Video messaging has taken over the internet. No-where is this more evident than on social media. Any forward facing marketing plan needs consider this huge audience and maximize potential by including video content in any social media marketing strategy.
According to Wirebuzz, viewers retain 95% more of a message when they watch it on video, compared to 10% when they read it in text. YouTube is second behind Google as the most popular site, with 1 million hours of video content consumed by users daily. Facebook has predicted that by 2021 its newsfeed will be entirely video. Social media videos generate 1200% more shares than both text and images combined.
The best videos produced for social media campaigns are not “commercials”, instead they are primarily focused on building a rapport and engaging customers and potential customers. Social media is all about “sharing” and “connection”, so videos produced for social media need to take that to heart. The basic idea is to give more, ask less, and invite engagement, consider it more of a soft-sell. More often people love to interact with the brands that offer something informational, entertaining, relevant to life, or just plain fun. When you do get your audience to engage by the way of comments be sure to respond. Participating in social media conversation (especially when not getting anything like a sale immediately in return) can increase audience engagement and make many customers feel more connected to the brand.
Here are some tips to consider when planning your video for social media:
Take time to brainstorm different ideas for your video. You want to create something unique, but topical. Try to remember to focus on what your customers want not what your company wants. Be sure your concept suits your brand, tone and style. Create a storyboard for your video.
With an inspiring story and an engaging script or storyboard, your video might just go viral!
Top tips for creating a social video storyboard:
- Send the message early – Videos will autoplay on most social media platforms. Therefore, ensure that the first few seconds of your video are captivating enough to make the viewer want to continue watching.
- Keep it simple –Most people would rather watch videos that are easy to understand with an interesting twist. Plan to make certain that your message and story is clear, by using simple language and vivid visuals.
- Visual appeal –Ensure that your video can still be understood even with no sound. Add text captions or graphics to tell your story visually.
Consider working with a professional, the right creative team can make all the difference. Collaborating with a professional who has experience in video marketing can assist your brand in telling the right story in the right way. They can also make sure that the video produced is of high quality in both visual and audio aspects. If you do choose to work with a pro creative company, be sure to communicate your goals and vision for a video early on so that they can include it into the story boarding process. Remember when you put a video out there, it is representing you brand and company, so you want to always put your best foot forward.
Produce the right video for each platform. Here are a few things to consider when you are planning and creating your video marketing strategy for social media platforms:
YouTube
- Create a Custom Thumbnail -this can help grab the user’s attention to bring them to your video.
- Consistent Sharing is the best way to attract subscribers is to create a consistent flow of content on your channel.
- Be sure to optimize your video so that it ranks (YouTube is the second largest search engine) While great content is bound to be found, it’s important to be proactive about getting attention for your brand.
- Run a series of YouTube ads is one way to be sure more of your target audience finds the content you’ve posted.
- Upload directly to Facebook (don’t use a YouTube Link).
- Use a custom thumbnail to attract attention.
- Create great visuals, 85% of video viewed on Facebook is with the sound off.
- As you create more video content, add playlists so people can watch by category.
- You only have 60 seconds so keep the message simple.
- Users are listening so include high quality music to help drive your story
- Keep the text to a minimum
Snapchat
- Shoot these stories vertically
- Take the opportunity to be more relaxed
- The clock is your friend – the content is going to expire which presents an opportunity to be relevant in real-time.
Once you have successfully produced your video, it’s time to post it on your social media page(s). Boost engagement for your video by including a short but striking title and description. Paying to boost your reach on each platform can also vastly increase views, shares and likes.
After you have posted your video, be sure to regularly check to read and reply to comments by viewers. Positive engagement with people commenting on your video will make them consider sharing it, come back again and even turn them into paying customers!
Due to the proven continued success of social media marketing, it’s clear that it isn’t just a trendy fad that can be ignored. Your company’s social media marketing strategy must account for the changing way in which we interact, not only with people but also with businesses, products, and services. Video marketing on social media is quickly becoming the one of most powerful ways to broadcast a message to an enormous amount of people. Incorporating video into your social media message may seem a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. At Blend we understand that your social media presence needs to be inviting, informative, engaging, and not too pushy when it comes to marketing. Elevate your brand by creating memorable video content for your social media marketing campaign with Blend contact us today.