We consume billions of hours’ worth of videos on YouTube every day.

Whether you're looking for a quick tutorial or if you just fancy a few hours of comfort viewing, there's something for everyone on YouTube.

As 2021 comes to a close, we're looking back at some of the year's biggest viewing trends and discussing how these can help marketers tailor their content to meet this demand.

Let's get started!

1. Comfort viewing

From the beginning of the pandemic to now, we have all had to adjust to a life plagued by one word: uncertainty.

None of us can say for certain what our future might look like.

When times are tough, and we don't know what tomorrow might bring, we cling to what we do know - the familiar.

2020, and 2021, have seen a huge rise in content that shows ordinary people doing ordinary things.

From 'Clean my room with me' videos to baking, gardening or studying videos, many of the biggest trends centres around one larger trend: viewers watching videos that show ordinary people in familiar situations.

And ordinary people aren't the only ones we're following.

A huge boost in nostalgia-related content is another side effect of our search for the known.

For marketers, this will mean incorporating aspects into their campaigns that consumers will instantly recognise - whether this is simple household tasks that we all engage in or references to iconic pop culture moments from previous decades.

2. Community

In the years of YouTube's past, the gaming niche was a subculture.

But things have changed. A lot. In fact, by the end of 2021, the number of people who play video games is expected to reach 2.9 billion.

As an industry now worth £130 billion, the market is incredibly lucrative and includes people from all demographics (46% of gamers are women).

The success of gaming channels on YouTube boils down to two key elements: community and story.

Through comments, live videos and subscriber giveaways, gaming YouTuber's are able to establish a sense of community that follows viewers at every stage of the viewer-subscriber-consumer journey. Similarly, their ability to leverage video gaming's natural capacity for storytelling encourages viewers to keep tuning in.

For marketers, this community provides enormous inspiration for creating and leveraging in the audience, while also being a prime community to tap into and market to, as many members of this community have significant income.

3. Easy to consume content

YouTube, it seems, is a rare platform. It is the only social media platform that seems to have mastered the long video.

Others, such as Instagram's IGTV feature, have failed spectacularly.

Why?

Because viewers now generally seem to prefer shorter videos, the only exception being on YouTube.

But whilst YouTube has managed to keep us watching the same video for up to several hours, there is still a place for short form content on the platform.

Shorts, YouTube's platform which lets creators make engaging content lasting up to 60 seconds, has seen fantastic results, without taking away from the success of YouTube's traditional longer content.

The feature enables creators to create new kinds of content and launch new trends.

Not only that, but viewers are using the Shorts feature to find new creators, too.

In 2022, marketers that tailor their campaigns to provide familiar, engaging, community-oriented content in short and long form are going to reap the rewards of captivating a wider audience.

To learn more about Marketing on Youtube, get in contact today.