Social video, which involves the dissemination of content in audio-visual format across social media platforms and applications, is experiencing massive growth as a content marketing format and this growth is expected to continue in 2017. Video is transforming social media marketing and turning social platforms into broadcast media, according to Warc, the global marketing intelligence service.

With social media sites now offering a wide range of (paid-for) options for posting and distributing video, brands are finding success with approaches that prioritise quality over quantity, consider emotional and social motivations for content engagement, and focus on a three-second window of opportunity to grab a viewer’s attention.

“We’re seeing a growing number of brands experimenting with live video on platforms such as Twitter’s Periscope and Facebook Live, and this format tends to work best for content that is exclusive, newsworthy or that requires live audience involvement,” commented Warc’s head of content, David Tiltman. “But a major challenge in 2017 will be video measurement.”