Mobile Video – the Heart of Marketing

Recent stats indicate that mobile video is taking over the digital world. With the advance of fast 4G networks, users are consuming more and more mobile video content year after year.  A new report by eMarketer predicts that video will account for about 70% of all mobile data traffic in 2021. One of the main reasons why video is more important than ever before is because of its integration with mobile.

Mobile video is changing the world of digital marketing. Millenials using the latest smartphones are forcefully driving digital video action. Audiences are evolving and demanding the best content anywhere, at any time and on any device. For success, you need to make sure their viewing experience flexible and hassle-free.

Mobile video must be short

A mobile video must be even shorter than 30 seconds which is average for the video shown on the desktop. In a world with unlimited access to content, user patience is limited.  Best practices indicate that mobile video must engage viewers from the very first second and last no longer than 6-10 seconds in total.

Vertical video or square video is popular

In 2015 when Periscope and Snapchat started using vertical video, there was little faith in vertical. Cinema screens, laptops, computers, TVs – none of them were vertical.   We used to think about video marketing in horizontal terms, but mobile phones have changed this.  For those watching video on a smartphone, it’s easier to hold the phone vertically with one hand to view a video.

If your video is to be in a vertical format, consider recording it that way from the start. If you change your mind, you can record in a particular size and quality so the video can be adapted to both vertical and horizontal.

Facebook and YouTube have both updated their mobile apps to support vertical video. Instagram encourages its advertisers to experiment and see whether vertical, square or horizontal works best for their content. Twitter and Snapchat are both favorite sites for vertical videos.

Autoplay without sound

Video played on mobile must engage viewers even without sound. This means that users must be highly motivated to turn the video on, it’s challenging for marketers to create videos that attract people on mute.

Video must work well at any time on any device

Your viewer’s experience must be seamless, no matter what device they are using. Large HD files eat up data, and when using a modern hosting platform, like Cincopa, smaller high-quality video files are created on all mobile devices.  Users can enjoy high-quality, responsive, and HTML 5-compatible video in multiple formats and more. Faster mobile load times are possible due to HTTP Live Stream (HLS) to optimize playback.

If your video is not adaptable to be viewed easily on mobile in high quality, you are missing out on one of the fastest-growing ways to market your content. You don’t want to be left behind so make sure you’re making the best use of this opportunity.

 

Originally published on April 4th, 2016, updated on March 17th, 2019
The Blog

Mobile Video – the Heart of Marketing

by Ievgen Leonov time to read: 2 min
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