There’s no denying that video is overtaking the world of content marketing. With one third of online activity being spent watching video, it’s clear that video marketing is required for brands attempting to establish a meaningful connection with their audience. Looking into 2018, we’ll not only see an increase in production, but more marketers will begin to experiment with new and immersive video mediums and technologies — taking video marketing to the next level.

In this blog post, we’ve outlined the top video marketing trends that marketers should pay attention to as they plan for 2018.

Video First

It’s projected that video will begin to overtake other forms of content. We surveyed hundreds of marketers in our State of Video Marketing Report and found that not only 82% of marketers plan to produce video in 2018, but video production will increase by 5x.

More specifically, mobile video production will grow in popularity, and more marketers will begin to think with  a mobile video first mindset when planning campaigns. Cisco estimates that mobile video now accounts for more than half of all mobile data traffic. And by 2021, that number is estimated to grow to 78%. As consumer behavior continues to evolve around new technologies, it’s increasingly important for marketers to think about mobile video first, and what that looks like on different channels when planning campaigns for the new year.

Virtual Reality

Not so long ago, virtual reality (VR) seemed like a futuristic technology that would never make it into the homes of consumers. But today, VR headsets are becoming increasingly mainstream. Statistia estimates that by 2020, 82 million VR headsets will be sold — a 1507% increase from 2017 predictions. And with that, we’ll see more marketers acting on the opportunity to reach customers through this lifelike, interactive medium.

Red Bull has already started experimenting with VR, as seen in their air racing videos.

Live Streaming

Features like Facebook Live has made live streaming easy and accessible for marketers around the world. But we predict that live streaming on a native website where marketers can control the user experience will continue to grow in 2018. We found in our State of Online Video Report that live video is three times more engaging than pre-recorded video.

So, how will live streaming evolve in 2018? Other than more marketers experimenting with the tool, live streaming is predicted to become more interactive. Amstel Radler has already played with pushing creative boundaries using Facebook Live. The Brewery hosted a customer-led Facebook Live stream, where viewers controlled the content based on how they were engaging with the video.

Personalized Video

The greatest advantage of using video content is its ability to create a human connection with your audience. According to Econsultancy, 93% of companies are seeing an uplift in conversion rates as a result of video and web personalization. In the new year, we’ll see this taken further, with brands using personalized marketing, sales, and customer service videos to nurture prospects, build relationships, and gain customer trust.

Video Marketing Automation

Moving prospects down the funnel has been accelerated through video — especially with the emergence of video marketing platforms that convert users and syncs data with existing marketing tech stacks. In 2018, video will become more integrated into all areas of the marketing funnel. We found through our own research that emails with video have a 623% higher click-through rate and according to Hubspot, landing pages with video can increase conversions by 80% or higher.

360 Degree Videos

This form of immersive video is becoming increasingly popular for brands wanting to create eye-catching content. But does it actually drive more engagement? In partnership with Columbia Sportswear, Google launched a video campaign featuring two U.S. Olympic skiers in Chile. The campaign included a 360 degree video ad and a standard video ad. The results: the 360 degree ad underperformed the standard ad on view-through rate, across desktop, and mobile. But interestingly, they found that the 360 degree ad drove 41% more earned actions than the standard ad.

Owned Media

According to our research at TwentyThree, hosting video on your website with a video marketing platform is 12 times more engaging, can increase your total marketing data by as much as 50%, and ultimately, help nurture viewers down the funnel.

Of course it’s still important to share video on channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube for top-of-the-funnel campaigns, but with owned media, marketers have complete control of the user experience, can track data deeper than views and impressions, and add calls to action or gate content to capture leads.

With these trends, it’s clear that video is no longer just an option for marketers — it’s essential. Our advice? Be an early adopter and get started on integrating what’s next for video into your video marketing strategy.

Need help getting started with your 2018 video marketing plan? View our 2018 Video Marketing Plan Checklist or watch our webinar: How to Create a Video Marketing Plan for 2018.