7 Amazing Social Media Video Formats to Try in 2022

Social media videos are one of the best ways to engage your audience and stand out from the crowd. To revamp your strategy, here are 7 different types to try in 2022.

Is your digital marketing campaign slacking? Are you looking for ways to put your video marketing machinery into fifth gear? If so, you're about to discover 7 amazing social media video formats to try in 2021 and beyond.

But first, here's a little primer:

We live in an increasingly digital world. According to a study by Statista.com, there are over 4.66 billion active internet users across the globe. That's roughly 60% of the global population. From the same study, 92.6% of said users access the web on mobile devices.

With such a huge number of mobile internet users, it's no wonder videos on social media platforms are thriving. But that's probably because, according to Facebook, daily internet users are 1.5x more likely to watch a video on a smartphone than a computer. Social media platforms also prioritize video content in newsfeeds.

What that means is there is huge potential in social media videos. If you'd like to drive more engagement and exposure to your business, there has never been a better time to leverage the power of social media videos. Besides, social media videos are easy and fun to execute even for beginners.

Why Use Social Media Videos?

Well, if it isn't obvious, social media videos are fantastic when it comes to boosting digital engagement. Nowadays, no other type of content on social media platforms is as popular as videos in all their different formats. Even memes are struggling to keep up in terms of engagement and reach.

You can use social media videos to entertain and educate your audience, which increases customer loyalty and leads to a good brand reputation. Heck, you can even provide customer service via videos e.g., using live streaming to answer customer questions in real-time.

On top of that, social media videos can come in handy if you're hosting an event or releasing a new product. The videos offer you the golden opportunity to reach millions of social media users you'd have otherwise missed. After all, we all throng social media platforms in search of news, gossip, products, and everything in between.

That said, here are the top 7 social media video formats for 2021. If we're treated to new formats in the future, we shall update the post accordingly. At the moment, however, feel free to use one or a mix of the following formats to take your video marketing campaign to the next level.

Without further ado, let us dive in!

7 Different Social Media Video Types for 2021

Live Streaming

At first, I was extremely shy about giving live streaming a try but my wife beat me into submission, and now I can't get enough :) Well, she didn't actually lay a finger on me, but her live streaming results were quite intriguing I had to give it a shot.

Well, long story short, I suck in front of cameras, so I let her do her thing and became the occasional guest. Still, I was not blind to the engagement she was getting from live videos. It was insane to see a live stream garner over 45k views in one session. And that was just TikTok; she was killing it on FB and Insta, too.

It got me thinking. What if business owners could use live streaming to their advantage? Turns out many businesses have been doing successful live streams for years now. If done right, live streaming is a great way of interacting with your customers on a one-on-one(ish) basis.

Plus, there are many creative ways to use live streaming in 2021. You don't want to be a bore or the guy who streams out of the blues once in a blue moon. You need to incorporate live streaming into your video marketing strategy and actually plan out everything.

If you need some ideas, you can start by creating a regular schedule for your live streams. Secondly, you can organize Q&A live streams with industry experts who can add value to your audience.

Doesn't sound like your cup of tea? How about hosting a behind-the-scenes live stream showing how you work? That would be a swell idea to engage with users at a more personal level.

Running out of live streaming ideas? You can live stream how-tos and tutorials or repurpose old content that you have lying around. That way, you can teach your audience something useful in real-time, which boosts engagement.

Stories

Then we have Stories, a flattering new feature on all major social media platforms. Before going mainstream, Stories were the preserve of Snapchat, but we all know how it goes. One company comes up with a new cool thing, and before long, everybody is doing it.

But that's because Stories work, which is why Mark Zuckerberg and his friends didn't wait long before adding the feature to Facebook and Instagram. Nowadays, Stories are everywhere you look.

Stories are hugely successful because they have a sense of urgency. I mean, Stories expire after 24-hours unlike other forms of video. They can also feature exciting video shot in the heat of the moment, which is exactly what you need to drive impulse buying.

However, some business owners might argue that there is no point in creating temporary content. Well, I don't agree. Stories are great for flash sales, discounts, offers and any other time-sensitive deal you're sharing with your audience. You can also use Stories to run contests and challenges on social media.

Additionally, the relatively new video format is particularly popular with young people. That makes it the ideal type of video to use if you're looking to attract that particular demographic.

On top of that, Stories are incredibly easy to put together. Social media platforms offer you a ton of stickers, filters, and tools that make your Stories pop. If you play your cards right, you can use Stories to make a killing like these 5 businesses.

Animated Videos

Let's say you're on a tight budget and cannot afford the resources to hire a full-service video production company. Still, you'd like to create videos and pass your brand message.

The only problem?

You can't hire actors, crew members, or even costly equipment. What to do? Do you give up on video altogether? No, you shouldn't. Instead, you should consider using animated videos.

This type of video format can be as simple as animating text on an image, or a complex as an entire explainer video. And since we don't have huge budgets like Hollywood, let us just say creating a simple animation is a more viable option.

Which is great news because you don't need expensive contracts to create animated visuals. There are a million and one apps to create animated videos you won't have to look hard.

Animated videos are better than standard images because they attract the users' attention. As such, they are great for conveying brand messages, quotes, offers, and much more.

360-Degree Videos

It's really a great time to be a video marketer. Thanks to new trends, technologies, faster 5G internet, and new ways of looking at old problems, you can achieve a lot more in lesser time. You can also have a bigger impact since new techniques give birth to new possibilities.

One type of social media video you want to try in 2021 is the 360-degree video. It's a modern video format that's perfect for anything you have in mind. A 360-degree video places the viewer at the center of the entire experience; it is immersive and allows the viewer to look in every direction.

360-degree videos offer marketers a fantastic way of engaging with their audiences. And the videos actually do work beautifully. Otherwise, big platforms such as YouTube and Facebook wouldn't be offering 360-degree videos already.

To add icing on the cake, creating 360-degree videos is pretty straightforward these days. Sure, you can invest in a 360-degree camera (coz they're cool) but all you really need is your smartphone. Install a 360-degree video app and that's it.

Plus, can you imagine all that real estate you have in a 360-degree video? I bet that's plenty of space for sponsored content and product placements. Yes, definitely those.

Also, you're staying ahead of the times, and your audience will love all that 360-degree vibe you got going.

Oh yeah, lest I forget. Did you know you can host 360-degree live streams? Imagine streaming your product launch or event in 360-degree?

Let me tell you what happens. It drives viewers bonkers since they feel like they are right there in the room with you, more so if they are using VR headsets.

User-Generated Videos

Creating web content is an arduous job. Creating videos? Well, that's a whole new territory. It's a tough nut to crack even for the pros in the biz. There's so much to do at every stage of video production the Kraken would scamper away in fear.

Before shooting the whole thing, you must do a lot of preparations (you know, hire crew, equipment, write, etc.). Before publishing the video, you must spend tons of hours editing and putting everything together. It's not for the faint of heart.

That's why you spend a ton of time and money trying to get your video in front of more people. But, what if you approached the whole thing from a different perspective?

Ever thought perhaps you could drive lots of traffic without creating that many videos?

How? Glad you asked.

You post user-generated videos to create social media buzz about your business. How? Encourage users to send in videos about something you're all passionate about. It could be a trending topic or something about your business.

Not following? I'm saying, it's possible to drive a lot of engagement by posting user-generated videos on your social media pages. You can organize (or jump on already trending) #challenges and let users submit their videos.

Need a great example of this video format in action? Check out what Huda Kattan does on her Instagram page @hudabeauty.

You then laud the users on your pages as a way of saying thank you. It's like killing two three birds with one stone i.e., you get users raving, stronger relationships going, and plenty of free video content pouring in. It's a win-win.

Vertical Videos

I hate when I'm lying on my back, scrolling away and my phone decides it's time to fall squarely on my nose. Does that ever happen to you? Yeah? But it's alright because, according to MOVR'S Mobile Overview Report, "..smartphone users hold their phones vertically about 94% of the time."

Who would have thought?

Not to mention 70% of people don't bother flipping their phones horizontally when watching a video. These are some of the interesting findings, which is why we should be glad we have vertical videos.

Typically, smartphones have vertical screens, which created problems for videos created for horizontal (or landscape) video players such as YouTube. A vertical video offers you an excellent way of reaching mobile users. It's exactly why YouTube added a feature to accommodate vertical videos.

What I'm trying to say is, nowadays, most social media videos are viewed vertically. But what you probably didn't know is that vertical videos have a 90% higher completion rate than horizontal videos. I didn't know that either.

On top of that, users are not really bothered whether your video has that finished "studio" look. All they care about is a real video that shows what you're all about. You know, something like a vertical video that's easy and free to create on your smartphone.

Pro Tip: That means you can create videos on the go without the usual bottlenecks such as cost of expensive gear. Yep, you don't need pricey tech stuff to shoot vertical videos; just a smartphone. After all, you can upgrade your gear later.

AR Videos

Guys, we are living in the future of technology that was once only in Sci-Fi movies. And what that means is you, as a video marketer, must adjust or miss out on many opportunities. Ladies and gents, let's talk about AR videos.

Augmented Reality (AR) technology allows you to deliver truly immersive audiovisual experiences to your visitors. The future of AR in video marketing looks bright because, as it stands, we already have apps to interact with virtual items in videos.

If you live under a rock, many companies have completely changed how prospects interact with their products. Need examples? We have the Gucci Try-On app that lets you try on Gucci products on your smartphone, while you're at home.

Want to see how that couch you've been eyeing will look in your living room? Guess what? IKEA has just the app for you. There are so many brilliant examples of businesses taking AR visual marketing to the next level.

Snapchat's Lens Studio and Facebook's Spark AR already allow you to change your appearance or add virtual objects to videos. The results are, well, mind-boggling. Without a doubt, you can expect the trend to grow.

Conclusion

Video marketing is a fast-growing industry that is expected to reach $45.6 billion by 2025. With the entrance of new devices and technology, the avid marketer must adapt or burn.

The social media video formats we've shared in the above post will help you diversify your strategy as you adapt to the evolving world of digital marketing in general.

All in all, each of the above formats has its perks, so test until you find the perfect mix to drive your social media and video marketing campaigns forward.