Vertical Video: Three Reasons to go Vertical
In my first blog of this series I laid out the reasons why you should be using video in your marketing efforts. The number of people consuming video on their mobile devices is staggering and only increasing. In my most recent vlog I went over what types of videos your company or organization should be shooting to connect with your target audience. Now, if you consider how viewers are holding their devices as they consume content you will arrive at the three reasons to go vertical in your marketing efforts.
Vertical videos are the undisputed biggest trend in social media marketing right now and have changed the circumstances of how we consume content. If you have been on any of the social platforms, you have undoubtedly interacted with this type of media. It is where your customers are, so why not meet them there? In fact, they expect to see portrait/vertical videos from your brand. The social media platforms Snapchat and TikTok were built on the idea of vertical video, and now YouTube, Facebook, and especially Instagram are going all in on the format. Instagram is, very soon, redesigning their application’s user interface to meet the demand. When you start creating vertical videos the apps are going to reward you with reach and your customers are going to reward you with views.
It is How You are Holding It
Consumers view up to 90% of vertical video ads, and only a measly 14% for horizontal ones. Why is that? It is because of how we hold our phones: People are on the go. We are constantly engaged in multiple tasks all at once and do not have the ability to use two hands to turn our phones horizontally to consume content. Texting, talking, browsing, banking, no matter what we are doing, we are holding our phone vertically.
It is Great to Innovate
Not only are consumers interacting with their phones vertically to consume content, but they also are holding their phones vertically to create content themselves. As we go through our daily lives and spot things that we want to document, we whip out our phones, fire up the camera, and naturally shoot vertical videos and photos. Whether it is our pets, kids, or events we are shooting and sharing them vertically, so we expect to see the same from the brands we follow. In fact, consumers consider brands engaged in vertical video creation to be more innovative than those that are not. The best part is that the videos do not necessarily have to be highly polished in their production value.
It is Time to Start
A recent study found that there is “no statistical difference” in how highly polished vertical videos performed against their “organic” counterparts in A/B testing. This is great news for brands which were hesitant to shoot vertical video because they perceived the cost of entry to be too high. The important take away is to just do it. By concentrating more on the message that you are communicating to your audience than on a high-production value you can gain valuable insight into what type of content your customers respond to the most.
Vertical video is proving to be an extremely valuable tool for you to add to your marketing strategy. Considering how your followers are consuming content, how they themselves are creating content, and the fact that the cost of entry is low, you cannot wait on the sidelines any longer. If you want to learn more about our video capabilities and how we can help you with your vertical video content strategy contact Chartwell today and let’s get started.
