keep growing into 2023, and spread across all generations. This is why it’s important that you learn to treat your brand itself more like a person.
The big drivers of engagement in 2023 will be those same individual creators that have built a massive brand around them. Therefore it’s key that you make use of this potential by emulating their content with your own content. What I am trying to say is that you need to take the same approach to relatable content when communicating with your audience.
The local brewery of Rhinegeist in the USA, for example, made use of the “give this to Kevin” TikTok trend from the classic holiday film Home Alone to promote their taproom. By placing employees front and center while leveraging a popular trend proved to resonate with audiences, as the TikTok racked up more than 269,000 views. That is the power of creator content.
8. Not just a translation – Localised Content
It doesn’t matter what content you are making, it needs to fit in accordance with local cultural norms of the audience you are making it for. In short, your content should be localised. Just look at something as simple as language for example. While English has quickly become the lingua franca of the western world, this doesn’t mean there is no need to think about releasing content in another language.
Because even though your audience might be able to technically understand what you are saying, 65% of non-native English speakers prefer content in their native language. And with only 5.4% of the human population being native English speakers, this means you are reaching way less people than you potentially could. Localisation is more than just translating however.
Say you are trying to do business in Italy and want to push a Christmas focussed content piece. By emphasising dates like Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you will instantly be branded as an outsider, as Italians put their attention on January 6, the Epiphany. Making sure your content is localised for the new markets you are trying to enter allows you to come across as a genuine business partner.
It shows that you are a professional business that cares about its customers. Forgoing localisation can actually damage your reputation in this new market, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that we are seeing a big rise in the amount of voice over localisation requests ourselves. People have noticed that by not localising your content they are giving up on huge opportunities that their competitors could be taking advantage of.
9. Looking for love – Influencer Content
We have talked about user generated content and how brands behave more like creators nowadays. One of the ways we can bring all these aspects together is by making use of those same creators through Influencer Marketing. By developing long-term relationships with your influencers you will gain the trust of your audience. Long-term relationships between brands and influencers are expected to become the norm in the next five years as it allows your audience to relate to your brand on a more personal level.
And the more users can relate to something, the more likely they are to click through and make a purchase. As of now, influencer marketing is responsible for bringing in, on average, $5.20 for every $1 spent on this type of marketing. A number that is only expected to grow in 2023.
A classic example of good influencer marketing is Venus Williams and the partnership she has had with Nike for years. Nike’s brand values are all about showing everybody can make it to the athletic top, as long as you work hard for it. Being endorsed by an athlete like Venus does not only give Nike’s brand authenticity, but it reinforces their brand values, as these are values Venus herself has spoken about as well.
Just make sure you are careful when looking at exactly what type of influencers you need to endorse your brand. Since failing influencer marketing campaigns often come forth from choosing the wrong individuals who don’t have the relevant audience or reach that aligns with your demographic. But when you find that one influencer that aligns perfectly with your brand value and audience, you have struck marketing gold.
10. The vision of the future – AR and VR Video Content
Probably the most futuristic video content trend that 2023 has to offer is that of AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) content. AR refers to technology that overlays the digital world on the real world. A famous example is the game “Pokemon GO”. In this game, players can simply view the world around them through their phone’s camera, while digital Pokemon are superimposed over the image for players to catch and collect. VR, however, goes one step further.
Through VR headsets like the “Valve Index” users are transported into a fully digital world. Everything they hear and see is fully digital while motion sensors allow you to move through this digital world freely. This allows users to experience 3D environments like it exists in the real world, whereas AR can project 3D environments on top of the real world. It’s an emerging technology that is gaining more and more traction with the general public.
In 2017, there were just 22 million VR users in the U.S., and by 2020 there were 50.2 million users. This number is expected to continue to grow and reach just under 70 million by 2023. And that is only talking about the US. The growth of VR is astounding in China as well. Of the estimated $72.8 billion projected to be spent on AR and VR in 2024, China is expected to account for 36% of that. So if you want to get in on ground zero of an emerging technology in an emerging market, this is the time to start building AR and VR content.
What it all means
As you can see, there are a load of trends that will be important to pay attention to in 2023. While this might make you feel a little overwhelmed, there are two key takeaways you can start implementing in your video content right now. The first one is a bigger focus on authenticity and brand values. By using tools and trends like influencers, brand building and user generated content you can create a more sustainable relationship with your audience. You are looking to tell the story of your brand, instead of trying to convince them to buy your products. 2023 will be all about trying to sell your brand.
To sell your brand however, you need to be able to get the attention of your audience. Audiences who are not drawn to one-way communication. Instead, the audiences of 2023 want to feel like they are part of a conversation. By employing trends like live streams, Shorts, and interactive content you can stand out from the crowd, and gain the attention of these audiences. All while keeping an eye on the further development of more technological trends. Such like, AI, VR and AR in order to spot the opportunities where you can implement these new technologies into your content.
