Video marketing strategies are evolving and it’s important to keep up! Just understanding the current video trends and putting them into practice gets you more views, more sales, and more success! That’s why we’re giving you the 3 major trends of 2015:

1. Storytelling

Even though half of watchers are gone by the first minute, we’re seeing videos advertisements going from short ads to 2 minute videos–all in order to tell a story. In 2015, advertisers have to compete even more for attention as video advertising becomes more standard. They are doing this by evoking emotion in their audience. Instead of looking for the perfect punchline, companies are looking to leave a message that resonates. In other words, they’re creating videos that stir deep emotions and tell stories. Storytelling in video is so successful because it can build a human connection. That’s something a product endorsement or humor spot simply cannot do.

For example, consider the Nissan commercial in this year’s Super Bowl. Instead of focusing on the product’s qualities, the video follows a father and son’s relationship from birth. This video’s power to evoke raw emotion allowed it to become one of the most memorable commercials of the entire Super Bowl.

2. Building a Relationship

Companies are now recognizing that mass marketing leads to few sales and little brand loyalty. Instead of creating videos to reach the Internet’s masses, companies are narrowing their scope to build an audience of specific, targeted viewers. If videos are to have a long-lasting effect, there must be an intimate relationship that lasts way beyond the play button.

More than ever, video marketing is driven to getting viewers to click on ‘subscribe’, which creates an instant bond between viewer and creator. Once viewers become subscribers, marketers can then invest in creating a personal relationship with them. Videos now reach out to audience members at each step in the buying process to connect with their needs. A video distribution plan that is personalized will lead to more sales and more success.

3. Engagement

In the US, more people are watching online video than ever before. But most of those viewers don’t ever make it to the end of a whole video. Couple that with low video engagement and conversion, and you’ve got a problem. However, this year, interactive videos are the solution. Videos that engage with the viewer are the most powerful tool companies have to communicate with their audiences.

Because of the ever-increasing amount of devices and access to WiFi, sharing times are faster. According to Reelseo.com, half of 2015 video shares happen in the first 3 days after the video has been released. That means that for marketers, it’s all about engaging with the viewer. Businesses need to have a distribution strategy that focuses on getting their audience to engage immediately by sharing, liking, commenting and most importantly, subscribing.