Trends in Russian Social Media Video Content in 2019

A recent study conducted by Brand Analytics reveals notable shifts in video content consumption on Russian-language social media platforms. In just one year, there has been a significant increase in the frequency of video posts. According to the study, while video content was present in every tenth post one year ago, by April 2019, users were posting videos in every sixth post.

The study also addresses the following questions:

• Which social media platforms are leading in terms of video content?
• Where have video clips successfully replaced text and image-based posts?
• Where do users actively discuss the content they have watched, and where do they prefer a more passive viewing experience?

To find the answers to these questions, refer to the comprehensive study conducted by Brand Analytics.

Which platforms have the highest prevalence of video content?

In April 2019, video content was highly prevalent on Russian-language social media platforms. On average, there were 2.4 million video posts published daily, indicating a 20% increase compared to the previous year when the daily volume of video content accounted for 2 million publications.

In comparison to the previous year’s study, all social networks maintained their positions in the ranking based on the volume of published video content. Notably, both Odnoklassniki and VKontakte experienced a significant growth in video volume, nearly doubling their numbers. However, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube did not exhibit the same level of growth, allowing Russian social media platforms to make significant strides forward.

Specifically, Odnoklassniki users published almost 1 million video posts per day (948K), compared to 570K a year ago. VKontakte witnessed a slightly smaller increase, with daily video content growing from 495 thousand posts in March 2018 to 837 thousand posts in April 2019.

Which platforms have a higher frequency of video publication?

The prevalence of video content has increased across all social media platforms, with the exception of YouTube. Despite the continuous generation of textual and photo content on social media, the substantial growth of video content signifies a long-term trend towards expanding video consumption. This trend highlights the ambitions of video to become the primary format in our communications.

• Odnoklassniki – Approximately every third post on Odnoklassniki contains video, making it the platform with the highest video share at 30.7% of all publications. This is a significant increase from the previous year when only every seventh post included a video clip.

• Facebook – Video content on Russian-speaking Facebook has seen a modest growth in the past year, with the video share increasing from 19.1% to 21.3%. Now, approximately every fifth post on Facebook contains video. It’s worth noting that Facebook globally launched Facebook Watch in 2018, emphasizing its focus on video content. In English-speaking Facebook, video is even more prevalent, with video being published in approximately every third post.

• Instagram – Despite the thriving format of Stories, the frequency of video publications in the main feed of Instagram has also increased. In April, approximately every eighth publication on Instagram contained video, compared to every eleventh post in the previous year.

• VKontakte – Video content on VKontakte has also experienced growth, with approximately every tenth post containing a moving picture. This accounts for nearly 10% of all publications on the platform, a significant increase from the previous year when video content was found in every sixteenth post. Notably, there is a noticeable increase in video consumption through VK Stories.

Which platforms have a higher rate of video comments?

Although video consumption continues to grow, the same cannot be said for video comments, except for Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Interestingly, despite being leaders in daily video publication, Odnoklassniki and VKontakte have experienced a slight decrease in the quantity of comments.

It is worth noting that Odnoklassniki has a unique communication mechanic where users are encouraged to comment not only on fresh posts but also on “time-proven” posts. In fact, comment threads can persist for several years. However, this study did not cover the analysis of comments on posts published more than one year ago.

Continue your viewing experience

The belief in the power of video is evident as users invest in smartphones with 4K support, purchase shooting gadgets, edit videos on their phones, and eagerly share their creations on social media platforms.

Social media platforms have embraced this trend by ensuring videos are accessible to a wide audience. Odnoklassniki focuses on interactive video, VKontakte promotes VK Live, Facebook relies on Watch, Instagram has IGTV, and YouTube emerges as the leading platform, catering to a young audience, hosting TV personalities’ shows, and fostering a community of influential YouTube bloggers.

This widespread adoption and support for video content across social media platforms solidify the continuous trend of video consumption growth, which has become firmly established.

Recommendations

To align with the trends of modern online marketing, consider the following recommendations when utilizing video content to promote your brand:

• Embrace storytelling: Craft compelling narratives in your videos to engage your audience on a deeper level.
• Adapt video formats for social media: Optimize your videos for specific social media platforms. Utilize vertical videos for stories, while horizontal shooting works best for posts and YouTube channels.
• Collaborate with video bloggers: Partnering with influential video bloggers can help expand your reach and attract new audiences.
• Incorporate video into email campaigns: Experiment with including video content in your email marketing efforts to enhance engagement and effectiveness.
• Leverage paid video content promotion: Allocate a portion of your marketing budget to promote your video content through paid advertising to maximize its visibility and impact.

For further insights and information, refer to the source: https://br-analytics.ru/blog/video-in-social-media/