The way consumers watch video continues to evolve, and advertisers are shifting their strategies along with it. From streaming television to short-form videos in social feeds, digital video has become an essential part of how brands connect with audiences online. In 2026, that shift is expected to accelerate as social video advertising captures an even larger share of attention and advertising budgets.

U.S. digital video ad spending is expected to grow 11% in 2026 and, for the first time, account for more than 60% of total TV and video advertisingsoci spending. With total U.S. digital video spending projected to reach approximately $80 billion, businesses have more opportunities than ever to reach consumers through video.

Social Video Advertising Continues to Grow

Social video is emerging as one of the fastest-growing areas of digital advertising. U.S. social video ad spending is expected to increase 13% in 2026, outpacing the projected 11% growth for Connected TV (CTV).

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn have made video a central part of the user experience. Consumers encounter video throughout their feeds, Stories, Reels, Shorts, and other placements, giving advertisers multiple opportunities to deliver their message.

Unlike traditional television advertising, social video also allows businesses to combine engaging creative with detailed audience targeting. Campaigns can reach consumers based on factors such as demographics, interests, behaviors, location, and previous interactions with a brand.

Why Social Video Works for Advertisers

One of the biggest advantages of social video advertising is its ability to capture attention quickly. Short-form video gives businesses an opportunity to communicate a message, demonstrate a product, highlight an offer, or introduce their brand within seconds.

Video can also support multiple stages of the customer journey. A business might use one campaign to introduce its brand to new audiences and another to retarget people who visited its website, watched a previous video, or engaged with its social content.

The format is also highly adaptable. Businesses can use customer testimonials, product demonstrations, educational content, employee spotlights, promotions, behind-the-scenes footage, or professionally produced brand videos. Existing video assets can often be adapted into multiple formats and lengths to reach audiences across different platforms and placements.

Social Video & Connected TV

The growth of social video does not mean CTV is disappearing. Instead, advertisers have more ways to incorporate video into a broader digital strategy.

Connected TV continues to evolve from primarily an awareness and reach tactic into a more measurable performance channel. Growth is being supported by live events moving to streaming platforms, greater programmatic advertising access, and improved measurement of business outcomes. CTV adoption among smaller advertisers is also expected to rise significantly, from 60% in 2024 to 85% in 2026.

Social video and CTV can therefore serve complementary roles. CTV can provide a television-like experience on a larger screen, while social video can create frequent touchpoints as consumers browse content throughout the day. Using both can help advertisers maintain visibility across different devices and viewing environments.

Building a Stronger Video Advertising Strategy

As digital video captures a greater share of advertising spending, businesses should think beyond simply creating a video and putting budget behind it. Effective social video advertising requires the right combination of creative, audience targeting, platform selection, campaign objectives, and measurement.

Testing different videos, messages, calls to action, and audience segments can help identify what generates meaningful engagement and business results. Most importantly, campaigns should be optimized around measurable goals rather than views alone.

Ready to put video to work for your business? Contact our team at enCOMPASS Advertising Agency to build a targeted Social Video Advertising strategy designed to reach your audience and drive measurable results.