Social Video Trends for 2022

Cisco reported that video would account for 82% of all online traffic by 2022. Well, we’re here now. It’s 2022. So it’s no surprise to any of us that video has become the most popular form of online content. It’s become increasingly obvious over the last few years that video content is king in the world of social media. But where is social video going in 2022?

Video marketing is constantly evolving, especially when it comes to using video on social media. That’s why it’s so important to stay on top of the latest news and trends, particularly when we’re heading into a new year. To help out our community of creators, we’ve put together a list of the top social video trends for 2022.

Social Video Trends for 2022

Micro-Videos

More and more, we’ve been seeing the rise of short video content and the platforms that cater to it (namely TikTok and Instagram Reels). And we’re only going to see an increase in micro-videos in 2022. The fact is, the world keeps becoming more fast-paced, consumers’ attention spans just keep getting shorter and shorter, and the need for short, snackable content keeps getting bigger and bigger. 

If you want your brand to win in 2022, then it’s important to capitalize on this micro-video trend. Create video content that works well on TikTok and Instagram Reels. TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2020 and 2021 and currently has 1 billion monthly active users. And, according to Gen Z TikTok users, Instagram Reels is essentially interchangeable. 87% of them agreed with the statement “Instagram Reels is basically the same as TikTok”. Plus, Reels receive 22% more engagement than regular video content.

All of this information adds up to one conclusion: 2022 is the year to leverage the power of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and easy-to-consumer micro-videos in your video marketing strategy.

Vlogging

Here’s the truth: vlogging is the new blogging. The vlog industry has been growing rapidly and will likely only continue to explode in 2022. According to research, over 44% of Internet users watch vlogs every single month. The popularity of vlogging is just continued proof of what marketers have known for years — storytelling is the best way to connect with your audience.

Through vlogging, you have the opportunity to position yourself (the creator, the brand, etc.) as the main character of your story, allowing your followers to connect and engage in a more personal way. If you want to do both, you can always combine vlogging and blogging in your digital marketing strategy. But the video element is absolutely necessary if you want to maximize your success in 2022.

Long-Form Video Content

We’ve already talked about the popularity of micro-videos. But what about long-form video content? If you’re a fan of creating longer video content, then we have good news: there is still a place for long-form content on social media. And there is some evidence that suggests we may even see a return to longer video content this year. After all, TikTok has extended their length limitation to 3 minutes. Reels extended to 60 seconds. These small changes could indicate a swing back towards longer video content.

The trick to creating long-form video content is that it has to be good content. There’s no secret perfect length for a video. Your video should be as long as it needs to be. If your video needs to be longer, then make it longer. Just make sure you’re creating solid content and sharing it on the right platform (think YouTube).

Shoppable Videos

Social commerce (selling products directly on social media) is already a huge industry. It’s currently an $89.4 billion market and is only expected to continue growing. As we head into 2022, shoppers will expect to be able to buy your products directly on social media. And the new frontier for social commerce is shoppable video content. 

Shoppable videos are short videos that allow viewers to tap (or click) and purchase products featured in the video. The concept is pretty simple: create a video for Instagram that showcases a product or service and then allow users to purchase directly through the video without having to leave the platform.

Super Short Video Ads

We’re seeing a trend in video marketing that is here to stay: super short video ads. And it’s all thanks to YouTube and its skip function. When you’re creating a video ad for YouTube and considering the length, you have to think about their skip function. As soon as that skip button appears, most viewers are going to press it. And that’s why short 5-15 second video ads that finish before the skip button pops up are becoming the norm. 

Of course, the challenge with a 5-15 second video ad is to create something compelling enough for a consumer to follow your call to action in a very short time window. That’s why it’s important to focus on creating a video ad that teases a viewer just enough to make them want more. You can use fast-paced and highly engaging visuals in your short video ad to grab your viewer’s attention and draw them to your website.

Live Videos

During the pandemic, live videos skyrocketed in popularity. With a lack of face-to-face interactions, brands and creators relied on live video in a way they never have before. Live video became essential for hosting events and connecting with customers in a time when our worlds became smaller than ever. And the trend hasn’t gone away, even as we’ve begun to return to a more connected way of life. In fact, demand for live video content is only growing.

Users engage at a higher rate when the video content is live. On Facebook, statistics show that viewers will watch live videos for 3x longer than pre-recorded videos. 

In the coming year, try to embrace live video content in your video marketing strategy. Plan a few times where you could go live on Facebook or Instagram and interact with your audience. It’s even more effective if you announce your livestream beforehand and use your live video to make a big announcement, reveal a new product, etc.

Silent Videos

In today’s social media world, it’s vital that marketers create videos that can be watched without sound. After all, 80% of social videos are watched on mute. That number makes sense when you think about how often we watch videos on our smartphones in public places — whether we’re on public transportation, in a crowded waiting room, or at work, we’re often scrolling through social media and watching videos in places where it would be inappropriate to have our volume cranked up. And that’s why it’s vital to optimize every video you create for silent play.

The easiest way to stay on top of this trend is by using Zubtitle. Our state-of-the-art editing software will automatically transcribe the audio in your video and convert it to timed captions, allowing you to convert your video into content that can be watched while on mute. And it only takes a couple of clicks. 

Videos in Stories

Stories may have started on Snapchat, but it’s now a standard feature across many social media platforms (including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more). And it’s a great place to use video content. 

Using video content in Stories is actually very similar to vlogging (which we already discussed). It’s just more casual. Think of it as sharing the unedited “outtakes” that would belong in the final version of your more polished and edited vlog. Since they’re only available for 24 hours, Stories are the perfect place to share off-the-cuff, casual video content that doesn’t necessarily need a permanent spot on your feed or YouTube channel.

Plus, Stories offer you even more ways to engage with your consumer base. And engagement is the name of the game in 2022. With the sheer volume of video content to compete with, your brand needs to set itself apart. Engaging in a personal way with your audience can help you stand out from the crowd. When you put a video in Stories, try using some of the other engagement features that Stories offer (like the Questions sticker or Poll option).

Optimized Videos

As we move in 2022, we’re going to continue to see creators and brands optimizing their videos for each specific channel and platform they’re using. Gone are the days when you could just create one piece of video content and use it everywhere. It’s absolutely vital now to change up the size, format, and type of your video depending on which platform you’re going to share it on. Every social media platform is different, and so are the users. 

The good news is that it’s more effective (and easier) than ever to repurpose your video content. You can take one long video and chop it up into micro-videos for certain platforms. And when it comes to taking one video and optimizing it for each specific social media platform, Zubtitle is going to be your best friend.

With just one click, you can resize your video so that it’s optimized to each social platform’s specific requirements. And you can take advantage of our other features (like progress bars, captions, logos, title headlines, etc.) to add elements that will further optimize your video for maximum success.

Less Production

This trend is great news for creators and marketers: in 2022, we’re likely going to see even less of an emphasis on professional video production. We’ve been seeing more and more of a movement away from highly-polished and produced video content towards more quick-action, blog-style video content. And that should only continue this year. Consumers are continuously gravitating towards more relatable, authentic content, even in advertising from major brands.

Again, this is fantastic for marketers and creators. The days when you needed expensive equipment or access to a video production team are gone. This year, try to embrace filming more quick, casual video content. Especially if you’ve never really taken the leap into video marketing before because you felt like you didn’t have the right equipment or the know-how. It’s 2022 and all you really need to start creating video content is an idea and a smartphone.

Which social video trends for 2022 are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments!

And don’t forget to use Zubtitle to edit all of your video content this year. We’ll help make sure your video is perfectly optimized before you post.

With our free plan, you can add subtitles to two videos per month. To create up to 10 videos per month (and remove the Zubtitle watermark), check out our standard plan.

Sign up for a free account today to start creating!