“The ability to produce concise, well-edited video for use in social media is a tactic that we have been using for a while and have seen great success with,” said Webber Hudson, an executive vice president at the New York City–based Related Cos. “Video is more impactful and a lot more accurate than print media, and, frankly, it is just more relevant to the way our consumer is navigating their world today and how they are seeking to get their information.”

In New York City, Related Cos. has used video to bring the Hudson Yards redevelopment project, on the city’s West Side, and The Shops at Columbus Circle, in Manhattan’s Time Warner Center, to life for consumers by promoting special events and other features. The firm also uses videos from “social-media influencers” — prominent bloggers, typically — as a means of targeting audiences. Last Mother’s Day the Shops at Columbus Circle ran a 40-second video clip titled “Celebrate Mom in Style,” from influencer Brianne Manz, which showed Manz visiting shops and promoting favorite gift ideas, such as champagne-flavored gummy bears and luxury scented candles.

Marketing managers are taking note of the cultural shift that has people tuning in to their mobile devices and computers to watch video for entertainment, news and even education. Video has exploded onto the social-media scene over the past two years, with a more dominant presence on such platforms as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Consumers are also moving away from the traditional broadcast networks and signing up instead for video on demand, which enables them to watch shows anywhere, anytime and from any device; Amazon Fire, HBO Go, Hulu and Netflix are among these options. “That evolution really brought this groundswell of prioritization of video to where we are today,” said Brian Lutz, director of digital strategies at CBL Properties.

CBL encourages the use of Facebook Live among its on-site marketing directors. They can post video of a live event while it is happening, and Facebook also saves the video to the news feed so it has a longer shelf life through views, likes and shares. The marketing director at Parkway Place, in Huntsville, Ala., took a Facebook Live video of Yolo Rollo demonstrating its technique for making rolled ice cream, and that video generated 3,600 views. “The number of views was astronomically high,” said Erin Rankin, CBL’s digital manager. “It can be a great way to showcase a product.

Among the keys to producing good video is to keep them short — two minutes or less — and to make sure they grab the viewer’s attention within the first 30 seconds. “We see higher engagement when we are short, to the point and have something exciting to communicate,” said Andrea Simpson, vice president of marketing at Federal Realty Investment Trust. Success also depends on the quality and the relevance of the message.

The growth of video usage is joined at the hip with advances in smartphone technology that make it easy for even do-it-yourselfers to shoot high-quality video at minimal cost. Video took a leap forward when Facebook kicked off its Facebook Live video-streaming feature in 2016. The company’s move to prioritize video posts — giving those greater exposure in its news feed — has helped to entice owners and managers to include video in their marketing.

Facebook Live has changed the way many retailers and shopping centers market to the consumers, notes Gillian Cabanski, corporate marketing director of Olshan Properties. Olshan created a “12 Days of Gifting” video guide last December at two of its shopping centers — Zona Rosa, in Kansas City, Mo.; and The Shoppes at Webb Gin, in Snellville, Ga. Marketing directors at those properties went live at a different retailer every day to promote a specific product or promotional sale. One popular video was a live shoot at the Hollywood Feed pet supplies shop that featured some four-legged stars helping promote a BOGO offer for stuffed dog toys. All told, this gifting-guide video series generated some 90,000 “organic” (nonpaid) views.

“It has become vital for these retailers and shopping centers to get on board and start putting this into their marketing plans if they haven’t already,” said Cabanski. According to software analytics firm Tubular, some 500 million people are watching video on Facebook every day, and 64 percent of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social video. “It is so important that all of our centers have video in their marketing plans,” Cabanski said.

In some cases, Federal Realty has seen its videos generate three to four times the level of engagement of a still-photo post. In December management at the firm’s Assembly Row property, in Somerville, Mass., posted a Facebook Live video of an “Ice Sculpture Stroll” — a walking tour that showcased outdoor ice sculptures and a carving demonstration — that generated about 5,500 views.

Many centers are also adding a “call to action” in their videos to help convert views into higher foot traffic and sales. The marketing director at Parkway Place conducted a Facebook Live video interview with the owner of a pop-up shop called Mary Kathryn Design. The interview related the story of how the proprietor got started making jewelry and also showed the jewelry for sale. The call-to-action at the video’s end offered a 20 percent discount to those viewers who responded.

One current debate involves whether it is better to shoot video in landscape (horizontal), or in portrait (vertical) format. “We haven’t seen a definitive success metric around one or the other, but with so many devices and so many users watching video on their mobile phones, we have started to incorporate more portrait or vertical form of video,” said Lutz. This video content is also easier to employ in other displays within shopping centers — such as on the video screens of mall directories, he says. “The tip that I would have for other developers is to not just be thinking about the platform that you are using video on, but other channels where you can repurpose that content as well.”