Top Video Advertising Trends for 2023

5 Video Advertising Trends to Watch Out for in 2023

Video marketing has become a critical part of a successful content marketing strategy. In 2022, 86% of businesses used video content to increase brand awareness, reach new audiences, and convert leads.

Shifting customer behaviors also contribute to the increasing relevance of video. Modern consumers are watching more videos now than ever and increasingly relying on video content to learn about products and brands. This content tremendously impacts customer purchase behavior, with 88% of consumers revealing that they became convinced to purchase a product or service after watching brand videos.

These compelling statistics showcase the importance of marketers capitalizing on the booming video landscape. We’ve compiled the best video advertising trends to watch out for to help you create a winning content strategy in 2023.

Top 5 Video Advertising Trends in 2023

Marketers should stay current on industry trends to maximize their investment and gain a competitive edge in today’s business environment. These video advertising trends can help you boost your marketing strategy in 2023.

1. Rise of Short-Form Videos

Increased media exposure has made the human attention span shorter. Short-form video content is critical for businesses to maintain audience engagement in the digital age. TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are the leading platforms for short-form video advertising. 83% of marketers recommend videos that are less than one minute in length for optimal results.

Short-form video content can also help brands appeal to younger audiences and keep up with trend culture. Platforms like TikTok are dominated by trending music, dances, and challenges. In 2023, brands are expected to use short-form videos to create authentic, inspiring, and educational content for their audience.

2. Communicating and Selling Using Live Videos

Live streaming became a powerful medium for businesses to connect with customers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This medium has transformed how brands promote their products and services by providing a means to interact with consumers in real-time. Through live streaming, businesses share live events, conduct product demonstrations, host Q&A sessions, and much more.

According to Facebook, live videos are three times more engaging than pre-recorded content. Marketers can strengthen customer relationships, increase awareness and reach new audiences by capitalizing on this video advertising trend.

3. Social Media Video Advertising

The total number of social media users worldwide in 2021 reached 4.26 billion, and will likely increase to almost 6 billion in 2027. YouTube tops social media use for U.S. adults, with 81% of Americans using the platform more than any other social network in 2021.

Businesses aiming to grow their audience base in 2023 should optimize their video content for sharing on social media platforms to make the most of this audience reach. According to Sprout Social, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are among the top social media platforms consumers anticipate using for the next 12 months.

4. Optimizing Videos for Silent Viewing

One of the most recent video advertising trends is optimizing content for silent viewing. The evolving video consumption behavior of consumers influences this trend. According to recent industry research, 85% of consumers now watch videos with the sound off as they view content on the go. As a result, social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok are now embracing audio transcription features.

To keep engaging customers in 2023, brands should leverage captions and on-screen instructions to optimize video content for silent viewing. Preparing videos for soundless playback can also help your business provide a more user-friendly experience for consumers and make your content more accessible to a broader audience.

5. Building Trust through User-Generated Content

Original, brand-related content that customers publish is called user-generated content (UGC). This content can come in many forms, such as testimonials and reviews. UGC provides the authenticity and personalization consumers seek in content. A whopping 93% of consumers find this content helpful when making a purchase decision.

Brands can hop on this video advertising trend in 2023 by partnering with satisfied customers and encouraging them to share video content on their social media channels. You can create brand advocacy programs or offer incentives to get customers on board. In the long run, user-generated content can help build consumer trust and brand loyalty.

Take Your Content Marketing Strategy to the Next Level

These powerful video advertising trends can help elevate your brand’s content marketing strategies in 2023. If you’re ready to leverage the power of optimized video content, rely on Channel Factory. We help businesses reach brand-suitable audiences and grow their bottom line through optimized YouTube advertising solutions. Reach out today to learn how we can help your business!

The Ultimate Guide to Diversity & Inclusion in Marketing [Insights from Experts]

We asked the experts for tips and insights on addressing diversity in marketing

 

1. The Need for Diversity and Inclusion in Marketing 

Company: Maryville University 

 

Statistics show that America is becoming increasingly more diverse, as recent data reveals that growth among racial and ethnic minority populations outpaces that of Caucasians. It’s vital for modern marketers to know their audience, but they should also remember that diversity extends beyond race alone. Today, promoting revenue and brand image means defining and communicating with audiences as individuals, including people of all ages, socio-economic classes, and genders. Ultimately, the key to staying competitive lies in providing diversified content for diversified audiences, in a way that actually represents present-day society.

 

Company: Deloitte 

In our survey of 11,500 global consumers, we found the youngest respondents (from 18 to 25 years old) took greater notice of inclusive advertising when making purchase decisions (figure 1).

When we examined the US results by ethnicity and race, respondents were up to two-and-a-half times more likely to be aware of a brand prominently promoting diversity when making a product or experience purchasing decision if they identified as Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American, Hispanic American, Native American or Alaska Native, or multiracial or biracial.

— Nathan Young, Christina Brodzik, Nikki Drake, Sarah Cuthill

Company: Microsoft

Inclusive advertising drives trust. Our research shows that inclusion in advertising feels like connection or a version of family where there are underlying feelings that inclusive advertising produces in people.

70% of Gen Z consumers are more trusting of brands that represent diversity in ads.

69% of Gen Z consumers said that brands that represent diversity are more authentic.

— Microsoft Advertising

2. Look at Your Team

Company: McKinsey

McKinsey has been examining diversity in the workplace for several years. … The findings were clear:

  • Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.
  • Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians (exhibit).
  • In the United States, there is a linear relationship between racial and ethnic diversity and better financial performance: for every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on the senior-executive team, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rise 0.8 percent.
  • In the United Kingdom, greater gender diversity on the senior-executive team corresponded to the highest performance uplift in our data set: for every 10 percent increase in gender diversity, EBIT rose by 3.5 percent.
  • The unequal performance of companies in the same industry and the same country implies that diversity is a competitive differentiator shifting market share toward more diverse companies.

— Vivian Hunt, Dennis Layton, Sara Prince

 

3. Mirror a True Reflection

Who are the people around you, and who are you trying to reach? Consumer purchase intent doubles and more with socially conscious advertising; however, that doesn’t mean much if you aren’t genuine.

 

Company: Forbes 

In 2019, Adobe conducted a research report of more than 2,000 consumers. Their results showed that 66% of African-Americans, and 53% of Latino and Hispanic Americans feel their ethnicity is portrayed stereotypically in advertisements.

This is a challenge, because that same report showed that 61% of Americans find diversity in advertising important, and 38% of consumers are more likely to trust brands that do well with showing diversity in their ads.

— Nathan Young, Christina Brodzik, Nikki Drake, Sarah Cuthill 

4. Take the Time to Truly Understand

The phrase “there are no shortcuts in life” can be applied in many ways, but it especially holds true when considering the importance of diversity in marketing.

 

Company: Think with Google

The Female Quotient partnered with Google and Ipsos this past summer to survey nearly 3,000 U.S. consumers of various backgrounds to understand perceptions surrounding diversity and inclusion in advertising. My team and I asked people about the factors they think are important for a brand’s ad campaign to be considered diverse or inclusive. Specifically, we surveyed respondents about 12 categories: gender identity, age, body type, race/ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, skin tone, language, religious/spiritual affiliation, physical ability, socio-economic status, and overall appearance.

We learned that people are more likely to consider, or even purchase, a product after seeing an ad they think is diverse or inclusive (in reference to the 12 categories discussed in this study).

— Shelley Zalis, The Female Quotient, Ipsos 

5. Create a Content Diversity Checklist 

You want to consider many groups when publishing content and posting marketing campaigns. To keep consumer sentiments at heart at all times, create a content quality checklist and audit.

 

Company: The Business Journals

While many businesses have publicly voiced their commitments to diversity, it’s important to measure that commitment and ensure you’re truly creating an inclusive environment. That’s why we asked members of Business Journals Leadership Trust how you can tell if you’re making progress in your diversity and inclusion efforts, or whether you’re struggling to keep up. Ask yourself these questions to gauge where you’re at with your diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

  1. Is diversity and inclusion a continuous process?
  2. Do you have a diverse group of decision-makers across the organization?
  3. Are you regularly reviewing progress?
  4. Are your employees benefiting from your efforts?
  5. Is there diversity at every level of your company?
  6. What are your employees saying?
  7. Is your diverse workforce organically shaping an inclusive culture?
  8. Are all your stakeholders providing honest feedback on the state of your D&I efforts?
  9. Are you having communication breakdowns?
  10. Is your organization viewing D&I as more than an HR initiative?

Business Journals Leadership Trust Expert Panel®

6. Create a Content Diversity Audit

Company: Litmus

 

At Litmus, we try to do this not only through ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion work and training internally, but also by providing paid volunteer time off (VTO) for all employees to get to know their communities and give back to them. A lot of what we individually learn in the process is shared throughout the company in various Slack channels, team meetings, and during our all-hands meetings. While we certainly have difficult conversations as a team, we welcome those conversations as an opportunity to actually figure out what our values are, instill them in our work, and grow as a company.

On a practical level, we need to take to heart that, as Kevin put it, “Change happens with a bunch of intentional, small decisions.” For marketers actually creating campaigns and building emails, some of those small decisions could be to:

 

  • Include people of color (POC) and queer couples in campaign imagery.
  • Link to causes you support in email newsletters or curated content pieces.
  • Engage with your customers on a regular basis to see what they care about beyond your products.
  • Push your company to hire staff and work with freelancers from under-represented groups.
  • Look outside your typical circle for content contributors for posts, webinars, etc.
  • Push back on decisions to ignore social justice movements like Black Lives Matter because they’re “too political” or “might alienate customers.”
  • Read books, watch talks, and listen to podcasts that address diversity, equity, and inclusion.
    — Jason Rodriguez

 

7. Measure Intention vs. Impact

 

You should always be cognizant of your messaging if you value diversity in advertising and marketing. The negative impact of a distasteful ad can cost companies billions of dollars and strike consumer confidence in their brand indefinitely. 

 

Company: Kantar

Following the events of May 2020 and the subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, we conducted analysis on our Link ad testing database, looking at the representation of different ethnicities and diverse skin colors in advertising. We saw very different levels of inclusion across countries and categories. Once again, we saw that inclusion contributes to long-term equity, by positioning the brand as emotionally different. It can also drive short-term sales by making the content more impactful, helping to drive cut-through.

—Daren Poole

 

Company: Forbes

  1. Create A Focus Group To Help You Develop Content 

Want to represent a variety of groups? Have people from those groups get involved in developing and reviewing the content you plan to use. You don’t need to guess about what kind of images and language people want. You can use polls, surveys and other review processes to ensure that the groups you are representing relate to and approve of your messaging. – Holly Chessman, GlowTouch Technologies

— Forbes Communications Council

8. Be Mindful of Language and Tone

 

Marketing professionals handle all sorts of clients and work to fit a company’s unique brand voice, so deals with potential clients can fall flat if you don’t use appropriate language in meetings. 

 

Company: Forbes

  1. Instill Diversity As A Company Value 

It’s all well and good to proclaim a desire for diversity, but companies need to be careful they aren’t treating it flippantly, because their audience will see right through it. Instilling diversity as a value and solidifying it through an appropriate vision and mission statement will ensure that it’s imbued in a company’s ethos. From there, your marketing will naturally reflect the ethos. 

– Patrick Ward, High Speed Experts

— Forbes Communications Council

9. Speak to Your Audience

If you want to be more considerate of your consumer base, ask for their thoughts.

 

By posing a quick question on social media, like, “How can we improve diversity in our company?” you can open yourself up for genuine input that aids in the research process.

 

Company: Forbes

  1. Pick The Right Messenger

If your communication aims to connect with a diverse demographic or subculture, make sure the messenger reflects that target. For example, hire a woman to communicate about women’s issues. I once attended a women’s networking event that featured the male mayor of the city as its keynote speaker. He seemed like a great person, but his take on women in business wasn’t resounding, to say the least! – Mandy Glidewell, CentricsIT

— Forbes Communications Council

Channel Factory Champions Diversity and Inclusion

As the world changes around us, it is vital to keep up with people’s common sentiments and lived experiences. Given the amount of backlash diverse audiences face online and the legacy of insensitivity in advertising, it should be a priority to take a stand to strengthen collective bonds and fix our digital ecosystem.

 

As an adamant supporter of diversity in marketing, we strive to represent people’s voices.

Contact Channel Factory to optimize your advertising and appropriately meet the needs of your audience.

5 Reasons YouTube Is Good for Building Brand Equity

Businesses can leverage a plethora of social media platforms to build brand equity, but some platforms remain underutilized by marketers. 

Many don’t use YouTube to its full potential—do you?

While all social media platforms can be valuable for your marketing strategy, YouTube is among the most powerful tools for brand building if you use it correctly. 

But why exactly is YouTube good for building brand equity? This guide will answer this question and explain how your business can use this platform to its advantage. 

What Is Brand Equity? 

Brand equity is the value of your brand as perceived by your customers. Businesses can build positive brand equity by making their products and services recognizable, memorable, and superior in quality. The company’s marketing and promotional efforts are crucial to achieving this goal. 

When businesses have positive brand equity, clients are willing to pay more for their products and services. Positive brand equity allows companies to: 

  • Increase their profit margins
  • Grow market share
  • Expand product lines with confidence

5 Key Reasons YouTube Is Good for Building Brand Equity

Why is YouTube so good for building brand equity? Here are the top reasons you should use YouTube as part of the marketing strategy for your business.

1. Capitalize on a Large User Base

YouTube is the world’s second most popular social media platform, with over 2.3 billion monthly active users watching over 1 billion hours of content on the platform daily. In the United States, the percentage of people on the platform is pretty evenly distributed across different age groups. YouTube currently ranks second in overall website traffic, and the numbers show no sign of slowing down. 

You’ve got to go where the customers are—and they’re clearly visiting YouTube.

2. Boost SEO

YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, the world’s most popular search engine. Creating content on this platform can help make your business more searchable, as Google features YouTube videos in search results. By creating relevant content on YouTube and using the right keywords, your brand can become more visible and build a robust online presence.

3. Leverage Customer Intent 

People watch over 1 billion hours of video content on YouTube each day. Customers are actively seeking solutions on the platform. Some of the best-performing videos include tutorials, training, and how-to-videos. 

Optimizing your YouTube content with the right tags, categories, and keywords can reach customers seeking solutions that your products and services can address. 

4. Increase Website Traffic & Conversions

YouTube is a powerful platform for attracting high-quality leads. If your brand creates helpful content on YouTube, your customers can use the backlinks you provided in the video to learn more about your business. This action drives increased organic traffic on your website. With well-optimized landing pages, these visits can improve your conversion rates. 

5. YouTube Ads 

YouTube is an exceptional platform for advertising because it enables brands to target their audience based on their demographics, preferences, and interests. Partnering with expert third-party companies can help your business create brand-suitable advertisements, reach the right audience, and maximize your advertising investment. 

How to Use YouTube for Brand Equity: Getting Started 

YouTube empowers brands to reach their target markets, build awareness, and showcase their competitive edge to the world through video content and powerful targeted advertising. Here’s how you can get started using YouTube for brand equity:

  • Learn About Your Audience: Before creating content and advertising on YouTube, analyze your target audience’s location, age, viewing preferences, and demographics. Gathering this information will help your business determine what content to make and where to place your ads. 
  • Analyze Competitors: Your business can gain important insights by analyzing your top competitors’ strategies. Utilize keyword tools to see which among your competitors has the best ranking on the keywords related to your industry. Observe the titles, descriptions, and metrics they use.
  • Optimize Your Content: YouTube’s ranking algorithm is unique. For the best results, ensure that you optimize every aspect of your content, from your thumbnails, titles, descriptions, and keywords. Use the most important keywords in your description and make use of call-to-action messages to encourage your audience to interact with your videos. 
  • Measure Results: Track your progress to determine the effectiveness of your video content and marketing campaigns. While you can utilize several metrics to evaluate your campaigns, their relevance can vary depending on your goals. For example, if your goal is to increase sales, conversion is the most important metric to evaluate. 

Build Brand Equity on YouTube with the Help of Channel Factory

In the digital age, YouTube remains one of the most powerful platforms marketers can leverage to grow their brands. But, while we’ve learned that YouTube is good for building brand equity, the real challenge is making it happen. At Channel Factory, we help businesses accomplish this. We specialize in creating optimized, brand-suitable, and effective advertising that reaches the right audience and drives conversions. Contact us today to learn how our advertising solutions can help your business!

Marketing in a Recession: 10 Ways to Succeed with a Strong Brand Presence

Recessions are hard on everyone. While consumers worry over rising costs, businesses often panic about having to reorganize and cut spending. 

Changes to interest rates, rising inflation, and slower markets can send shockwaves of uncertainty, where even the most resilient companies risk making calculated errors. However, marketing in a recession can still be successful with a strategic approach.

How Does a Recession Affect Marketing?

Many companies make major cuts to their marketing in a recession—laying off workers and slashing their budget. Extreme changes can send the message your business is in trouble.

Instead of panicking, evaluate your strengths and weaknesses to organize a plan. To help, we’ve created this list of 10 ways to thrive with your marketing in a recession, thereby maintaining your brand’s presence while avoiding the mistakes your competitors are likely to make. 

1. Be Consistent with Your Brand Presence

A recession is a time for companies to concentrate on clarity, both in branding and awareness. Don’t make drastic changes to your look or messaging—familiarity is vital to your long-term customers. 

While your competitors rush to rebrand and reduce their marketing budget, keep a level head. Surviving a recession is about your visibility and reliability. 

2. Don’t Cut Your Marketing Budget—Readjust It

A recession sends ripples of panic and uncertainty through markets. Businesses of every size will make critical errors trying to anticipate the worst-case scenario. 

The best approach to marketing in a recession is to lean into what you know is working. Optimize your budget—don’t cut it.

3. Don’t Be Reactionary—Be Strategic

A recession is a time to draw from your strengths. Dig deep into your metrics, analyzing past and current key performance indicators (KPIs) to discover ways to fine-tune your strategy. Collect and track data to make measurable results. 

4. Think About How a Recession Shapes Your Customers’ Buying Habits

Customers need to be heard and understood. How are tough economic times impacting their buying habits?

For example, customers may worry about losing their jobs or being unable to keep up with rising costs. They’ll be cutting out luxuries, going bargain hunting, and often breaking from long-term loyalty in search of better deals. 

At the same time, people will cling to familiarity in uncertain times. By remaining consistent and present, you can nurture your connection to your customers, displaying reliability and trust.

5. Get Them Talking with Word-of-Mouth

Word-of-mouth has long been regarded as the best form of advertising—people trust unsolicited opinions from buyers more than ads. Online reviews and ratings are even more important during a recession. 

This isn’t just about more sales, it’s about building trust. Use all of your touchpoints to encourage your customers to leave reviews.

6. Use YouTube Ads to Stay Connected to Your Customers

With YouTube video ads, you can create a steady flow of content, reassuring people your brand is strong and resilient. Boost awareness and engagement, and nurture your customer loyalty with videos that resonate with their needs.

Channel Factory offers custom YouTube advertising solutions, including easy-to-use self-service software. This takes the guessing out of the equation and assists you with optimizing your video content for maximum results. 

7. Maximize Your Visibility with Videos

 When marketing during a recession, focus on optimizing your videos. For instance, add captions. People often watch videos with the sound muted, so captions mean they can remain immersed in your content without losing the message.

8. Focus on Customer Loyalty

Emphasize the high value you place on loyalty. Create tiered pricing to give your customers flexibility and options. Or, offer a customer loyalty program to reward recurring purchases.

9. Email Your Customers

You’ve got an email list—marketing in a recession is the perfect time to make your email list work for you over and over with little added cost.

Try these four promotion ideas to keep them opening your emails:

  1. Offer discounts when customers share a referred link with their friends
  2. Send exclusive offers
  3. Offer an incentive for customers to leave positive reviews
  4. Share stories that express the unique selling points of your products

By emailing your customers consistently and often, you’re reinforcing how you value their loyalty.

10. Invest In Content Marketing

Content marketing is an effective and affordable way to boost visibility. Your competitors will probably make the mistake of cutting back on content, helping you stand out even more.

Great articles can build product awareness and boost engagement when you share them through social media and emails.

Get the Most from Your Video Ads with Channel Factory

YouTube video campaigns can underperform if they’re not properly placed.

Channel Factory’s expertise is providing you with better suitability—which means better performing ads. Our proprietary ViewIQ software analyzes all of YouTube in real-time to maximize the perfect context for your videos.

If you’re ready to get the most from your marketing budget, let Channel Factory help. Get in touch with us today!